May 8, 2007 - In a story on teacher recruitment and retention at the Tennessean, was this:
Every year, school districts lose scores of teachers for a variety of reasons, including retirement, better-paid opportunities or poor performance.----------------------------------
A substantial number of those who don't return are teachers who can't be rehired because they haven't completed license requirements mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Tennessee education officials acknowledge that teacher retention is a problem. Almost 50 percent of teachers hired in the state in 2002 had left the profession by 2006, according to state data.
TT - The federal government doesn't license teachers. What the No Child Left Behind Act requires is that teachers be highly qualified. From the U.S. Department of Education website, a definition of what constitutes a highly qualified teacher and the need for highly qualified teachers. They write about the need.
Statistics also show that millions of children do not have the benefit of a well-prepared teacher in their classrooms.Under No Child Left Behind, a highly qualified teacher must have:
Just 41 percent of eighth-grade math teachers majored in math in college. In English, one-fifth of all public school students in grades seven through twelve were taught by teachers who did not have at least a minor in English literature, communications or journalism. In history and physical science, more than half of America's students are being taught by a teacher who has never studied the subject in any concentrated way.
- A bachelor's degree.
- Full state certification and licensure as defined by the state.
- Demonstrated competency, as defined by the state, in each core academic subject he or she teaches.
TT - Most of us would call the above minimally qualified. Which part of the above three disqualifies the "substantial number of those who don't return" to schools? At a guess, it is not lack of a bachelor's degree. The individual states define and control certification and licensing requirements, for better or worse. (Those passing state pre-certification competency tests in reading, writing and math, is extraordinarily high, leading most to discount their suitability in establishing teacher quality.) Which leads to the conclusion that substantial number of teachers who "cannot be rehired" is because fail to demonstrate competency in their teaching subjects.
Schools are becoming the testing grounds for failed academic preparation in college.
The best part of the No Child Left Behind Act is that you -- as a parent -- have a right to request information about the qualifications of your child's teacher. LINK
You can, and should, ask your school what degrees your child's teacher holds and the subject matter. You have a right to know if your child is being taught by a "paraprofessional" or a teacher who has an emergency credential. Take the time to ask.
