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| 2 | 2 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1372 FILED ON: 1/19/2023 |
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| 3 | 3 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 239 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Michael D. Brady |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act establishing a special commission on creating a more diversified teaching workforce in |
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| 13 | 13 | | the Commonwealth. |
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| 14 | 14 | | _______________ |
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| 15 | 15 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 16 | 16 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Michael D. BradySecond Plymouth and NorfolkJames K. Hawkins2nd Bristol2/8/2023Patrick M. O'ConnorFirst Plymouth and Norfolk2/8/2023Patricia D. JehlenSecond Middlesex3/3/2023 1 of 3 |
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| 17 | 17 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1372 FILED ON: 1/19/2023 |
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| 18 | 18 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 239 |
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| 19 | 19 | | By Mr. Brady, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 239) of Michael D. Brady, James K. |
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| 20 | 20 | | Hawkins, Patrick M. O'Connor and Patricia D. Jehlen for legislation to establish a special |
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| 21 | 21 | | commission on creating a more diversified teaching workforce in the Commonwealth. |
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| 22 | 22 | | Education. |
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| 23 | 23 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
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| 25 | 25 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2023-2024) |
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| 27 | 27 | | _______________ |
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| 28 | 28 | | An Act establishing a special commission on creating a more diversified teaching workforce in |
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| 29 | 29 | | the Commonwealth. |
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| 30 | 30 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 31 | 31 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 32 | 32 | | 1 SECTION 1. (a) Whereas it has been determined that minority students face numerous |
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| 33 | 33 | | 2obstacles particularly in gateway cities; and whereas there is increasing evidence that minority |
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| 34 | 34 | | 3students benefit from having teachers from their same ethnic background and community; and |
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| 35 | 35 | | 4whereas teachers of color make up only about ten percent of the Massachusetts’ teaching |
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| 36 | 36 | | 5workforce while its K-12 student body is over forty percent students of color; and whereas |
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| 37 | 37 | | 6certain educational, financial, and societal barriers disproportionately impact minority teaching |
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| 38 | 38 | | 7candidates; and whereas the state legislature should understand the barriers to students of color |
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| 39 | 39 | | 8entering the teaching profession and provide legislative support to create a cadre of teachers |
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| 40 | 40 | | 9representing the diversity of the student body; and whereas a special Commission on teacher |
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| 41 | 41 | | 10diversification in Massachusetts should be established to identify opportunities and make |
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| 42 | 42 | | 11recommendations to increase access and offer more pathways for students of color to enter the 2 of 3 |
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| 43 | 43 | | 12teaching profession; therefore, said Commission shall be established and entitled the Special |
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| 44 | 44 | | 13Commission on Teacher Diversification in Massachusetts. |
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| 45 | 45 | | 14 (b) The Special Commission on Teacher Diversification in Massachusetts shall study and |
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| 46 | 46 | | 15make recommendations regarding the diversification of the teaching workforce in the |
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| 47 | 47 | | 16Commonwealth. |
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| 48 | 48 | | 17 (c) The Commission shall: (1) evaluate existing teacher recruitment programs in local |
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| 49 | 49 | | 18school districts, the department of elementary and secondary education, and other states aimed at |
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| 50 | 50 | | 19diversifying the teaching workforce; (2) compile the best practices associated with these local |
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| 51 | 51 | | 20school district and state programs (3) make recommendations for sustainable teacher |
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| 52 | 52 | | 21diversification programs; (4) review the current pathways that exist between community colleges |
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| 53 | 53 | | 22and public universities for entering the teaching profession; and (5) create a long-term |
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| 54 | 54 | | 23comprehensive plan for developing and supporting a cadre of minority teachers. The study shall |
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| 55 | 55 | | 24include a close examination of gateway cities, and the recommendations shall include specific |
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| 56 | 56 | | 25information related to implementation strategies that benefit gateway cities in particular. |
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| 57 | 57 | | 26Recommendations shall include, but not be limited to, strengthening opportunities to access |
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| 58 | 58 | | 27teacher education programs in gateway cities, enrolling minority candidates in teacher |
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| 59 | 59 | | 28preparation programs, and implementing targeted recruitment programs for minority teaching |
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| 60 | 60 | | 29candidates. |
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| 61 | 61 | | 30 (d) The Commission shall consist of 21 members as follows: the Secretary of Education |
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| 62 | 62 | | 31who shall serve as the Chairperson, the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Education, the |
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| 63 | 63 | | 32Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Education, the House Chair of the Joint Committee on |
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| 64 | 64 | | 33Higher Education, the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education, the 3 of 3 |
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| 65 | 65 | | 34Commissioner of Early Education and Care, the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary |
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| 66 | 66 | | 35Education, the Commissioner of Higher Education, and the Chief Academic Officer of the |
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| 67 | 67 | | 36Department of Higher Education, or their designee(s); and representatives from the following: |
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| 68 | 68 | | 37 one of whom shall be from the University of Massachusetts, one of whom shall be from |
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| 69 | 69 | | 38the Council of Presidents of the Massachusetts State Universities, one of whom shall be from the |
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| 70 | 70 | | 39Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges, one of whom shall be from the Association |
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| 71 | 71 | | 40of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts; one of whom shall be from the |
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| 72 | 72 | | 41Massachusetts Teachers Association; one of whom shall be from the American Federation of |
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| 73 | 73 | | 42Teachers Massachusetts; one of whom shall be from the Massachusetts Association of School |
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| 74 | 74 | | 43Superintendents; one of whom shall be from the Massachusetts Association of School |
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| 75 | 75 | | 44Committees; one of whom shall be from the Massachusetts Association of School Personnel |
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| 76 | 76 | | 45Administrators; one of whom shall be from the Massachusetts School Administrators |
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| 77 | 77 | | 46Association; one of whom shall be from the Massachusetts Elementary School Principals |
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| 78 | 78 | | 47Association; and one of whom shall be from the Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators |
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| 79 | 79 | | 48Association. |
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| 80 | 80 | | 49 (e) Members of the Commission shall be named by the Secretary of Education and the |
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| 81 | 81 | | 50Commission shall commence its work within 60 days of the effective date of this act. The |
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| 82 | 82 | | 51Commission shall report to the general court and governor the results of its study, together with |
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| 83 | 83 | | 52any draft legislation, regulations, or administrative procedure necessary to implement its |
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| 84 | 84 | | 53recommendations by filing the same with the clerks of the house of representatives and the |
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| 85 | 85 | | 54senate and the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on education and the joint |
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| 86 | 86 | | 55committee on higher education, not more than 1 year after the establishment of said Commission. |
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