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The Effect of NCLB on Teachers & Teaching Quality
No resource, no intervention, no reform counts as much as the quality of
teaching. While they agree with the NCLB dictum that teachers should know the
content they teach, students and parents view the issue of teacher quality quite
differently from the official NCLB definition of “highly qualified” as a teacher
who has earned the proper credentials and met state requirements such as
passing a content test.
For students, these qualifications do not mean much unless teachers also know
how to make the content interesting and relevant. Jerusha Clark, a Dayton Early
College Academy student, testified that he would want to know whether his
teacher is “a teacher who reads a textbook or are you a teacher who can tell
me how this concept applies in other areas of life....Can you explain to me why
I’m learning this?” Students enrolled in high-performing schools or those taking
advanced classes told of teachers who set very high expectations, helped
them prepare for college, supported them in their school activities, and, who,
as a Pennsylvania suburban student explained, “after parents, are the most
important influence on us.” Their biggest complaint was that such teachers had
less time for creative teaching because of test prep.
Students in low-performing and/or low-income schools, however, just wished
there were “more teachers who care about us.” Students in these schools are
quick to observe that “some teachers just want their paychecks” and, in several
instances, ruefully explained how they lost caring, inspiring teachers because
those teachers lacked certification. For students in low-income neighborhoods
where adult mentors are scarce, teachers are critical to keeping them engaged
and preventing them from dropping out, as one Philadelphia student explained:
“In my school, a lot of our students don’t graduate. A lot of our students don’t
meet the requirements, and it’s because they don’t have the drive and desire to
succeed and to learn. That falls under the teacher’s responsibility because a lot
of our teachers aren’t showing that they care for us.”
Caring does not mean pampering, according to student testimony. They want
teachers who will use strategies and take time to be sure students understand
the material. It is not a matter of what degrees teachers have, said Chicago
student Maria Salgado, “but what connection they have with the students and
their ability to form a partnership with them.”
For many urban witnesses, adults as well as students, the most vital element
missing from NCLB’s definition of “highly qualified” is what many described as
“cultural competence.” The achievement gap will not close, asserted a Detroit
witness, unless the cultural “fit” between teachers and students is addressed.
Students in Boston emotionally accused teachers of using insulting language
toward them, but a Detroit student was more plaintive about the issue: “A
qualified teacher is someone who has been in the place you’ve been....” A Bay
Area high school student said “highly qualified” meant nothing if a teacher has
“a phobia of the neighborhood, or the predominant population, or even the
culture.”
Witnesses offered few solutions to the problem of “disengaged” teachers.
Those who addressed the issue wanted more teacher professional
development focused on teaching in culturally diverse schools. Some reported
that teacher preparation and professional development were now focused
on test-based instruction. If skillful teaching is the goal, then NCLB may be
administering a self-inflicted injury since testimony at several hearings indicated
that the most creative teachers are being “driven out” of the public schools by
the emphasis on raising test scores.
Of those who responded to the online survey, only one-quarter believed schools
would be able to meet the NCLB requirement to have a qualified teacher in
every content area by the end of the 2005–2006 school year. Testimony in
California underscored this skepticism. Witnesses cited studies estimating that
10 percent (approximately 30,000) of the teachers in the state are teaching
out of field; in the sciences, the estimate ranges from 25 to 35 percent.
Even more alarming, it is estimated that 50 percent of the science teachers
in urban districts may be unqualified. Moreover, the middle school science
curriculum in California is multi-disciplinary, thus requiring teachers for those
grades to obtain certi.cation in three to five content areas during a time when
professional development monies have dried up, said one witness.
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