Loophole Lets Interns Be Called Highly Qualified Teachers

[Kadie]

Loophole Lets Interns Be Called Highly Qualified Teachers
Parents File Suit Against Department Of Education

Maribel Heredia said she was shocked to find out her son's first-grade teacher was still a student herself.

But under federal law, the Hayward Unified School District where her son goes to school can call the intern a "highly qualified" teacher -- and thus meet the provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind education law.

The law requires all students to be taught by skilled teachers in their core subjects -- or else the school must notify parents.

snip...
Their lawsuit stated that Congress explicitly said highly qualified teachers should be those who have obtained a teaching license in their state -- not those who've never set foot in a classroom, no matter how much they know.

more...
http://www.kcra.com/news/13945040/detail.html




Aug 21, 2007 5:05 pm US/Pacific

Calif. Lawsuit Challenges Teacher Certifications

(AP) SAN FRANCISCO When Maribel Heredia's son told her that his first-grade teacher was "going to college" and there would be a substitute in the classroom two days a week, she started asking questions.

Only then did she learn the teacher the Hayward Unified School District labels "highly qualified" is still a student herself.

Calling the teacher highly qualified allows the district to meet the provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind education law, which requires that all students be taught by skilled teachers in core subjects such as English and math. The district's classification is legal.

Heredia said she believes such classifications are misleading and allow districts to place unqualified teachers in classrooms. On Tuesday, she was among a group of parents and education advocates who sued the U.S. Department of Education over its interpretation of what makes a highly qualified teacher.

"I didn't know that they let the teachers right from college, let them take a class all by themselves," Heredia said. "So the fact that she was considered highly qualified, that was a shocker to me."

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"Congress did not intend that an individual with no prior training in how to teach would be labeled 'highly qualified' on her first day in the classroom merely because she is 'participating' in an alternative route to certification," the lawsuit states.

more...
http://cbs5.com/local/local_story_233150353.html

[Oeditpus Rex]

1. Is this perhaps known as 'Jenna's Law'? (n/t)