[Vision2020] Idaho High in Qualified Instructors

[Tom Hansen]

Greetings Visionaires -

During these times of major budget cuts and tighter "purse strings" it is
nice to know that the state of Idaho is doing so well with so little.

I copied and pasted the following article from the online edition of the
Spokesman Review.  Go Idaho ! ! !

--------------------------------

WASHINGTON - Challenged to get top teachers in all core classes, states are
reporting widely varying starting points, from a low in Alaska to near
perfection in Wisconsin.

The states, under new federal law, must make public the percentage of
classes taught by "highly qualified teachers" -- that is, teachers who have
a bachelor's degree, state certification and demonstrated mastery of every
subject they teach.

All states must use those measures, and the new figures -- released in
response to a Freedom of Information request from The Associated Press --
present the first benchmark of the country's teaching corps. But national
comparisons still are far from perfect because states set their own
licensing standards and standards of subject mastery for veteran teachers.

On the low end in the new figures: Alaska, which reported that only 16
percent of its public school classes were taught by highly qualified
teachers. Two other states reported that less than half their classes made
the mark: Alabama at 35 percent and California at 48 percent.

Wisconsin reported that almost 99 percent of classes had top teachers, and
Idaho, Arkansas, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Utah, Pennsylvania and Wyoming
all reported totals of at least 95 percent.

By the end of the 2005-06 school year, federal education law says, all
teachers of core subjects from English to the arts must be highly qualified.

Overall, 39 states and the District of Columbia reported data, and most said
that at least eight in 10 teachers were highly qualified. The 11 states that
did not report information will be required to do so.

The reporting will put a spotlight on the states and the areas within states
that need the most improvement, said Celia Sims, who coordinates the federal
applications for the U.S. Education Department. The department will provide
help, Sims said, and the public will get more involved.

"In the past, parents have never had this type of information," Sims said.
"It's kind of been that dirty little secret over the years, and what we're
beginning to do is uncover that."

The report also highlights some problems states face in complying with the
law.

In Alaska, for example, many schools have a few teachers who handle many
subjects. In many cases, those teachers would have to get college degrees in
each subject within the next three years or pass rigorous tests in those
subjects to remain in the classroom.

"How is that person going to get highly qualified in that time period?" said
Cynthia Curran, who oversees teacher education and certification for Alaska.
"It is a concern, and we're doing everything we can to help. But creativity
only takes you so far."

--------------------------------