69ý

Teacher Preparation

Suit Contests ‘Loophole’ for Alternate Paths

By Vaishali Honawar — August 28, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

A group of California parents, students, and community organizations is suing the U.S. Department of Education for allowing uncertified alternative-route teachers to be designated as “highly qualified” under the No Child Left Behind Act.

The federal law requires teachers to have full state licensure, in addition to a bachelor’s degree and evidence that they know each subject they teach. But department regulations allow uncertified candidates in alternative-route programs to teach for up to three years while seeking certification.

Backers of the lawsuit, Renee v. Spellings, which was filed last week in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, said they are concerned because many of those teachers end up in schools that are low-performing and enroll higher concentrations of students of color.

“These are teachers who have come through one month of boot camp in an alternative program and are thrown into classrooms as full-time teachers,” said Wynn Hausser, a spokesman for Public Advocates, the San Francisco public-interest law firm representing the plaintiffs.

He contended that the regulation at issue is a loophole intended to give Congress “a rosier picture of how close schools are to meeting the standards” of the NCLB law, which requires every classroom in which a core subject is taught to be staffed by a highly qualified teacher.

Mr. Hausser’s group maintains that 100,000 teachers currently in the nation’s classrooms are labeled as “highly qualified” even though they are still in training.

Obscuring the Truth?

The lawsuit drew support from members of the teacher education community.

“The Department of Education has created this large loophole to allow uncertified teachers who haven’t completed a preparation program to receive a highly qualified designation,” Jane West, the vice president of government relations for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, said in a statement.

Samara Yudof, a spokeswoman for the Education Department, said it would have no comment.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to void the regulation allowing teachers in alternative routes to be deemed highly qualified.

“My son’s 1st grade teacher is still taking classes necessary to obtain her full teaching credential,” Maribel Heredia, one of the plaintiffs, said in a statement. “I think it’s wrong that she is called highly qualified.”

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by 
Assessment K-12 Essentials Forum Making Competency-Based Learning a Reality
Join this free virtual event to hear from educators and experts working to implement competency-based education.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Teacher Preparation Then & Now Why We Still Haven't Solved Teacher Shortages (Despite Decades of Trying)
The teacher-shortage discourse has a long history—and no perfect solutions.
6 min read
Conceptual image of drawing new graduates to the teaching workforce.
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva
Teacher Preparation Opinion Ed. 69ý Face a Choice: Reform or Fade Away
If schools of education are to be revitalized, it will likely be red states leading the way, an education professor argues.
Robert Maranto
5 min read
Illustration of a college campus fading away.
Education Week + iStock
Teacher Preparation Democrats and Republicans Agree Teacher Prep Needs to Change. But How?
Teacher-prep programs "have been designed essentially to mass-produce identical educators," a dean said at a congressional hearing.
7 min read
A 1st grade teacher at Capital City Public Charter School leads a lesson about bee colonies with her students.
A 1st grade teacher at Capital City Public Charter School leads a lesson about bee colonies with her students. At Sept. 25 congressional hearing focused on the quality of the nation's teacher-preparation programs.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Teacher Preparation Teachers' Unions Are Starting Teacher-Prep Programs. Here's What to Know
The Washington Education Association is pioneering a teacher residency for special education. Other unions are noticing.
10 min read
Patrice Madrid, left, leads a Functional Core Program for 3rd through 5th graders as part of a teacher residency program under the guidance of staff teacher Shannon Winthrow, right, at Star Lake Elementary in Kent, Wash., on May 7, 2024.
Patrice Madrid, left, leads a special education classroom for 3rd through 5th graders as part of the Washington Education Association's teacher residency program under the guidance of staff teacher Shannon Withrow, right, at Star Lake Elementary in Kent, Wash., on May 7, 2024.
Meron Menghistab for Education Week