Senator Coons teamed up with the Hope Street Group on Wednesday for a live online chat with educators from across Delaware to explore the next steps in education reform.
“While not a member of the Senate committee that specifically deals with amending the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, I’ve done my level best since being sworn in to be actively engaged in cosponsoring, introducing, and supporting pieces of legislation that help strengthen our teachers’ ability to properly educate our children,” Chris said during the chat. “It’s imperative that our teachers have a seat at the table, are respected, and are full participants in the development of the curricular standards and testing modalities that will be used to prepare our children to succeed in a global workforce.”
Wednesday was World Teachers’ Day, which is celebrated in more than 100 countries and commemorates the 1966 signing of the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers.
In the weeks leading up to the webinar, which was live-streamed from the Senator’s Washington office, Delaware educators were encouraged to submit and vote for questions about education reform they wanted Chris to answer. Teachers could submit additional questions in real-time online during the 45-minute-long conversation. Much of the discussion was centered on reforming the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, commonly known as No Child Left Behind.
“My hope is that we can work to fix the challenges No Child Left Behind has left behind for teachers to deal with every day,” Chris told participants.
A longtime advocate of aggressive education reform and college completion, Chris is a member of a group of moderate, reform-minded Democratic senators who have put forth an innovative vision for education that sets a high bar for all students, and attracts and supports the most talented teachers and leaders in our schools.