A Search for Quality

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has made many groundbreaking changes in education. Among the changes are student achievements and qualified teachers must be in every classroom by the 2005-06 school year. The problem that follows NCLB is that it is not clear as to who is qualified. The state of California attempted to pass a definition of “highly qualified” teachers by the U.S. Department of Education, but was turned down, because many of the teachers listed as highly qualified were emergency certified. It is stated that only 23 states tie their teacher preparation standards to academic content standards, but the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) refutes that statement saying that 38 states already require a degree in content knowledge for teacher preparation graduates. NCATE reports that the problem doesn’t lie in teachers being under-qualified, but rather in the fact that teachers are continuously assigned to teach classes outside of their subject areas. Because of these problems, California has decided to move past their rejected definition of highly qualified teachers and focus on improving the entire credentialing system. New teachers in California will face tougher state standards, and the state government can only hope that those standards and other efforts being made will only strengthen the state’s teaching force.

This article points out interesting facts about the changes that the No Child Left Behind Act has made in teacher qualification requirements. I think that it is important for teachers to be properly educated in their subject areas, and to feel confident about what they teach. But, with the apparent teacher shortage in the state of California, I feel that there should be a way to compromise. The NCATE reports state that there is a problem with teachers being assigned to teach outside of their fields, and I agree with that statement, yet I also believe that if a teacher is willing to teacher in another subject area, there should be some way to properly prepare that person so that the vacant positions can be filled. Sometimes it is more beneficial to have a caring person who is willing to learn with the students fill a vacant position, than it is to have an over-qualified person who cannot connect with the students. All of the new standards being proposed nationally and within individual states can do nothing but help the state of education in the long run.

Hardy, Lawrence, (2003).

A Search for Quality, Education Vital Signs, February 2003.

April 11, 2004, from www.asbj.com.