Posted on 04/04/2006 6:01:55 AM PDT by Blue Turtle
Thousands of Connecticut teachers, including some award-winning educators, could face new job reviews because they do not meet U.S. government standards as "highly qualified teachers," federal officials say.
The U.S. Department of Education has issued a new monitoring report that throws into question the qualifications of more than 13,000 teachers, about 30 percent of the state's public school teaching force, state officials say.
State education officials have vowed to challenge the report's conclusion that many teachers - especially older elementary teachers and those teaching social studies and special education classes - do not meet the criteria established under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
"It would be a real slap in the face," said Diana Proto Avino, a 24-year veteran elementary teacher from the Pierson School in Clinton. "I would consider it a defamation of my professional character."
Teacher quality is a key element of the No Child Left Behind Act, the centerpiece of President Bush's educational agenda.
The law, which calls for a broad expansion of school testing and a shake-up of schools that fail to make adequate progress, requires states to ensure that all teachers are "highly qualified."
What that means is that all teachers - aside from having at least a bachelor's degree and state certification - must demonstrate knowledge in the academic subjects they teach.
States failing to meet that goal could risk millions of dollars in federal money.
Although the law says schools must comply by the end of this school year, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings recently extended the deadline until next year for states making good faith efforts.
Under the law, schools that receive federal Title I money must notify parents whose children are being taught by teachers who do not meet the standard.
(Excerpt) Read more at courant.com ...
I would say that "knowledge in the academic subjects" is FIRST, second and third in importance. How the "bachelor's degree and state certification" is going to help you teach the Chinese if you do not know it?
Teachers are LESS qualified than then because,
1) since the 70's affirmative action racism has given unqualified people the jobs of teacher, counselor and administrator and
2) general education standards have hit rock bottom. Businesses and big companies have been complaining for years that college GRADUATES can't read, write, spell or pass a drug test. That would include those who become teachers.
State certification requirements actually work to drive away people with a bent for scholarship. So much of what is taught in education courses is indoctrination.
That's right. A person with a degree in Mathematics ( not mathematics education ) should be able to teach Mathematics. Get rid of the "certification" requirement. All that is , is a crutch that protects the teachers unions by giving them the power to decide who is "qualified" to teach.
You are absolutely correct. There may very well be teachers that are very, very effective at teaching. They can hold the students' attention and run a good classroom. But if they know diddly-squat about the subject, then their effect teaching is of the wrong material. The students will effectively learn the wrong information. It would be like having a fantastic sports car and you decide to drive cross county to LA for fun, but wind up in Quebec because you have no idea where you are going.
Try living in CA.
You have some serious misconceptions about teacher pay and hours. Class time is only 6.5 hours, but they still need to do their lesson plans, grade homework, test and exams, plus write those materials to begin with. And schools assign non-teaching duties to teachers as well. You say they get summers off, but where I am teachers only get paid during the school year. But they do have the option of either working part time during the summer or having their pay spread out over the whole year. In many parts of the country, teachers don't even make half what you quote. It always bothers me that people think teachers get more than what they do when that is far from the truth. These people have earned professional degrees and their classmates in the private sector tend to get paid A LOT more. I work in R&D and we have several former science teachers in our facility who jumped from the school system because we could more than double their salaries. That's another reason why it's hard to find competent teachers. They can have much more lucrative employment in the private sector.
I live in CT, those are the facts.
Teachers get too much for too little....taxes go up every year because of their salaries...yet our kids need a "No Child Left Behind" act to monitor their progress?
Depends on where you live.
Top pay for grade school teachers around here is $95K after 12 years service.
High school teachers can make $125K after 15 years if they coach a sport or teach drivers ed.
My cousin just retired from teaching. His pension is $100K.
Money isn't the problem.
Even the High School groundskeeper makes over 80K per year and that's with a football field made from Astroturf.
I know teachers in Alabama don't make that kind of money yet, but they will if the unions get their way.
How are the schools for all that cash?
Only 79% of the 8th graders in 2004 met the requirements for the state "Regents Exam".
OK, well how about the Taxes?
I don't know anymore... when our property taxes reached $29,000 per year we had to move to New Jersey.
If you want better pay, produce better results. Thats how it works in the private sector.
What's the cost of living in Westchester?
Or at least a minor in mathematics.
I've got 2/3's of a law degree. With that, I should be able to teach either English or Social Studies, esp. American history or civics. Not in NY, though. Not unless I decided to take bachelor's-level teaching classes.
"What's the cost of living in Westchester?
Mansion: $3.8 million
Fleet of luxury cars: $200,000
Housecleaner, landscaper, pool cleaner: $20,000
Nanny and assistant nanny: $80,000
You get the idea.
What's the cost of a reasonable house or apt. in Westchester?
That's twice what they pay in Manhattan and you don't get a higher cost of living than that. Is it your assertion that all the teachers in Beverly Hills need to be paid enough so that they can live in Beverly Hills?
the fact is, the only reason they are paid so much is because over a long period of time the union has removed obstacles to it's achieving their agenda of higher pay and lower accountability.
Also, a cost of living increase is roughly 4% per year but that school system hasn't had less than 10% growth in budget every year for the last 8 years. How does that figure into "cost of living?"
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