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HSB 718

A bill for an act relating to practitioner preparation programs, including by modifying the preparation required to be included in practitioner preparation programs and the duties of the state board of education and the director of the department of education, and including applicability provisions.

2025-2026 Regular Session

Iowa shifts teacher prep to explicit, traditional classroom management and discipline, removing DEI/SEL content and enforcing compliance with a 12-month remediation window.

Subcommittee recommends passage.
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Bill Summary · HSB 718

Summary of Bill: HSB 718 (Session 2025-2026, Iowa)

Purpose and Intent

HSB 718 aims to overhaul practitioner preparation programs (teacher prep) in Iowa. It modifies the required preparation included in these programs, restructures duties of the State Board of Education and the Director of the Department of Education (DE), and establishes specific applicability provisions. The core shift is to remove certain modern concepts from required preparation (DEI, multiculturalism as behavior frameworks, and social-emotional learning models) and replace them with explicit, skills-based classroom management and traditional approaches to discipline.

Key Provisions

1) Board and Director duties in program approval and evaluation

  • By July 1, 2027, the Iowa Board of Education must adopt rules (under Chapter 17A) requiring the DE director to:
    • Determine, during practitioner preparation program approval and reevaluation, whether programs comply with certain requirements (codes 256.16(1), pars. p, q, r).
    • Notify the Board and the institution of higher education (IHE) about the determination.
    • If non-compliant, provide a 12-month period for the IHE to achieve compliance.
    • If still non-compliant after 12 months, the Board must not approve (or must rescind approval) of the program.

2) Modifications to 256.16 (practitioner preparation standards)

  • Beginning July 1, 2027, discontinue all instruction or frameworks that include:
    • Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) theories or practices.
    • Multiculturalism framed as a behavioral or classroom management framework.
    • Social and emotional learning (SEL) or similar behavior-conditioning models.
  • Institutions may not require, promote, or assess competencies using these concepts for students in practitioner prep.

3) New required competencies (p, q, r) starting 2027

  • p. Explicit, skills-based preparation in firm, consistent, and authority-centered classroom management (detailed components include rules/consequences, maintaining teacher authority, direct instruction, structured routines, assertive discipline, immediate correction of disruption, and prevention of escalation).
  • q. Preparation relating to historical or traditional classroom management approaches emphasizing:
    • Teacher-directed instruction
    • Order, discipline, respect for authority
    • Structured learning environments with minimal behavioral ambiguity
    • May include analysis of pre-1990 classroom management models if compliant with current federal/state law.
  • r. (Combination of p and q elements) ensures a solid foundation in explicit management practices and historically grounded approaches.

Applicability and Timeline

  • The changes apply to students admitted to an approved practitioner preparation program on or after July 1, 2027.
  • The DE director’s compliance determination process and the 12-month remediation window apply through the board’s rulemaking.

Impact and Implications

  • Week-to-week impact: Training and credentialing for future teachers will shift away from DEI/SEL-focused frameworks toward explicit, traditional classroom management pedagogy.
  • Institutions of higher education (IHEs) will need to revise curricula, practica, and assessments to align with the new p, q, r standards.
  • Practicum quality control becomes more centralized: the DE director will assess compliance, and the Board can revoke program approval if non-compliance persists.
  • Potential debates may center on educational philosophy, civil rights, and classroom climate, given the removal of DEI/SEL-based content from prep programs.

Executive Summary

HSB 718 reorients Iowa’s teacher-preparation standards by removing DEI, multicultural, and SEL elements from required coursework and replacing them with explicit, skills-based and historically grounded classroom management training. It grants the state a structured oversight process with a 12-month remediation period for non-compliant programs and sets a firm compliance deadline for new admissions beginning July 1, 2027.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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