Time for America to Test the Teacher!

Depending on the state, teacher policies for licensure can vary a great deal.

Missouri teachers, for example, are on probation for the first five years before they are allotted job security. In North Dakota, on the other hand, it is only 1 year.

Policies within the realm of education can also vary from school district to school district depending on several different factors. Some of these factors include socio-economic status and public funding.

The Federal mandate of the No Child Left Behind is currently being rewritten on Capitol Hill, much to the relief of teachers across the United States.

The current system involves a mix of broken and counterproductive policies that are in need of a lot of revamping, if not an overhaul.

The current system includes vast differences I how teachers are evaluated, prepared, licensed and compensated. Each of these factors can dramatically impact the quality of teachers and teaching in any given area.

The president of the National Council on Teacher Quality has reported that the variation in the policies across the nation makes little sense. She, however, unlike many national educators, is not pushing for national standards in the nation.

Teacher evaluations also vary dramatically across the nation. Annual reviews may not occur for up to five years in the states of Hawaii, Missouri and Tennessee. Many states require formal reviews of teachers on a yearly basis.

Only half the states currently require classroom observation to be part of the review. This is an unfortunate factor in many school districts. Without adequate observations and evaluations, teachers are not only allowed a little sliding room, they are not benefiting from constructive feedback. While reviews may require a little extra work for administrators and teachers, they are necessary in order to ensure the highest quality of education in any given district.

In class observations also allow teachers to gain valuable feedback for improvement as well.

The main reason reviews have a tendency to be less frequent is the fact that principals are too busy. In large schools, principals are at a disadvantage when it comes to making annual reviews.

Many teachers go through undergraduate education programs at colleges or universities.

Only nine states require elementary-school teachers to take an introductory American history class while in education school. These states include California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Texas and Washington.

The value of educating educators is often overlooked. Many educators are expected to be resourceful and dig for the knowledge they themselves do not possess, in order that they may properly educate their students. However, it is wise for states to hold high standards for their teachers, if in turn they are to hold high standards for the students themselves.

Many states are making it more difficult for people who did not graduate from education schools to become teachers. A large amount of coursework is generally required for those who did not graduate with an education degree in order to become teachers.

It is of course important, that teachers are not expected to jump through hoops for no real reason. Teachers should be expected to know the material they are teaching in depth, and if they do not, they should learn it.

In today's society with the grand wealth of educational resources and electronic resources, most teachers are quite capable of teaching themselves that which they do not know. It is also important for the school district to allow teachers the chance to learn in other ways.

For example, school districts should offer courses through local colleges and website for teachers to participate in. This way, teachers are continuing to improve themselves as well as their personal knowledge base. Teachers are also given the chance to expand their learning opportunities.