A Race to Educate Our Kids

Meet the new teacher on the first day of school. She’s never taught anything. She doesn’t know much about her subject, or how to manage her loud and unruly class. Her emergency credential got her this far. The California Board of Education considers her a “highly qualified” teacher. Wrong.

There aren’t enough good teachers to go around in California, especially in large urban districts like Los Angeles. Many don’t want to work in poor neighborhoods, where they are most needed, because of hellish commutes, heartbreaking challenges or high crime. As a result, the neediest students often get stuck with the weakest teachers.

Washington wants to change that. The “No Child Left Behind” law requires that by the end of the 2005-06 school year there be a “highly qualified” teacher in every classroom at schools that receive federal money to help low-income students. Starting the day after school begins this year, districts are supposed to fill any opening at those schools with a fully credentialed teacher.

In the Los Angeles Unified School District, this means that at the beginning of the traditional school year next month no vacancy can be filled by a teacher with an emergency credential at the 555 schools that receive federal aid to help poor children. So far, 652 teachers have been hired to fill 670 vacancies throughout the district. Close to 200 of the new teachers hold full credentials; 104 have emergency permits and 361 are in a highly competitive internship program.

Supt. Roy Romer wants Washington to count intern teachers as “highly qualified.” He makes a good case. Interns get a head start with a three-week introduction to teaching before school starts. On the first day, they come prepared with lesson plans for two weeks, support from a mentor and ongoing classes to review what worked and didn’t work and what needs changing, all part of their two-year course. Without interns, Romer says, class sizes would have to double.

He rules out “combat pay,” like a $5,000 bonus, to lure “highly qualified” teachers to schools in poor areas because the district also would have to pay more to every teacher already there. Because of a severe teacher shortage, many California school districts like Los Angeles need greater flexibility and an extra year or two to meet the federal goal.

Washington can help by quickly and dramatically increasing the national pool of high-caliber teachers through special programs, scholarships, loan forgiveness and other incentives. Those measures worked after the Russians beat the United States into space. This is one race America can’t afford to lose.