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June 16, 2003
Are Your Teachers "Highly Qualified"?
We look at rules, issues, and possible solutions for bridging the training and certification gap.
By Amy Poftak
Research shows the single most important factor in improving education is something we already know intuitively: good teaching. Indeed, though differing views exist on defining and measuring teacher quality, it is widely agreed upon by experts and non-experts alike that teachers must be well prepared in the subjects they teach. But statistics reveal a wide gap between knowledge and reality. Education Week's "Quality Counts 2003" study found 26 percent of students in high-poverty schools have teachers who are not certified in the subject they teach-and even in low-poverty schools the number is as high as 13 percent. The Department of Education estimates that more than four million students in physics, chemistry, and history have teachers lacking academic preparation in their subject area. While this issue has gained significant attention over the last decade, No Child Left Behind has codified it. The mandate: there must be a certified teacher with subject-area expertise in every classroom by 2006.
Mixed Feelings
Educators we talked to universally agreed with the spirit and intent of the law. However, many felt it was unrealistic in practice. Chief among their concerns was the extreme difficulty in attracting qualified teachers — especially in math, science, and special education — to urban areas with challenging working conditions and rural areas that are more socially isolated and typically pay lower salaries. The New Hampshire School Administrators Association, for example, estimates that increasing teacher and paraprofessional pay in order to attract and retain more high-quality candidates will cost roughly $28.3 million — a financial obligation that will fall largely on local taxpayers.
At the same time, other administrators we surveyed felt it was time the federal government cracked down on the issue, and there should be "no excuses" for not providing a high-quality teacher to every student. "The law's appeal is that it isn't prescriptive," says LaWanda Green Burwell, supervisor of professional development for Baltimore County Public Schools. "It tells us the expected outcomes and it's up to us to come together to decide how to work differently to meet the requirements."
Disagreements about the legislation notwithstanding, the fact remains that states and districts are being forced to take stock of their teaching staff and rethink recruitment, hiring, and professional development strategies. Not surprisingly, many districts are considering Web-based training and certification as possible avenues for getting their staff up to speed. Here, we provide a sketch of those options.
Virtual In-Service
Title II-A of NCLB, "Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High-Quality Teachers and Principals," provides funding for professional development. But what constitutes "high-quality" training, and how will this definition affect districts? For starters, programs must improve teachers' subject knowledge and provide them with skills to help students meet academic content standards. In addition, this training must be sustained, which means Title II funds may not be used for one-day or short-term workshops.
To be sure, professional development providers (see "Staff Development Online") have taken note of these new requirements, and many have already shaped online courses aligned to NCLB's standards. For example, Classroom Connect's Connected University, which offers professional development to teachers and administrators and has approximately 80,000 subscribers, has added to its roster more subject-specific classes for math, science, and reading teachers. Course lengths range from three to six weeks, and students can earn CEU and graduate credit from Pepperdine, Fordham, Texas Tech, and other institutions. Key benefits for participants include a self-paced learning environment, flexible scheduling, and access from any Web-enabled computer. For districts, it's a cost-effective way to deliver outside expertise to teachers without taking them away from their classrooms.
"As with other professional development materials, some [online] programs are good, and others have been put up with little thought," says Barbara Stock Nielsen, senior fellow at the Strom Thurmond Institute at Clemson University and former state superintendent of South Carolina. Nielsen stresses that administrators should create a set of "quality control" questions to ask online professional development providers, such as:
- Is the content rigorous and aligned with the district's objectives?
- Is the offering geared toward adult learners and available 24 hours a day?
- Does the training include a variety of pedagogies and prepare teachers to meet the diverse needs of all learners?
- Does it foster professional dialogue and community through conference calls, chat rooms, videoconferencing, occasional face-to-face meetings, or some other means?
- Can the company provide research that demonstrates the program's effectiveness?
- Has the company articulated how its product or service meets Title II, Part A requirements?
Online Certification: Meeting a Need
Beyond general professional development is the challenge of getting teachers to meet NCLB's specific certification requirements. In recent years there's been an explosion of organizations offering distance education programs for teachers-in-training, from traditional bricks-and-mortar institutions such as Indiana University and Lesley University, to Web-only schools like Capella University (see "Certification Options").
In the spotlight, thanks in part to $10 million in funding from the Department of Education, is Western Governors University's Teachers College, an online-only school that caters to working educators and second-career professionals. "Very few people can afford to quit work and get a degree," says Bob Mendenhall, WGU's president. "This fits into their schedules." Of the students enrolled in WGU's Teachers College, 40 percent are paraprofessionals, 50 percent are current teachers or substitute teachers, and the remaining 10 percent are second-career professionals.
WGU students can pick and choose from online courses offered by 45 different providers. Someone pursuing a math endorsement, for example, could take "Designing Effective Mathematics Instruction" from Mentor Independent Learning Resources or "Math — Teaching for Understanding" from Walden University.
Students are assigned a mentor, and there's also a six-month, face-to-face "demonstration teaching" component.
A unique feature of WGU's model is that it's competency-based. Instead of fulfilling course hour requirements, students must pass a series of assessments. As a result, teachers with years of experience may be able to place out of certain classes and obtain their certification earlier. In the past this practice has sometimes been criticized as too narrow a measure of a student's education. Barbara Stock Nielsen, however, believes it's a step in the right direction. "Competency-based programs allow you more time to master what you don't know, and they keep you motivated," she says. But she warns that, as with all online courses, careful research should be done to ensure the rigor and standards alignment of the content. According to Mendenhall, WGU uses an independent council comprised of subject-area experts to develop and review the school's assessments.
Of course, there are much-cited drawbacks to distance learning to consider. Because online courses by design are more flexible, students must be able to work well independently and have the self-discipline to keep on schedule. Additionally, it's a field that, while promising, is relatively untested. For a broader discussion of virtual learning issues and challenges, see "Virtual Learning Takes a Front Row Seat" at www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2002/03/virtual.html.
Predicting the Future
While many districts are already developing new strategies for improving teacher quality, including Web-based professional development and certification options, there's still a widespread feeling that compromises on both sides are inevitable. Many administrators we talked to are waiting for the results of their state's budget process; others are hoping the requirements will be eased. In California, for example, where 25 percent of teachers in high-poverty areas are uncertified, some experts think the government will have to make extra allowances. "I have a hunch that California districts will call the bluff of the feds. Are they really going to withhold millions of dollars given the problems California schools are facing?" asks Ken Futernick, professor of education at California State University, Sacramento. At the same time, Futernick advocates that districts make a good-faith effort to comply with the requirements. "Kids, especially those who come to school less prepared, deserve a high-quality teacher," he says. It's a sentiment that, despite diverging views about the legislation, everyone can agree upon.
Amy Poftak is executive editor of Technology & Learning.
Read other articles from the June Issue
How will the new teacher quality rules affect your district. and how do you plam to address them? Send your opinions and comments to apoftak@cmp.com.
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