Staff Sgt. Dale A. Mullin hits the books for the Troops to Teachers program. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jesse L. Houk, Virginia Guard Public Affairs

A federal program that has helped about 12,000 former service members transition into encore careers as teachers may expand dramatically if Congress gets its way. The New York Times reports that a bipartisan group in Congress wants to allow more veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to be eligible for the Troops to Teachers program and increase the number of districts in which they can teach.

Their military background serves them well in their new jobs. Tammie Langley, who taught prospective pilots and navigators aeronautics before she began teaching sixth graders in North Carolina told The Times, “Either way, you still have to kind of wipe their noses a bit and kick them in the behind every now and then.”

C. Emily Feistritzer, president of the National Center for Education Information, told the paper, “We’re finding that these teachers seem to be able to really manage a classroom from the start, which is the biggest problem a lot of teachers have going in.”

Legislation introduced in the House and Senate during October would allow candidates with four years of service or three months of continuous duty since 9/11 to participate, instead of the current requirement of six years of active duty. It would expand the number of schools where participants could teach. Key champions of the legislation are Senators John McCain (R-Arizona) and Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) and U.S. Representatives Tom Petri (R-Wisconsin) and Joe Courtney (D-Connecticut).

Read about a former Marine drill sergeant who transitioned to teaching special education students in San Diego via Troops to Teachers.

Read David Bank’s article about Troops to Teachers in Stanford Social Innovation Review.