’No Child’ Teacher Training Suit Filed

Source: AP via KAAL-TV (ABC Rochester, MN)

AP) WASHINGTON - When Maribel Heredia’s son told her that his first-grade teacher was "going to college" and that there would be a substitute in the classroom two days a week, she started asking questions.

Only then did she learn that the teacher the Hayward Unified School District labeled "highly qualified" was still a student herself.

Calling the teacher highly qualified allows the district to meet the provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind education law, which requires that all students be taught by skilled teachers in core subjects such as English and math. The district’s classification is legal.

Heredia said she believes such classifications are misleading and allow districts to place unqualified teachers in classrooms. On Tuesday, she was among a group of parents and education advocates who sued the U.S. Department of Education over its interpretation of what makes a highly qualified teacher.

Read more: http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/S86756.shtml?cat=10172

I see nothing wrong with it.

as "Highly Qualified" when clearly she was still a student. Someone who is still a student is not "Highly Qualified", they are more like ... capable. A capable teacher is fine. I've had many great capable teacher! Sometimes the ones with less formal, more real world and a realistic view on things teach more. But the point being that the district lied so that they could get funding. it's not right that the system is set up to reward such falsifications!

BTW, you will NOT see me holding up The Netherlands a a paragon of teaching virtue. There was a study out recently that said FEWER students are getting science teaching! If you are in a trade schooling program for say carpenter, you get almost NO HIGHER MATH (that being algebra, which you need for everything in every day life imho). Even students in science based education are getting less science taught. Whatever else about the broken US system, kids still (?) get a fairly well rounded education. Mind you I would like to see more state paid trade school out there as well...