While this would not be good news for prospective teachers, it would fulfill the expectations of most Long Islanders who, despite some concerns over the inflexibility of the tenure system, believe that instructional quality will continue to improve in the long run. This was confirmed by Newsday's Future Poll, which asked respondents what they expect in terms of teacher quality in their neighborhood schools over the next 10 years. In interviews, respondents cited the impact of new state tests, now being used in both elementary and secondary schools. Many respondents think stepped-up testing will encourage schools to hire better teachers, while encouraging teachers to assign more rigorous work to their students. It seems like they're holding everybody to the same standards, said Larry Singh of Rocky Point, a chemist and parent of two.
Teachers know they have to prepare kids to pass state tests.
My sister has a child in kindergarten, and they're already doing more, said Catalina Huertas of Dix Hills, a cosmetics saleswoman and parent of three. Kindergarten teachers are not in short supply, however. Typically, a district will get swamped with hundreds of resumes whenever an elementary job opens up. In contrast, a district advertising for a teacher of, say, chemistry or Spanish may get barely a dozen applications. That creates unusually attractive choices for teachers in those fields.