Teachers Are Good

The Senate could vote as soon as this week on the President's plan to prevent teacher layoffs and get more teachers back in our schools - 400,000 jobs. Even Republican Gov. McDonnell's administration admits the President's policies created and protected nearly 8,000 teacher jobs in his state.

CORE MESSAGE

Teachers are preparing the next generation of American innovators to lead the global economy -- we can't let partisan politics get in their way. 

Connect: Competition in the global economy has never been tougher -- America should be leading in education, not getting left behind.

Define: In classrooms across America, teachers are preparing the next generation of American innovators and business leaders to succeed in the global economy.

Contrast: Teacher layoffs mean more overcrowded classrooms -- and that means less successful students and less future American innovators. 

Make them choose: Congress faces a choice: take away teachers from our kids when they need them most or make millionaires pay half a penny on the dollar more in taxes. For Americans, it's not even close.

Value: There is no higher calling for our country than to help our children reach their full potential.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• America is falling behind other countries -- we once were top of the class, but now we're middle of the pack behind countries like India and China that are out-investing us when it comes to education.
• If the U.S. closed our performance gap with higher-performing countries, we could boost our economy by nearly 20%.
• More teachers mean smaller class sizes -- studies show students who have two or more years of small classes in elementary school score higher on tests in middle and high school and are more likely to graduate high school, take the college entrance exams, and apply to college.
• A good teacher can impact the rest of a student's academic and professional life -- a class of twenty kindergarteners with an above-average teacher could earn over $300,000 more in future earnings than the same class with a below-average teacher.
• Over 70% of Americans have a positive or very positive opinion of teachers.
• Three out of four Americans support using federal funds to put teachers, firefighters, and cops back to work. In nine different polls this year, Americans have shown that they overwhelmingly oppose cuts to education.
• The teacher and first responder jobs legislation pending in the Senate is paid for by making millionaires pay half a penny on the dollar more in taxes.

ATTACKS AND RESPONSES

"Obama is just trying to buy the vote of teachers unions for the re-election."

• Investing in our teachers is investing in our children - and in our nation's economic future.
• America's success tomorrow depends on the teachers we provide to our children today.
• Teachers should be paid a fair wage for their work and the decent benefits they need to take care of their families. When they join together through unions, they can make sure that happens.

We develop messaging by aggregating, analyzing and distilling polling, tested messaging, and expert recommendations, and monitoring the media to identify what is and isn't working.  See here for some of the experts and organizations we draw on.