Many U.S. teachers don't know their stuff, Congress report says
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/1996227
WASHINGTON -- Nearly half of the nation's middle and high school teachers were not highly qualified to teach their topics in 2000, a report to Congress says.
Federal law defines highly qualified teachers as those who hold a bachelor's degree from a four-year college, have state certification and demonstrate competence in the subject they teach.
The 2002 law requires that by the school year beginning in 2005, there must be highly qualified teachers in every class for core subjects, including English, math, science and history.
Meeting that deadline is "going to be challenging. It's going to be tough," Education Secretary Rod Paige said Tuesday. "But it's necessary, and it's going to be done."
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Department officials used the federal definition as a guide in their report to assess teacher qualifications from the 1999-2000 school year.
Only 54 percent of secondary teachers were highly qualified, the report said.
Other figures ranged from 47 percent for math teachers to 55 percent for science and social studies teachers.
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*From Nori*
This is ridiculous! The NEA is planning on suing over this law. Of course, we all know that the NEA is not concerned with the education of our nation's children. They are only concerned with the "educators' rights." The NEA is against any type of standards that teachers can be held to. They are against vouchers (I am too, but that's a different story).
This law is trying to re-qualify teachers of math, science, history, and English from what I understood from reading the article. When 47% to just over half the teachers in secondary schools actually know the subject they're teaching, something needs to be done.
Throwing more money at a sinking boat is not going to make it quit sinking. We need to figure out a way to fix the education system without throwing more money at it. That may include closing down the federal department of education or it may not. Personally, I think that education should be in the hands of the parents and local governments. So, everyone won't know all of the same things. Children learn at different speeds and levels. There's no such thing as a "one-size fits all" education.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/1996227
WASHINGTON -- Nearly half of the nation's middle and high school teachers were not highly qualified to teach their topics in 2000, a report to Congress says.
Federal law defines highly qualified teachers as those who hold a bachelor's degree from a four-year college, have state certification and demonstrate competence in the subject they teach.
The 2002 law requires that by the school year beginning in 2005, there must be highly qualified teachers in every class for core subjects, including English, math, science and history.
Meeting that deadline is "going to be challenging. It's going to be tough," Education Secretary Rod Paige said Tuesday. "But it's necessary, and it's going to be done."
*****************************************
Department officials used the federal definition as a guide in their report to assess teacher qualifications from the 1999-2000 school year.
Only 54 percent of secondary teachers were highly qualified, the report said.
Other figures ranged from 47 percent for math teachers to 55 percent for science and social studies teachers.
*******************************************
*From Nori*
This is ridiculous! The NEA is planning on suing over this law. Of course, we all know that the NEA is not concerned with the education of our nation's children. They are only concerned with the "educators' rights." The NEA is against any type of standards that teachers can be held to. They are against vouchers (I am too, but that's a different story).
This law is trying to re-qualify teachers of math, science, history, and English from what I understood from reading the article. When 47% to just over half the teachers in secondary schools actually know the subject they're teaching, something needs to be done.
Throwing more money at a sinking boat is not going to make it quit sinking. We need to figure out a way to fix the education system without throwing more money at it. That may include closing down the federal department of education or it may not. Personally, I think that education should be in the hands of the parents and local governments. So, everyone won't know all of the same things. Children learn at different speeds and levels. There's no such thing as a "one-size fits all" education.