“The intention of teacher quality requirements in NCLB is good, but it is not enough,” says Dr. Motoko Akiba, an assistant professor in educational leadership and policy analysis at the University of Missouri-Columbia. “There is a gap in learning opportunities for teachers. In order to close the opportunity gap in the United States, teachers should have equal opportunities to learn and to expand their knowledge in their field.”
Approximately 67 percent of students with a high socioeconomic status are taught by “highly qualified teachers,” defined as fully certified, having a degree in math or math education and demonstrating competence in subject knowledge and teaching. These “highly qualified teachers” also have at least three years of teaching experience. On the other hand, 53 percent of low-income students have highly qualified teachers. This opportunity gap of 14 percent is larger than the international average of 2.5 percent.
Akiba suggests that the opportunity gap more than likely originates from funding inequities between districts and schools under the decentralized U.S. educational system, which draws school funding from local property taxes.
Schools in poor and minority neighborhoods also experience far more instability in the teacher workforce. High poverty districts typically have no choice but to hire underqualified teachers because of high turnover and difficult working conditions. Inequities in access to qualified teachers are likely to play a significant role in the long-lasting achievement gap.
--Michelle J. Nealy
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