Oh dear, seems a like a nerve has been hit and now we find out what happens when “John” and “Michele” attack! Hold me! First though, two corrections. First, Edu Commentary apologizes on the name misspelling, that’s fixed. And they are correct that states can incorporate NBPTS certification as part of their definition of what makes a teacher “highly qualified” under No Child Left Behind so there is a tangential connection with the law in yesterday’s post. That, of course, means it was 19 days, not 18 as Edu Commentary originally stated, before they stopped blogging about NCLB because today’s horrific attack surely can’t count under any reasonable definition!
In any event though they inadvertently make Edu Commentary’s underlying point about the NCLB rub because the provisions by which NBPTS teachers can meet the highly qualified definition are some of the weakest in the law (pdf) — that’s not an indictment of NBPTS, by the way, it’s just that the loopholes in the provisions for veteran teachers are 18-wheeler sized and allow for much less demanding routes to also qualify– and show how hard it is to actually have accountability here. According to the National Council On Teacher Quality*, “where veteran teachers are concerned the law [NCLB] is doomed to disappoint, save in a minority of states.” (*Disc. I’m on the Board).
Afterthought: “John” also maligns Mr. Sun! Edu Commentary asks you: In this troubled world of ours, isn’t anything sacred?