H.Res. 1255

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1255 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1255

Supporting the designation of the week of May 4 through May 8, 2026, as 
``Teacher Appreciation Week''.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 4, 2026

Mrs. Hayes (for herself, Mr. Bell, Ms. Norton, Mr. Quigley, Ms. 
Elfreth, Mr. Min, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Ms. Craig, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. 
Lynch, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Moore 
of Wisconsin, Mr. Morelle, Ms. Brown, Mrs. Trahan, Mr. Frost, Mr. 
Kennedy of New York, Mr. Garamendi, Mr. Boyle of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
Case, Mr. Lieu, Mrs. McIver, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, Ms. DeLauro, 
Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Ms. Tokuda, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. 
Mullin, Ms. Matsui, Mr. Figures, Mrs. Grijalva, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. 
McClellan, Mr. Veasey, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Foster, Mr. Gottheimer, Mr. 
Deluzio, Mr. Mannion, Ms. Simon, Ms. Dexter, Mr. Amo, Ms. Titus, Mr. 
Olszewski, and Ms. Goodlander) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

RESOLUTION

Supporting the designation of the week of May 4 through May 8, 2026, as 
``Teacher Appreciation Week''.

Whereas May 4 through May 8, 2026, is ``Teacher Appreciation Week'', in 
recognition of the critical and selfless work the Nation's 3,000,000 
public school teachers do for their students;
Whereas teachers are the cornerstone of the American education system, providing 
essential knowledge, skills, and guidance to the next generation;
Whereas bipartisan efforts have previously recognized the value of teacher 
expertise, including initiatives to improve teacher recruitment, 
retention, evaluation, and professional development;
Whereas teachers report that they feel unheard in key education decisions 
despite their direct impact on student learning and success;
Whereas only 19 percent of teachers would recommend the profession to others, 
making clear that change is necessary;
Whereas a large majority of teachers support maintaining--

(1) Federal protections for students against discrimination based on 
gender and sexual identity (84 percent);

(2) the guaranteed right of undocumented students to attend public 
school (74 percent);

(3) funding for title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) and the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) (92 percent);

(4) the public service loan forgiveness program under section 455(m) of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)) (87 percent);

(5) the use of culturally relevant teaching materials that consider the 
heritage, history, and knowledge of all students (88 percent);

(6) the statewide collection of student achievement data to identify 
achievement gaps among schools and student subgroups and channel resources 
accordingly (79 percent);

(7) the reservation of public tax dollars for public schools (84 
percent); and

(8) the existence of a fully staffed and functioning Department of 
Education (70 percent); and

Whereas a large majority of teachers support reimagination of the profession 
through strategies such as--

(1) safely leveraging artificial intelligence as a tool to support 
teaching and learning (88 percent);

(2) exploring alternatives to the traditional one-teacher, one-
classroom model, such as team-teaching (85 percent);

(3) differentiating compensation for teachers who work in hard-to-staff 
subject areas (87 percent) and schools (93 percent), teacher leaders (89 
percent), and teachers who are highly effective (75 percent); and

(4) proactively diversifying the profession so that school staff more 
often reflect the racial identity of the student population they teach (80 
percent): Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports the designation of ``Teacher Appreciation 
Week'';
(2) recognizes the invaluable role of teachers in shaping 
the future of America's students and communities;
(3) respects the hard work of teachers in constantly 
improving their practice in search of effective strategies for 
their classes;
(4) affirms that public school teachers should have a seat 
at the table in education policymaking at all levels, including 
Federal, State, and local decisionmaking; and
(5) encourages Federal, State, and local leaders to engage 
directly with teachers, ensuring their voices and expertise are 
reflected in policies that impact the classroom.
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