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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2002

Statement

Statement of National Education Association President Bob Chase On "Meeting the Highly Qualified Teachers Challenge"

(Secretary's Annual Report on Teacher Quality)

The research is clear: Good teachers matter. Experts in the field - like the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future - say so. Their conclusions: Differences in teacher qualifications account for more than 90 percent of the variation in student achievement. And when teachers are certified, have master's degrees and are teaching in their field, students make greater gains in every grade and subject, and are less likely to drop out.

The American public says so. Eighty-two percent of the public opposes lowering state requirements for teacher training to bring more people into the profession. And 67 percent of the public oppose permitting persons with bachelor's degrees to become teachers without preparation in teacher education. (Source: Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll 2001)

Yet we continue to see reports questioning the value of teacher certification and formal teacher preparation. Claims that inexperienced college grads can be as successful as formally trained teachers are insulting and demeaning to qualified members of the teaching profession. Instead of helping professionalize teaching, the Secretary's proposals demean it by promoting teaching as volunteer work.

"Meeting the highly qualified teachers challenge" should mean producing teachers who know their subject matter and how to teach it effectively. There are no shortcuts to accomplishing this task. We need to raise the standards, not lower them.

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.