2007 HOUSTON HEARING ON NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND,
INPUT FOR U.S. CONGRESS:
TEACHER QUALITY

Photo by Ben DeSoto

On March 27, 2007, Houston A+ Challenge convened more than 250 parents, students, educators, business leaders and community members for a statewide public hearing on No Child Left Behind.

These key observations and recommendations on Teacher Quality were recorded during the Houston event and submitted to U.S. Senators by the Public Education Network on March 28, 2007:

• Having a high quality teacher in every classroom is one of the most important factors in student success. (This was the comment mentioned most often by participants.)
  
• When determining whether a teacher is "highly qualified," subjective measures (student/parent feedback, teacher/peer evaluations) should be used in addition to objective measures (bachelor's degree, state certification). The difficulty of capturing "passion" and "connections with students/parents" -- both integral to teacher quality -- was noted.
  
• Teacher certification programs should include more emphasis on classroom management and real-life teaching situations, communication skills, and knowledge of social or psychological resources in the community.
  
• If teachers are found to be lacking in skills, schools should be held responsible for offering quality professional development in a non-punitive setting.
  
• Teachers who work with at-risk students should be rewarded -- both in recognition and in salary. (It was noted that currently NCLB does not capture/reward growth in student achievement unless students cross the next threshold, which sometimes encourages educators to work with students "on the cusp" instead of those far behind.)
  
• Ongoing professional development in the teacher's field of study should be required, so that students are exposed to the most current knowledge and are more prepared for the real world.
  
• Federal and state government should offer more incentives (grants, funding, forgiveness of student loans) to encourage teachers to continue their education.
  
• Teachers should be paid like other professionals, but also have other professional requirements. Specific ideas included: residencies/internships, cultural diversity training, ongoing re-certification.