Which Way, L.A.?
One in Seven California Teachers Has No Credential
In the drive for school reform, student testing has received a lot of attention, with the aim of holding schools accountable when kids can't measure up. But California's aggressive, expensive reform of education may be floundering for lack of qualified teachers. Almost 15 percent of teachers statewide, 25 percent in Los Angeles, don't have credentials, and the kids who need good teachers most are the ones least likely to get them. We speak with the director of a recent study on the state's shortage of accredited teachers, and with a teacher who got her job without any training. We also talk to California's State Superintendent of Public Instruction and an LAUSD education official about the problem that may get much worse before it gets better.
By Warren Olney • • 1 min readIn the drive for school reform, student testing has received a lot of attention, with the aim of holding schools accountable when kids can't measure up. But California's aggressive, expensive reform of education may be floundering for lack of qualified teachers. Almost 15 percent of teachers statewide, 25 percent in Los Angeles, don't have credentials, and the kids who need good teachers most are the ones least likely to get them. We speak with the director of a recent study on the state's shortage of accredited teachers, and with a teacher who got her job without any training. We also talk to California's State Superintendent of Public Instruction and an LAUSD education official about the problem that may get much worse before it gets better.
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning
