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National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-RiskBackground | Who's Affected | Funding Opportunities | Flexibility
Background
A growing body of evidence shows that teacher quality directly affects student achievement.(1) In recognition of this, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) mandates all teachers in core academic areas (English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, history, civics and government, geography, economics, the arts, and foreign languages), regardless of grade level, be highly qualified by the end of the 2005–2006 school year.
To be considered highly qualified, teachers must possess the following three Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) requirements:
- A bachelor’s degree
- Full State certification or license
- Competency in each subject they teach
NCLB also requires States to measure the extent to which all students have highly qualified teachers, adopt goals and plans to ensure all teachers are highly qualified, and publicly report progress in meeting teacher quality goals. When Congress formed the teacher quality provisions of NCLB, it recognized that no teacher should be exempt—both new and experienced teachers must demonstrate that they are highly qualified.
(1) U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Deputy Secretary. (May 2004). No Child Left Behind: A Toolkit for Teachers. Retrieved on March 14, 2005, from http://www.ed.gov/teachers/nclbguide/nclb-teachers-toolkit.pdf.