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ARCHIVE FOR AUGUST 2007
REPORT FINDS TEACHER QUALITY HAS LITTLE IMPACT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT (8/27/2007)
A recent report produced by the Center on Education Policy finds that while most states report that they are on track to be fully compliant with the No Child Left Behind Act’s “highly qualified” teacher requirements, most states indicate that these requirements have done little to improve student achievement. The report, Implementing the No Child Left Behind Teacher Requirements, is based on a survey of officials in all 50 states and a nationally representative group of nearly 350 school districts. More than half of the states and 66 percent of the school districts surveyed reported that the requirements have improved achievement minimally or not at all. In addition, 19 states and 74 percent of districts say NCLB’s requirements have had a minimal or nonexistent impact on teacher effectiveness. The report goes on to make the following recommendations: 1) States should be encouraged, through the use of grants and incentives, to develop methods to measure teacher effectiveness. 2) The current federal definition of a highly qualified teacher should be refined to address the special circumstances of particular teachers, such as special education teachers, or those who work in rural areas and need to teach multiple subjects. 3) The USDOE needs to develop and adopt a comprehensive approach to recruiting and retaining teachers in high-need schools, to replace the piecemeal approach that is currently in place. 4) Federal assistance should be provided to the states so that they can develop and implement comprehensive data systems. Related Documents: Center on Education Policy: Implementing the No Child Left Behind Teacher Requirements (8/22/2007)
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