Quality Educator Partnership Act

Supporting the Music Educators Who Help Students Thrive

By Amber Friel, NAfME Communications Manager, Advocacy and Public Policy

In music education, there is a critical need for highly skilled, qualified, and supported educators. For many students, a teacher can play a defining role in shaping their interest, and continued participation, in the arts. A knowledgeable and dedicated music educator can plant important seeds that inspire students, build their self-confidence, and impart lifelong skills and lessons, enabling them to reap the many benefits that music education has to offer.

Ensuring that every student has access to a high-quality music education requires more than just recruiting talented educators. A national commitment to supporting and uplifting music educators at every stage of their careers—from preparation and entry into the profession to ongoing professional development, retention, and advancement—is paramount.

What Do Music Educators Need to Be Successful?

A Blueprint for Strengthening the Music Teacher Profession, a report released by NAfME in 2023, identified several challenges facing both pre-service and practicing music teachers that can create barriers to entering and remaining in the profession.

These challenges include, but are not limited to:

• Limited funding and time for professional development and mentoring
• Inequities in recruitment, audition, and enrollment into music teacher preparation programs
• Misalignment between university coursework and PK–12 teaching expectations
• Low teacher pay and professional costs, including student loans and certification
• Costs associated with participation, transportation, and private instruction
• Social and geographic isolation

Together, these challenges create significant barriers to the profession, contributing to a weaker pipeline of qualified music educators and further exacerbating a broader teacher shortage facing the nation.

If we want students across the country to have equitable access to a high-quality music education, we must strengthen the music educator workforce and invest in systems that support educators throughout their careers.

A Step in the Right Direction: The Quality Educator Partnership Act

Introduced by Senator Jack Reed (RI) and Representative Alma Adams (NC-12) in late September 2026 and proudly endorsed by NAfME, the Quality Educator Partnership Act (QEPA) offers a comprehensive approach that aims to address many of the challenges facing music educators nationwide.

The bill (H.R.10530/S.5549) would address educator shortages by creating new federal infrastructure, removing existing barriers to the teaching profession, expanding educator preparation pathways, supporting innovative workforce designs, and strengthening data collection and accountability.

Particularly impactful for the field of music education, the legislation would:

• Establish a federal strategy for educator recruitment, preparation, retention, and advancement
• Invest in high-quality educator preparation programs, particularly in high-need fields and communities
• Strengthen partnerships among colleges, universities, school districts, and other stakeholders
• Support preparation programs that integrate clinical practice and research
• Expand teacher residencies, Grow Your Own programs, mentoring, and induction
• Improve national data on educator preparation, certification, supply and demand, vacancies, retention, and outcomes
• Establish a National Educator Service Corps for high-need schools
• Provide tuition assistance and clinical residency stipends for eligible educator candidates

This bill represents a strong step in the right direction for future and current music educators, bringing greater federal attention to the challenges facing their workforce while putting practical infrastructure in place to strengthen the profession. By investing in educators, we can help open doors for even more students across the country to learn from highly qualified, dedicated music teachers.

Want to Show Your Support?

We appreciate the members of Congress already working to support our teachers and advance quality education, and hope to see more legislators join this effort.

Contact your members of Congress today and encourage them to cosponsor the Quality Educator Partnership Act.

When you reach out, personalize your message by sharing how this legislation could make a difference in your classroom, school, or community. Be sure to highlight the importance of supporting music educators and ensuring that every student has access to a high-quality music education.

When we invest in music educators, we invest in the students, schools, and communities they serve.

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