119th Congress (2025-2026)

HRES 1255

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

In Committee

Jurisdiction

US Congress

Session

119th Congress (2025-2026)

Official source

Chamber

House

Session

119th Congress (2025-2026)

Jurisdiction

US Congress

Bill overview

This resolution seeks to recognize and celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, which will be held from May 4th to May 8th, 2026. It acknowledges the vital role teachers play in American education and highlights concerns regarding teacher support, voice in policy, and professional conditions. The resolution also emphasizes teacher support for various educational priorities and potential reforms.

Key provisions

Supports the designation of Teacher Appreciation Week for 2026.
Recognizes the invaluable role of teachers in shaping students' futures.
Encourages Federal, State, and local leaders to engage with teachers.
Affirms the importance of teachers having a voice in education policymaking.
Highlights teacher support for federal protections for students, undocumented student access, and specific education programs.
Recognizes teacher support for leveraging AI, alternative teaching models, and compensation strategies.
Promotes diversifying the teaching profession to better reflect student populations.
Calls for culturally relevant teaching materials and data-driven resource allocation.

Who is affected

Public school teachers
Students
Federal government
State governments
Local governments

Notable changes

The resolution specifically calls for increased teacher engagement in education policymaking.

Positions across the country

No public positions recorded for this legislation.

Arguments in favor

Reasons to support this legislation.

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Arguments opposed

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Legislative history

2026-05-04House

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

2026-05-04

Submitted in House

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May 4, 2026XMLView source

119th CONGRESS — 2d Session

H. RES. 1255

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

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

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.

HRES 1255

Bill overview

Key provisions

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Positions across the country

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Bill text

Positions across the country