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Thursday, February 06, 2003

By Jane Elizabeth, Post-Gazette Education Writer

As a parent, you're probably accustomed to getting missives from school about your children -- report cards, tardy notes, overdue library books.

But have you received a note lately about your child's teacher?

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Under the new federal education law, parents are supposed to be notified if their children have been taught for more than four consecutive weeks by a teacher who isn't properly certified.

So if your child's high school math class is being taught by someone who holds a teaching certificate in elementary education, you should have received a note from the school saying so.

The rule went into effect four weeks after the current school year began, but many area school districts haven't sent those letters -- at the risk of losing federal funding.

"We have made schools aware of their obligation to notify parents if their children don't have a highly qualified teacher," said Jeff McCloud, spokesman for the state Department of Education. "How they do that is up to the schools and districts."

Parents have always had the right to know the credentials of their children's teachers. Few have bothered to check. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, federal administrators hope that when parents are told that a teacher doesn't have proper credentials, they'll put pressure on school administrators and legislators to fix the problem.

"It's very unfair to ask teachers to teach math when they've studied English," said Craig Jerald, senior policy analyst at the Education Trust, a Washington D.C. nonprofit group that advocates for urban and minority students.

"It's an administrative responsibility; it can't be the responsibility of teachers. Teachers don't like to be assigned out of field."

Richard Ingersoll, a University of Pennsylvania education researcher, said that the "embarrassment [of improperly certified teachers] alone could bring pressure. It won't be just accepted with open arms. The principal's going to be in the hot seat."

While state officials have reported to the federal government that about 5,000 Pennsylvania teachers are on "emergency certificates" or improperly certified, that's not the whole story.

Another 8,500 are working as substitute teachers, and they often don't meet the new federal quality standards. In Pennsylvania, a substitute teacher needs only a college degree -- in any subject.

Starting this month, federal "accountability experts" are to visit the states and make sure they're meeting the law's requirements, according to U.S. Department of Education Undersecretary Eugene Hickok.

"These are not compliance officers," said Hickok, a former Pennsylvania education secretary, in a recent interview. "They are experts who are eager to work with" state officials.

But even if parents find that all their children's teachers are properly certified, does that mean there's nothing to worry about?

The federal definition of a highly qualified teacher gives "a false sense of security to parents," said John W. Butzow, dean of the school of education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, because the standards are not that stringent.

Hickok said if teachers meet the new criteria, "in an ideal world ... you would like to think they are fully qualified. But in far too many cases, they are not."

How can parents assess for themselves the effectiveness of their children's teachers? And how can teachers and parents work together to find the best way to teach individual children?

Assessing your teachers

Based on interviews with teachers and other educators, and with researchers and parents, here are some points to consider:

During parent conferences, find out how well the teacher knows your child. "Talk with the teacher and listen to what gets talked about," said Alan Lesgold, dean of the education school at the University of Pittsburgh. "If the teacher can't explain to you" your child's strengths and weaknesses in words you can understand, "there's a problem."

Visit school when you can and observe the teachers. Determine if teachers "are energized by students in the classroom," said U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige. "Do they have a work ethic? Do they put a lot of energy into it? You need vigor and energy. I like to see people move around."

When did the teacher attend college? Graduates of certain years scored higher on statewide tests of K-12 teachers. Results can be found at www.tcs.ed.state.pa.us-/PDAP/YourReport.asp.

What's the success rate on teacher licensing tests at the teacher's alma mater? There's a wide range of pass rates among Pennsylvania's 93 schools of education. Pass rates can be found at www.title2.org/title2dr.

The site does not list individual teachers' test results, or how many times they took the tests before passing, or their college grade point averages. That information isn't necessarily helpful anyway, said IUP's Butzow.

"Some students who have very high grades and very high test scores didn't necessarily have the compassion and patience" to be a teacher, he said. There are teachers "who are excessively bright, who, when you don't get it, the first thing they want to do is throw you out."

How much student-teacher time did your child's new teacher put in? Some schools of education offer as little as 12 weeks of real classroom teaching time. On the other hand, students in the University of Pittsburgh's master's program spend a full year as full-time teaching interns in an area school. But only 37 of Pennsylvania's 93 schools of education offer such intern programs.

It's likely that your child will be in a classroom with students who have a wide range of mental and physical abilities. How much training has the teacher had in dealing with student differences -- including language differences? Ask the teacher or the principal.

How technically adept are your child's teachers? Can they use e-mail, efficiently search the Internet, and use computer software? Ask the teacher or the principal.

Is your child's middle school teacher certified to teach middle school grades, or is he or she actually certified for elementary school?

Middle school in Pennsylvania can mean anywhere from grades 5 through 9, depending on the district. But teachers who are certified to teach elementary school -- grades K-6, under federal guidelines -- can be found teaching eighth-grade math in Pennsylvania, for example. State officials currently are working to get those teachers properly certified, but it could take years.

Print out a copy of the state's suggested teacher evaluation form from www.teaching.state.pa.us-/teaching and conduct your own evaluation.

Dealing with problems

Parents should first meet with the teacher to resolve conflicts. If that's unsuccessful, go to the principal, other administrators such as curriculum specialists, or the school board.

Don't make accusations without getting the facts. If there's a problem, find a way to visit the classroom as often as possible, quietly and unannounced.

Don't be accusatory with school officials. "The question you should pose is: What are you doing to help this teacher get better? Are you providing any kind of coaching?" said Lesgold. Understand that teachers, like everyone else, "all go through good times and bad times and that's not going to go away ... We all need help going through those times."

Join parents' organizations in your school. "Parent groups can raise the bar," said Phyllis C. Comer, who teaches gifted students at Dickson Intermediate School in Woodland Hills School District. "Parents can put teachers' and administrators' feet to the fire."

Some schools, including those in Pittsburgh Public Schools, have parent advocates who can help mediate problems.

Make sure your school has provided ways to reach teachers. Is there e-mail or voice mail? Is there a telephone in the classroom? Will teachers promptly answer handwritten notes? Can you contact them at home in emergencies?

Finding solutions

Be proactive. At the beginning of each year, meet with teachers. John Merrow, author of "The School Sleuth" and an education talk-show host on National Public Radio, suggested "a note, a handshake, some sort of early connection that establishes that the parent sees him/herself as a partner in learning."

"If the teacher knows that you are involved, [he or she] will take extra steps ... We always tried to write a note to our kids' teachers early in the year: 'Josh really loves what you're doing in science. It's great to see him so excited.'"

Make your opinions known. "Parents should get very angry and go to the school board and yell and scream," when there are problems with incompetent teachers. "There has to be some anger," said Leon Lessinger, an education researcher who served as undersecretary of education in the Nixon and Johnson administrations.

Encourage the use of data. School districts can use computer programs to determine if a teacher's students are making progress.

Ask your district to strengthen "induction" programs for new teachers and use highly talented mentor teachers to help new teachers. Programs for new teachers are mandated by the state, but the quality varies considerably.

Make sure your district offers plenty of opportunity for teachers to learn more about their subject matter and find out about new research. Susan Sclafani, Paige's top assistant, says that for some teachers, education "can be more like a religion instead of a science." Longtime teachers may become devoted to a certain way of teaching and ignore practical research.

Do administrators give teachers a regular chance to "vent" and explore common solutions to teaching problems?

"We end up playing the blame game when some structural changes could prevent most of the bad situations," said Merrow. "Give teachers permission and regular opportunity to talk about kids in constructive ways."

Merrow recently visited a public school "in which teachers get to meet every day for 45 minutes, in small groups, to talk about strategies, goals, kids, problems.... How rare is that, and how wonderful."

Offer a way out. "Sweeten the pot for early retirement" for teachers who are admittedly burned out, said Lessinger.

"These are human beings. You can't just throw them out."

Jane Elizabeth can be reached at jelizabeth@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1510.