Does Certified Mean Qualified?

Parents naturally want to be assured that their child's teachers are highly qualified. But before we chant this slogan ourselves, we need to make sure "qualified" means "quality."

States maintain quality control over teachers by regulating entry into the field. Although requirements vary by state, teachers must obtain certification to teach in a public school. The assumption is that teachers who have met the states' licensure requirements - which include completing a state approved teacher preparation program and passing a test of basic skills and, less frequently, a test of subject mastery - are "qualified" to teach. Sadly, the current certification regime in most states provides no grounds for this assumption.

Teacher preparation programs tend to be focused on trendy educational methods that have little bearing on the success of the teachers they are training. Rather than coursework being based on a scientifically proven knowledge base, as in medical schools, the reality is that education coursework is notoriously faddish and is not linked to student success. In the teaching of primary reading, for example, the National Reading Panel found that despite a scientifically proven research base in favor of certain ways to teach reading, education schools ignore these methods when preparing teachers of reading.

In an age when threats of teacher shortages are as ominous as threats of teacher quality, lawmakers are now considering opening the field to qualified candidates through alternate routes to certification. Troops to Teachers, Passport to Teaching, and Teach for America have proven track records of attracting capable, smart individuals into the teaching field.

So, if certification is not a guarantor of quality, what's a parent to do?

• At your school - follow up with the principal. Union regulations may hinder principals' hiring practices to a degree, but they still maintain a good deal of control over new hires. Make it clear to your principal that it's important to you that a high school teacher knows his or her subject well - as evidenced by a major in that field or that an elementary teacher has an academic major and not merely an education major. Also, emphasize the importance of evaluating teachers, in part, on the basis of student learning.
  
• It's the Law - under the No Child Left Behind Law, a parent has the right to know if her child's teacher is qualified. Schools may be hesitant to provide this information, but parents have the law on their side and should demand answers. Especially if it appears the majority of the children are struggling in class.
  
• At the policy level - find out what proposals currently exist to address teacher quality and contact your legislator to help him do the right thing. States need to focus not on teacher preparation but on student achievement. Hold the schools accountable for results and offer to support policies that give principals the freedom to hire candidates who will help the schools achieve those results.