Area teachers hold strong qualifications, district officials say

By the end of the 2005-'06 school year every teacher of every major subject in every school is supposed to be "highly qualified," but some critics wonder whether President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act will deliver.

As the centerpiece of his domestic agenda, the No Child Left Behind Act aims to dramatically improve learning by ensuring that all students have highly qualified teachers.

Yet in a nation of 3 million teachers, the definition of highly qualified varies widely and may not ensure quality at all -- not what Bush and Congress intended.

Here in Nevada the question isn't as pressing as in other areas, since the R-5 school district has maintained an "Accredited with Distinction" designation since 1999.

Assistant Superintendent Christie Peterson said that 100 percent of teachers in the district are certified in the subject area they teach.

"All of our regular teachers are certified, our long-term subs are certified and even our short-term subs are Missouri certified," Peterson said. "There are some math classes a teacher can be certified in and teach some science classes but we never pull a high school teacher into an elementary school classroom, all of our teachers are certified in their subject areas."

Given considerable leeway, many states are declaring their teachers to be highly qualified without making sure those teachers know their subjects, independent reviews show.

The law lacks specific penalties for states that fail to get all their teachers qualified, which could hamper enforcement by the Education Department.

Already, most states say that more than 90 percent of their teachers are highly qualified. But the notion that top teachers fill most classrooms is greeted skeptically because of questions over how the states define quality and how they collect their data.

''It's an unkept promise,'' said Chester Finn Jr., a former assistant education secretary who runs the Fordham Foundation think tank in Washington. ''Worse yet, it's the illusion of a kept promise.''

At the start of every school year there may be a delay in getting a teacher from another state Missouri certified but the district makes sure all teachers receive that certification.

"Because we are just 13 miles from the Kansas line every school year we hire five or six teachers from Kansas," Peterson said. "Since we don't have a reciprocity agreement when we hire someone from Kansas we have to perform all the background checks that are required, even though the teacher had to go through that in Kansas. The fingerprint check takes six to eight weeks to perform so there is a period of time when their certification status is pending."

Teachers' unions and state leaders say they believe states have tried to strike a balance, following the law while being fair to veteran instructors. ''I think states are making valiant efforts,'' said Raymond Simon, deputy education secretary.

The Education Department is increasing enforcement of the law, asking states to justify their definitions of highly qualified. The agency may withhold money if states do not accurately report on the quality of its teachers, said Simon, the deputy secretary.

''I have confidence that states are trying to do the right thing,'' Simon said. ''We've tried to be as flexible with them as we can.''

On The Net:

Patrons can view the school district's accomplishments online on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Web site, http://dese.mo.gov.

Education Department: http://www.nochildleftbehind.gov/

Education Commission of the States: http://www.ecs.org

National Council on Teacher Quality: http://www.nctq.org

Center on Education Policy: http://www.cep-dc.org/

The Education Trust: http://www.edtrust.org