The Lieberman plan continues to expect that existing professional development programs will produce better-quality teachers, with an emphasis on professional development and National Board certification. However, there is no evidence so far that certified teachers or National Board certified teachers do better in the classroom. A better approach to boosting teacher quality would be to encourage states to give principals more freedom to hire applicants whom they deem qualified, and to measure success through student performance. They get so little field practice in college. Title I portability, and apply a modified Lieberman-Bayh plan to restructure the remaining components of ESEA to focus on results.
Education is a top priority for American families.
They deserve more than Congress and the administration have so far done for them this year. Nina Shokraii Rees is senior education policy analyst with The Heritage Foundation and a contributing editor to School Reform News .