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Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, is promoting new bipartisan legislation aimed at addressing the nationwide teacher shortage by improving educator recruitment, training and retention.
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Kelly said he wants to attract a broader range of teachers, including more men. He highlighted the gender gap in education, noting that only 23% of public school teachers are men and that male representation in teaching was significantly higher when he was younger.
“I’m not so sure why over the years the number of men going into teaching has gone down, but we do know that it’s not a good trend,” Kelly said. “If it continues, we could wind up in a situation where men going into the teaching profession is just so scarce, and it’s important for young men to have male role models.”
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Kelly is also promoting the Building Community in America Act, which focuses on national service.
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He said the bill would encourage organizations to recruit more men into service programs, increase mentorship opportunities for boys and young men, and help address growing social isolation among young men, which he described as approaching an “epidemic.”
“AmeriCorps, I think, is a good example,” Kelly said. “It’s another nationwide program of service outside the military where you can serve your community, and you could become a mentor for young men and boys at a time when many young men are just isolated.”
Kelly said the goal of both pieces of legislation is to place more men in mentorship and role model positions.
“When I was in elementary school, I had a male teacher in fifth and sixth grade and a lot of male teachers in middle school and high school, some of which were great role models for me,” Kelly said.
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