Teaching Profession

Jahana Hayes on Her Path From Classroom to Congress (Video)

By Sarah Schwartz — November 28, 2018 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print


Jahana Hayes wants teachers to have a seat at the table when it comes to designing education policy—now, she’s headed to Congress to claim one.

Hayes, the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, was recently elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for her home state of Connecticut. She sat down with Education Week‘s Madeline Will for an exclusive interview on her experience running for office and her priorities for education in Congress.

Teachers are natural problem-solvers, Hayes said, a skill she said will serve her well as a lawmaker. “We bring people together every day,” she said. “We collaborate, we communicate, we evaluate the information and come up with solutions. And I think we have to give ourselves permission to do that outside of the classroom.”

This video originally aired at Education Week‘s post-election event, “2020 Vision: Education Policy and Politics Beyond the Midterms.” Find out more about the event here.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Teaching Now blog.