An article in the New York Times today announced that none of our nation’s fifty states are in compliance with the a portion of the No Child Left Behind Law-or NCLB for employing highly qualified teachers. According to the Department of Education a highly qualified teacher is required to have: 1) a bachelor’s degree, 2) full state certification or licensure, and 3) prove that they know each subject they teach. Pardon me, but this seems like reasonable criteria to meet the overall goal.
I found it interesting that the article headline states “Most States Fail Demands in Education Law” but then goes on to say in the body of the article “The Education Department found that no state had met the deadline for qualified teachers.”
Perhaps the use of that rosy headline means that they are trying to soften the cold hard fact that over four years after the NCLB law was enacted, not once state has been able to help all of their teachers become “highly qualified.” Perhaps four years is not enough time to make such massive changes, but if the states and teacher organizations, and others keep dragging their feet and resisting this change-40 years won’t be enough time to make the changes that are so desperately needed.
On the upside at least College and University programs across the nation are changing their teaching programs to better reflect the needs of students in the 21st century. Teaching programs offer skill sets that will help their teacher graduates meet their future students needs and be in compliance with the NCLB.
The article also states that nine states are so far behind in their quest to obtain and or train highly qualified teachers that they may face fines from the Feds. For California this could cost the state up to $4.25 million. I can think of many better uses for that amount of money than handing it back to the federal government. Unfortunately, hitting the state deeply in their pockets might just bring about the compliance that the NCLB law intends. In addition California and other states may have a portion of their Federal education funding withheld due to non-compliance on other issues.
In the end it really is about giving our nation’s children the education that they need to succeed in our global economy.