Pay particular attention to the citation format. Quality education when denied to individual citizens denies a better future to our nation as a whole. In fact, teacher expertise is an essential component of quality education, and without expert teachers, all educational reforms will fail. Schools are only as good as their teachers, regardless of how high their standards, how up to date their technology, or how innovative their programs. The status quo undermines quality education.
Many Teachers are Uncertified.
A shocking percentage of American teachers are not certified to teach, or are unqualified to teach in the subject areas to which they are assigned. In recent years, more than 50,000 teachers who lack the training required for their jobs have entered teaching annually on emergency or sub-standard licenses. Experienced teachers are given little support to keep up with the demands placed on them, and are not provided with time or money for professional development. Across schools, opportunities for teacher professional development were dependent on patterns of resource allocation, especially time and money. Teachers constantly faced the opportunity costs of addressing one learning need at the expense of another.