There is much confusion about exactly what No Child Left Behind's (NCLB) highly qualified teacher provisions include and what they mean for individual teachers. In addition to the following brief overview, refer to the section entitled "Questions Teachers Frequently Ask about No Child Left Behind" for more detailed information.
Why No Child Left Behind Includes Provisions on Teacher Qualifications
Recent studies offer compelling evidence that teachers are one of the most critical factors in how well students achieve. For instance, studies in both Tennessee and Texas found that students who had effective teachers greatly outperformed those who had ineffective teachers. In the Tennessee study, students with highly effective teachers for three years in a row scored 50 percentage points higher on a test of math skills than those whose teachers were ineffective.6
Thus, No Child Left Behind includes provisions stating that all teachers in core academic areas must be highly qualified in the core academic subjects they teach by the end of the 2005-06 school year. It also requires that newly hired teachers in Title I programs or schools be highly qualified immediately. A more flexible timeline is allowed for teachers in eligible small, rural schools, who often teach multiple subjects. See page 25 for more information.
All teachers hired after the first day of the 2002-03 school year in Title I schoolwide programs must be highly qualified. However, in Title I targeted-assistance schools, only those teachers paid with Title I funds need to be highly qualified immediately. Check with your district to determine your school designation.
"Highly qualified" is a specific term defined by No Child Left Behind. The law outlines a list of minimum requirements related to content knowledge and teaching skills that a highly qualified teacher would meet. The law, however, also recognizes the importance of state and local control of education and therefore provides the opportunity for each state to develop a definition of highly qualified that is consistent with NCLB as well as with the unique needs of the state.
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Myth:
No Child Left Behind requires all teachers to earn a bachelor's degree in every subject they teach, as well as certification in every subject.
Reality:
The law requires teachers to have a bachelor's degree and full state certification and to demonstrate content knowledge in the subjects they teach. NCLB requires neither separate degrees nor separate certifications for every subject taught. In fact, under NCLB states decide what is necessary for certification and for determining subject-matter competency. |
Teachers Who Teach Core Academic Subjects Must Meet the Definition of Highly Qualified for the Subjects They Teach
The law requires public school elementary and secondary teachers to meet their state's definition of highly qualified teacher for each core academic subject they teach. According to No Child Left Behind, these subjects are English, reading or language arts, math, science, history, civics and government, geography, economics, the arts and foreign language. Special education teachers and teachers of English language learners must be highly qualified if they teach core academic subjects to their students.
How States Determine Their Highly Qualified Teacher Provisions
In general, under No Child Left Behind a highly qualified teacher must have:
- A bachelor's degree.
- Full state certification, as defined by the state.
- Demonstrated competency, as defined by the state, in each core academic subject he or she teaches.
The first requirement is straightforward. For the second, the state has freedom to define certification according to its needs. The state can use this opportunity to strengthen and streamline its certification requirements. It can also create alternate routes to certification.
Regarding the third requirement, states have significant flexibility to design ways to allow teachers to demonstrate competency in the subjects they teach, especially for teachers with experience. The law also requires that states consider the differences between elementary and secondary teachers, as well as differences between newly hired and experienced teachers.
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Why No Child Left Behind Focuses on the Importance of Teachers Knowing the Subjects They Teach
Students, parents and educators intuitively believe that a teacher's knowledge of subject matter is critical if students are going to achieve to high standards. As Sandra Feldman, president of the American Federation of Teachers, says, "You can't teach what you don't know well."7 In addition, research shows that teachers who know the subject matter that they teach are more effective in the classroom.8 Having teachers who know well the content they are teaching is good practice because it leads to improved student learning. |