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.
Public attitudes are the ultimate barrier.
The public erroneously believes that teachers are only working when they are with students. This destroys professional development. In the long run, public attitudes may be the greatest barrier to restructuring schools to create ways for teachers to learn on the job. Most Americans believe that teachers are working only when they are with children, and many parents are resentful of efforts to free up time for teachers to meet. Focus groups conducted last year for the NEA by Public Agenda, a New York based research group, found that participants were unaware of the need for professional development for teachers.