May 12, 2006

Contact: Miguel Gonzalez    (202) 822-7823, 

Confusing, Complex NCLB Requirement

Keeps Teachers from Teaching and Students from Learning

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Education today announced that no state will meet a requirement under the so-called No Child Left Behind law that calls for 100 percent of teachers in core subjects to be “highly qualified” by the end of the current school year.  States will face possible financial penalties for their failure to meet the law’s June 30 deadline.

The Department’s guidance and regulations on meeting the “highly qualified” provision have changed at least four times since No Child Left Behind was enacted.  Most recently, the Department notified three states—Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Minnesota—that their definitions of “highly qualified” were not in compliance.  This last-minute change could impact the status of tens of thousands of teachers.

The following statement can be attributed to NEA President Reg Weaver:

“The Administration’s definition of ‘highly qualified’ contains flaws that NEA has pointed out for the last four years.  We share the Department’s goal of having every child taught by a highly qualified teacher, but it is unrealistic and unfair to expect teachers to meet the criteria when the rules and regulations keep changing.

“The law’s complexity and bureaucratic hurdles continue to complicate the process.  Aside from the frequent changes in criteria, there are a host of other problems with the ‘highly qualified’ provision.  For example, it fails to acknowledge that most middle school social studies teachers have a license or certification in social studies.  It is common for many of these teachers to teach history, government, civics or other social studies disciplines, but they do not necessarily have a degree or certification in each of those subjects. 

“Since the first signs of trouble with the law, NEA has called on the Department to extend the deadline by one year, provide states further assistance to meet the requirements, resolve ongoing compliance disputes, clearly define for all parties what is necessary to meet the requirement, and provide sufficient aid to teachers who need help. We look forward to working collaboratively with the Administration to make these changes in the law.”

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The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 2.8 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.