Kate Walsh & Emma Snyder, National Council on Teacher Quality
December 2004
This new report evaluates states' responses to NCLB's highly qualified teacher provisions. The authors begin by recalling the often-sorry state of states' content preparation regulations for teachers before NCLB, and reviews the sweeping changes brought on by that law. They also include some helpful caveats about both licensing tests and subject majors. The bulk of the report, though, focuses on NCLB's HOUSSE provision, under which states can grant highly qualified standing to experienced teachers without requiring them to pass a subject-area major or content test. All fifty state plans are reviewed, except for the 11 states that - thumbing their noses at the feds - claim that their certification processes obviate the need for HOUSSE plans. The flexibility of the HOUSSE guidelines has unfortunately allowed many states to construct weak systems that follow the letter, but not the spirit, of NCLB. The authors' remedy: Discard the current HOUSSE provision entirely and write a new one. They advocate moderate, pragmatic solutions such as allowing veteran high school teachers to continue teaching with only a subject-area minor (or equivalent) or a passing grade on a content test. This recommendation may not sound ambitious, but as the authors point out, moderate across-the-board reform might be better than the current HOUSSE blend of "high standards and abundant loopholes." That kind of practical advice is found throughout this report, which is well worth your time. You can find it here.