Groups Sue Education Department Over Teacher Rules
Last week, Karl Rove suggested that Bush administration might flex executive muscle to change NCLB. Today, a coalition of California groups filed a lawsuit saying the administration hasn't been forceful enough in writing the law's highly qualified teacher rules. Read all about it here.
In the suit, Public Advocates asks a federal judge to enforce the law's requirement that teachers be fully certified under state law to be considered highly qualified. The department's rules allow states to declare teachers pursuing alternative certification as highly qualified, according to this statement from Jenny Pearlman, a staff attorney for Public Advocates.
The department's policy "creates a major loophole" that is an "evisceration of Congress’ 'highly qualified' standard," Ms Pearlman's statement says.
In two earlier lawsuits, the San Francisco-based Public Advocates succeeded in requiring California to increase the rigor of its definition of highly qualified teachers. It also was part of the legal team in the Williams case, a federal lawsuit that resulted in better textbooks and course offerings in some of California's most disadvantaged schools.
I've asked for a response from the Education Department and will post it when it arrives.
