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Division of Certification & Preparation
NCLB Highly Qualified Educators: A National Perspective
Issues concerning teacher quality and the implementation of NCLB as a national initiative for educational reform extend well beyond the schools and classrooms of Louisiana.
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According to the NCLB act and the accompanying guidance, the requirement that teachers be highly qualified applies to all public elementary or secondary teachers employed by a local educational agency who teach a core academic subject. The term "core academic subjects” means English, reading or language arts, science, mathematics, civics and government, economics, geography, foreign languages and arts. The term "highly qualified” means that the teacher:
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- Has full state certification as a teacher and does not have certification
or licensure requirements waived on an emergency, temporary, or provisional
basis;
- Holds a minimum of a bachelor’s degree; and
- Has demonstrated subject matter competency in each of the academic
subjects in which the teacher teaches, in a manner in compliance with Section
9101(23)
of ESEA and determined by the state.
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The complete statutory definition includes additional components that apply in different ways to new and not-new teachers, and to elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers. The complete definition of "highly qualified teacher” is in Section 9101(23) of ESEA. Click on the link below to download the definition.
Section 9101(23)
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The websites, documents, and articles below provide a glimpse at some of the challenges and opportunities we have as a nation. Information on this site will expand as it is identified.
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NCLB: Guidance and Toolkit
The USDOE disseminated "Improving Teacher Quality Non-Regulatory Guidance" (September 12, 2003) for Title II state grant programs, which focuses on preparing, training, and recruiting high quality teachers and principals. Click on the link below to access this document.
http://www.ed.gov/programs/teacherqual/guidance.doc
Additionally, the USDOE developed a Toolkit for Teachers designed to provide the user with information about NCLB and about how NCLB supports teachers. Click on the link below to download this document.
http://www.ed.gov/teachers/nclbguide/index2.html
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CCSSO Report on Highly Qualified Teachers
The Council of Chief State School Officers recently released the publication "Meeting NCLB Goals for Highly Qualified Teachers: Estimates by State from Survey Data.” This document provides state-by-state data on qualifications of teachers in grades 7-12. Click on the link below to access this document.
http://www.ccsso.org/Whats_New/Press_Releases/3444.cfm
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Education Policy Analysis Archives
EPAA’s "Wanted: A National Teacher Supply Policy for Education – The Right Way to Meet the ‘Highly Qualified Teacher’ Challenge,” by Linda Darling-Hammong and Gary Sykes, explores the policies and hurdles we face as a nation to meet the goal of highly qualified teachers for all children. Click on the link below to access this document.
http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v11n33/
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