1. Short title This Act may be cited as the American Teacher Act . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Teachers are the backbone of our nation, from the first bell to the last bell, they act as caregivers, counselors, role models, advocates, and cheerleaders, helping children achieve their greatest potential. (2) What is more, teacher shortages are among the most pressing threats to education access today, with districts across the country forced to radically adjust school offerings to respond to turnover and prolonged vacancies. Every day, stories surface of schools shortening their weeks, canceling courses, increasing student-teacher ratios, and placing underprepared or temporary substitute staff in core instructional roles. Such adjustments disrupt learning, take a sustained toll on teacher morale, and harm student achievement. (3) The teacher wage penalty, characterizing lower weekly wages and overall compensation for teachers compared to college-educated peers in other professions, hit an all-time high of 23.5 percent in 2021 and continues to demonstrate significant, adverse impacts on teacher recruitment and retention. According to a recent report by the Teacher Salary Project, over 90 percent of teachers believe low salary contributes to shortages in their communities and over 45 percent believe their salary is insufficient for medium and long-term career sustainability. (4) Significant numbers of teachers report maintaining multiple jobs to make ends meet or being able to work in their profession only through the support of a partner’s higher-paying job. This instability is worse for teachers of color who are more likely to work in under-resourced schools. As a result, high-poverty communities face a compounded burden. (5) In August of 2022, the White House issued a fact sheet renewing attention to the weak teacher pipeline and calling upon legislators to use federal, state, and local resources to strengthen teaching career pathways and ensure competitive, livable wages. This statement