Issue: Education
Topic: Teacher Quality
Case Date: January 1, 2011
Background
Galvanized by Congress’s action in December 2010 to temporarily halt implementation of the victory won by low-income students and parents in Renee v. Duncan, a broad coalition of civil rights, disability, parent, student, community and education groups has formed to advocate for repeal of Section 163 of H.R. 3082 and for stronger federal policies to promote teacher quality and equity, especially in the anticipated reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This coalition is called the Coalition for Teaching Quality.
Section 163—inserted in the law in the final days of the 111th Congress and without public debate—undermines the federal definition of a “highly qualified teacher” in the No Child Left Behind Act by allowing states to label teachers as “highly qualified” when they are still in training – and, in many cases, just beginning training – in alternative route programs. This misguided federal policy permits intern teachers-in-training to be disproportionately concentrated in schools and classrooms serving low-income students, students of color, English language learners, and students with disabilities, and then allows states and districts to hide this reality from parents and the public when complying with their federal reporting requirements.
The coalition is particularly impressive for the diversity of its members, including civil rights groups such as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, LULAC, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; disability groups such as DREDF and the Council for Exceptional Children; parent and student groups including the Public Education Network, Communities for Excellent Public Schools, and many California-based grassroots organizations in the Campaign for Quality Education; education groups such as the NEA and American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education; and policy groups such as the Rural School and Community Trust, Latino Elected and Appointed Officials National Taskforce on Education, and the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning. Public Advocates is proud to be partnering with so many organizations committed to ensuring full and equal access to qualified, effective teachers for all students.
Latest Updates
Coalition for Teaching Quality Holds Briefing in Washington, D.C.
December 19, 2011— Our team and partners from the Coalition for Teaching Quality welcomed the opportunity on Dec. 8 to co-sponsor a briefing on teacher quality with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Held in Washington, D.C., and attended by more than 60 Congressional staff members and other interested parties, the briefing provided a forum for us to share our view that all students — including low-income students, students of color, English learners and students with disabilities — deserve access to fully prepared and effective teachers on day one in the classroom.
Maribel Heredia, a plaintiff in Renee v. Duncan, was among those who presented compelling experiences and research findings to make the case for stronger federal policies on teacher quality. Another memorable panelist was Shayla Johnson, a 12th grade student union representative from Overbrook High School in Philadelphia. She described the shortage of prepared and effective teachers at her school, remarking, “The federal law that allows teachers-in-training to be concentrated in my school and district isn’t fair and it’s hurting my education … No one in Congress would want this for their own children, so why is it good enough for me?”
Broad Coalition Fights for Sanders ESEA Amendments to Ensure Equal Access to Quality Teachers
October 17, 2011—More than eighty civil rights, disability, parent, student, grassroots and education organizations from across the country today urged Congress not to turn back the clock on teacher quality gains for poor and minority students, English Learners, and students with disabilities as it considers reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
In a letter to Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY), chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Committee on Health Education, Labor and Pensions and sponsors of the reauthorization proposal, the coalition urges that the revised ESEA require teachers to complete a minimum level of training and demonstrate competence to teach effectively before they enter the classroom—plus ensure that the neediest students get the full and equal access to these well-qualified teachers they deserve. Read a Huffington Post op-ed authored by coalition members here.
Diverse Coalition Draws Line on ESEA Teacher Quality: Fully Prepared and Effective Teachers for all Students
April 15, 2011— In the wake of President Obama’s statement last week describing education and education equality as the “civil rights issue of our time,” more than sixty civil rights, disability, parent, student, grassroots and education organizations from across the country today called on Congress to create a stable supply of qualified and effective educators for all communities. Offering a set of specific legislative guidelines, the groups drew a line in the sand on teacher requirements within the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by urging Congress to maintain the standard of fully prepared and qualified teachers for all students. The coalition also urged fair and robust measures for evaluating teacher effectiveness and policies that would deliver fully prepared and effective teachers to all communities.
Over 70 Organizations Join Forces in Urging Obama Administration, Congress to Reverse Course
January 27, 2011— In an urgent letter sent Thursday to President Obama and key Congressional leaders, more than fifty organizations from across the country — including civil rights, disability, parent, student, community and education groups — criticized a provision signed into law last month lowering teaching standards required under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The provision allows thousands of under-prepared and inexperienced teachers to continue to be assigned disproportionately to low-income, minority, special education, and English language learner students and denies parents notification of the teachers’ under-prepared status. By late February, more than 70 organizations had signed onto the letter.
