Is The Tide Turning?

Today, Yahoo News published the results of a Gallup Poll which surveyed the public's attitudes toward the public schools, as well as President Barack Obama’s performance in relation to education reform. Check it out here:

7 of 10 Parents: I'd Like My Child To Become a Teacher


To be honest, I was surprised at the (generally) positive response to this poll. Judging from certain news sources–especially web sources that enable reader comments, like yahoo.com— many Americans feel very negatively, if not vehemently angry, about the current state of public education. As someone who has always been grateful for her overwhelmingly positive experience in a public high school, I could never understand these passionate feelings, but I am sure they must have their root in someplace very real to those who feel so cheated by public educational institutions.

The charter vs. traditional debate also continues to interest me. Certainly some middle ground could be found, yes? Could traditional public schools take some cues from successful charter schools without compromising their cultures too much? The salary of a traditional public school offers the type of security that many charter schools cannot offer, which might deter many progressive, but financially struggling, teachers from seeking employment in the charter model. Would it be possible, I wonder, to couple the progressive values and aggressive standards of charter schools with the financial and career security offered by the traditional model of public education?

Finally, I agree that there should be national standards for teacher certification. Teachers, like many other licensed professionals, must reapply for licensure in each state they intend to teach in. Though there is some degree of reciprocity, teachers must be willing to at least take an examination, such as the Praxis, in order to qualify for proper licensure. In some states this examination might be given infrequently (California) or the school boards might impose residency restrictions (New York), making relocating as an educator rather difficult. If the US adopted a nationwide standard for teacher certification—a sort of universal licensure— I believe that qualified teachers would be more confident in relocating, even potentially teaching in areas of higher need, if the transition was made easier. The need for discrete state licensure requirements seems bureaucratic to me; as with other professions, the need to retest and re-license highly qualified applicants in each state seems irrevocably intertwined with test-taking and licensure fees payable to that state’s government.