What’s “highly qualified” got to do with it? Not much, some say
School systems nationwide say having highly qualified teachers in their classrooms – a requirement of the federal No Child Left Behind Act – has had little impact on student achievement thus far, the Center on Education Policy reports.
To be considered "highly qualified," a teacher must have a bachelor’s degree, be fully certified and have subject-area expertise (proven by passing a state test or completing coursework, for example).
The U.S. Department of Education set the end of this past school year (2006-7) as the deadline for having all highly qualified teachers on board – a goal few states seemed likely to meet last fall.
According to the Center:
"More than half of all states and two-thirds (66 percent) of districts reported that the requirements have improved student achievement minimally or not at all. Only 6 percent of states and 4 percent of districts indicated that the requirements have improved achievement to a great extent."
A bleak assessment, indeed. For school systems in our area, what has your experience been? Has "highly qualified" made a difference?
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Comments
Has the issue EVER really been with teachers not knowing enough in their subject matter?
In lower schooling, anyone with a few extra days' head start knows more than the students being taught (generally, as it's the students' first exposure to the subject). Far more important I'd think is the ability to get the new ideas across in a meaningful (and therefore more easily retainable) way.
Posted by: steegness | August 24, 2007 11:01 AM
This is just another rediculous aspect of the No Child Left Behind Act. The term "highly qualified" allows school systems to tout their newly hired teachers as something great. However, the requirements of the "highly qualified" teachers...that being college educated, certified, and certified in the subjects they are to teach...should be the minimum! I contend that these "highly qualified" teachers are just "qualified." Now, if you showed me a high school math teacher that had an upper level degree (i.e. a masters degree), then that would be highly qualified.
Posted by: Bob | August 24, 2007 11:35 AM