Mindless Math Mutterings: How is your state faring when it comes to teacher quality?

Excerpts from

State Teacher Quality Yearbook
Progress on Teacher Quality

State Policy Yearbook 2007
National Council on Teacher Quality

"The State Teacher Policy Yearbook is the first project of its kind to provide a 360-degree detailed analysis of any and every policy that states have that impact the quality of teachers, specifically their recruitment, preparation, licensing, evaluation and compensation. In all, the Yearbook project is an encyclopedia of individual state reports, totaling more than 5,600 pages of analysis and recommendations in 51 separate reports."

Executive Summary: Key Findings
#8 State policies are not geared toward increasing the quality and quantity of math and science teachers.

While states have put in place many boutique initiatives to address these shortages, structural adjustments would provide greater yield.
By not focusing on the equitable distribution of teachers, states shortchange the neediest children of qualified math and science teachers. Only 12 states have made even some progress to achieve this goal.

Alternate route programs provide excellent means by which to recruit and prepare mid-career professionals with backgrounds in science and math. 32 states do not allow someone to demonstrate subject-matter knowledge by means of a test in lieu of their requirement of a major in the subject.

The harder it is for teachers to move between states, the harder it is for a qualified math and science teacher to find a new job. Yet 23 states attach lots of strings before issuing an equivalent license to a teacher moving from out of state. Even worse, a qualified math and science teacher trying to find a new job but who was prepared in an alternate route may be greeted with an unwelcome sign in 38 states.

Perhaps most key is the reality that there is such a shortage of math and science teachers because they can earn so much more money in other professions with these skills. 28 states support differential pay initiatives for teachers in shortage areas.