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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: epicure who wrote (55007)	8/22/2002 10:20:33 AM
From: J. C. Dithers	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

Did you happen see this article about teachers lacking training in their subjects? Sounds like there are good opportunities for those well-trained, though is doesn't mention CA. We got around to "Monster's Ball" last night. We enjoyed it as a good story. However, we both agreed that in no way did Haile Berry deserve an Oscar for acting ability per se in terms of range and difficulty of the role. (I think she pretty much just had to play herself). Study: Fourth of classes taught by teachers untrained in subject By Greg Toppo, Associated Press, 8/22/2002 WASHINGTON - Twenty-four percent of public middle- and high-school classes are taught by teachers not trained in the subjects, and the percentage is higher in schools that serve poor and minority students, according to a report released yesterday. The issue will receive broad attention this fall when the federal government, for the first time, requires schools to tell parents when their children are being taught by such teachers. ''It's clear that administrators have yet to get the message that they have to stop assigning teachers out of field,'' said Craig Jerald of the Education Trust, the Washington group that released the report. ''Sure, shortages make it more difficult to tackle this problem, but there's good evidence that a lot of this is under our control.'' The Education Trust, a nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of urban and minority students, said statistics on teacher qualifications have not changed since 1993. Part of an education plan signed in January by President Bush requires that if an instructor is assigned to a subject he is not qualified to teach, the principal must send home a note letting parents know within a month. Jerald said the requirement ''will create a hunger for the data reports that come out, and the data reports will embarrass state and local officials to do something on a systemwide basis.'' Paul Houston, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators, said the issue is not that simple. ''It's not like people are sitting around saying, `Let's fill these classrooms with people who are not qualified,''' he said. ''If the people aren't there and aren't willing to work for these [school] systems, you're going to have a problem.'' The report was based on a random survey completed periodically by about 55,000 teachers for the Education Department. The Education Trust examined responses from 16,000 secondary school teachers in the most recent survey, from the 1999-2000 school year. The group looked at whether classes in four core subjects - English, math, science, and social studies - were assigned to a teacher who lacked a college major or minor in that field or a related field. Nationally, 24.2 percent of classes met those criteria, but 12 states had more than 30 percent taught by teachers who did not. In four states - Delaware, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Tennessee - the average exceeded one-third. In schools that serve mostly poor students, nearly twice as many courses are taught by out-of-field teachers as in schools with few poor students, the analysis found. The problem also is worse in schools that mostly serve minority students: 29 percent compared with 21 percent for schools that have low minority enrollments. Houston said school districts should consider offering incentives such as tax credits to qualified teachers who are willing to work in such areas. ''It's going to take more than simply telling people to do better,'' he said. This story ran on page A2 of the Boston Globe on 8/22/2002. © Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company. © Copyright 2002 New York Times Company \| Advertise \| Contact us \| Privacy policy \|