(Charter) school "teacher" caught beating student on tape had no teaching certificate.

A Harris County charter school teacher caught on video beating up a student last month could face criminal charges, but she will not lose her teaching certificate.

That's because Sheri Lynn Davis, 40, doesn't have one.

As a science teacher at a charter school, she didn't need to be certified. Texas law requires charter schools to hire certified teachers only in the areas of bilingual and special education.

The state's charter school law is designed to give the campuses more freedom in hiring, but Davis' case illustrates a little-discussed loophole: If teachers aren't certified by the state, then the state has no power to sanction them. Their records are clean if they apply for other teaching jobs. In fact, they don't have a record at all with the State Board for Educator Certification...

State law requires most charter school teachers to have only a high school diploma. But to meet federal standards, those teaching core subjects such as math and science must have a bachelor's and demonstrate competency in the subject they're teaching.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7002614.html


Gee, so many DUers told me charter schools have to follow the same rules as traditional public schools?

that's how it was explained to me by a charter school principal.

"charter schools are public schools!!! wahhh!!!"

Only had an associates degree and 20 years experience. Invariably the worst of them had written the text books we were required to use for their courses, and held a myriad of advanced degrees.

In your opinion should we only hire AA degreed teachers for college, medical school, etc. ? High school diplomas to teach college? Why not! How about needing to have graduated from kindergarten to teach high school AP?

Because if we loosen the requirements, then dollar to donuts, the assholes in administration will take the low road everytime. I agree with you that academic credits and especially a string of books written (usually mostly by their TA's and GA's) is not a someone who can teach. And those folks, and the system in academia that rewards the "publish or die" crowd should go, but when education combines with passion in a teacher the results are amazing.

Check this out. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll become a better person. This is what you get when you combine passion with advanced education.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/randy_pausch_really_achieving_your_childhood_dreams.html

I have two degrees and a lot of teaching behind me. Charters get away with a lot of crap. I have to say that it crossed my mind to beat the crap out of a kid or two over the years but you don't. You just work harder.

...wrote the textbook that we and many other universities used.

Nyahh, nyahh, etc.

he was great, & a decent human being, too.

It is in the PUBLIC'S INTEREST children are taught by qualified professionals. Don't you dare hand me this shit standards should be lowered.

for some to get rich and control the minds of the young.

Soon the American youth will not be able to compete against the rest of the world and we will be on our way to being a third world country.

Not a lot of academic accountability that I can see either. 96 kids in 6-12 and they score a 3 out of 10?

TAKS Results

Scale: % meeting or exceeding standards

Grade 5
Reading
Data not available for this district (2009)
Data not available for this district (2008)
Data not available for this district (2007)
Data not available for this district (2006)
The state average for Reading was 83% in 2009.

Science
Data not available for this district (2009)
0% (2008)
Data not available for this district (2007)
Data not available for this district (2006)
The state average for Science was 84% in 2009.

Math
80% (2009)
20% (2008)
Data not available for this district (2007)
Data not available for this district (2006)
The state average for Math was 84% in 2009.

Source: TX Education Agency, 2008-2009

Grade 6
Reading
67% (2009)
50% (2008)
Data not available for this district (2007)
Data not available for this district (2006)
The state average for Reading was 91% in 2009.

Math
67% (2009)
13% (2008)
Data not available for this district (2007)
Data not available for this district (2006)
The state average for Math was 80% in 2009.

http://www.greatschools.org/cgi-bin/tx/district-profile/1146

More at link.

Check that school and see if they received Title 1. They may be paying money back.

as public schools. They get public money but are privately run.

We have two now in our district. For them to receive Title I they have to have highly qualified teachers - no exceptions. They can turn it down, if they want. But they can't take it and then not follow the rules. Same applies for Title VIB (special ed).

Good question.

They don't have to take it. But in my experience, very few refuse it. It can be a lot of money. I'd be checking into this if it were me.

With no way to check their background, schools will not be able to find out, and in the case of some charters schools no interest in finding out, if teachers have problems and shouldn't be around kids.

You should mention this to any parent who parrots the charter school / voucher mantra.

should be LOWERED, what with crash courses in "teaching" and then dumping these people in the classrooms.

No wonder incidents like this one happen. The kid apparently was bullying a special needs student, but teachers can never, ever, ever lay a hand on kids.

This is the same state that wants to pull Thomas Jefferson out of the history books.

charter schools -- arizona being another.

and profits is what counts!

:popcorn:

There will be more of this as charters gain a foothold.

happened in a traditional school & was done by a certified teacher.

i saw it on fox & didn't hear "charter" either.

Creating more bad press for real certified teachers.

although all the post contained was a c&p & link to an article (not editorial) by the Houston Chronicle.

So good luck with this.

:kick: