CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALTER EDITORIAL TEACHER ABILITY MATTERS MOST
The fact that just half of the teachers in Ohio's charter schools hold state certifi cation begs a huge question:
Can they teach?
The notion that only those who possess proper certification are competent educators is pure folly. More to the point, it would be news to parents of students at Hathaway Brown, University School and any number of area parochial institutions.
Like those private schools, charters exist to offer alternatives to traditional public education. And one way charters are different is that they are free to employ people who have taken nontraditional paths to the classroom.
True, teacher quality is a key focus of President George W. Bush's education reform law, No Child Left Behind. And, yes, proper state certification is one way government defines quality. But even federal law implicitly acknowledges that state-level certification is no guarantee of competence; it also demands proven knowledge of subject.
The price charter schools pay for their freedoms is supposed to be increased accountability. Unlike public schools of the past, charter schools' continued operation is supposed to depend on results. Thus, rather than focusing on the credentials of the people who teach in charter schools, state policymakers should concentrate on what those people accomplish once there.
If a charter school fails to perform, the state should close it - and quickly. But if a charter educates its students well, the state shouldn't worry about whether all its teachers possess a particular piece of paper.
In such cases, policymakers should celebrate the accomplishment - and see what can be learned from it.
Originally printed in the
Cleveland Plain Dealer.
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