Strauss: A 'highly qualified' gift from Congress to Teach for America -- UPDATED

[YvonneCa]

...http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/congress/a-highly-qualified-gift-from-c.html?wprss=answer-sheet

Cross-posted in GD. Sen. Harkin comment at end. This is going in the CR the Senate is working on NOW.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. This is just bizarre

The office of Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who is chairman of the Senate’s education committee, sent this statement late today:

“There is broad, bipartisan agreement among members of Congress and the Obama administration that it is the intent of Congress for alternative-route teachers to be considered highly qualified, consistent with the regulation that has been in place for several years. Chairman Harkin strongly believes that teacher quality is essential to student success, and intends to address this issue as part of a comprehensive ESEA reauthorization. While that process is underway, the 9th Circuit’s decision – which reverses a previous court ruling in favor of the regulation – could cause significant disruptions in schools across the country and have a negative impact on students. Maintaining current practice is a temporary solution, and underscores the need to act quickly and reauthorize ESEA early in the next Congress.”

Rewind 7 or 8 years when NCLB became law. One of the first mandates that came from it was the 'Highly Qualified Teacher' requirement. That stipulates that teachers who were NOT highly qualified could no longer teach. I knew more than a few who had to teach a different subject or hurry up and take classes so they could be allowed to continue to do their jobs. I also know several who quit teaching or retired rather than jump through the highly qualified hoop. So now that those experienced but not highly qualified teachers have been pushed out, we are being led to believe that the course requirements these experienced teachers lacked are no longer necessary for inexperienced teachers?

HUH???

If my head stops spinning maybe I can figure out the logic here.

[YvonneCa]

2. EXACTLY. IMO it's never been about...

...teacher qualifications. It's about restructuring the system into one that's affordable and sustainable...hopefully with the right balance of highly qualified teachers still around.

It's a constant balance between having the number of teachers the system requires (at whatever stage of the restructuring process) while...at the same time...cutting costs. Cutting costs requires getting expensive teachers out...by attrition, retirement, or any other method possible that is legal. Bringing the cheaper teachers in requires programs like TFA (and others).

Evidently, there has been some success at getting experienced people out, so...to keep the balance right...more TFA's are needed. And, of course, they must be highly qualified...even if in name only. :sarcasm: HQ TINO ? :7