REPORT GIVES GEORGIA A GRADE OF 'C-' FOR POLICIES THAT IMPACT QUALITY OF TEACHERS

A new report by the not-for-profit, non-partisan National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) finds that Georgia teacher policies largely work against the nation's goal of improving teacher quality. While the national focus on teacher quality has never been greater, the broad range of state laws, rules and regulations that govern the teaching profession too often impede rather than promote serious reform.

NCTQ's 2009 State Teacher Policy Yearbook examined state policy across five areas that include teacher preparation, evaluation, tenure and dismissal, alternative certification and compensation. Georgia earned the following grades, resulting in an overall grade of C-:

• Delivering Well Prepared Teachers: C-
• Expanding the Teaching Pool: B-
• Identifying Effective New Teachers: D+
• Retaining Effective New Teachers: D
• Exiting Ineffective New Teachers: C

NCTQ President Kate Walsh said, "The release of the 2009 Yearbook comes at a particularly opportune time. Race to the Top, the $4.5 billion federal discretionary grant competition, has put unprecedented focus on education reform in general, and teacher quality in particular. We believe that the Yearbook provides a road map for achieving a Race to the Top grant, identifying where states are on the right track and where they have considerable work to do.

Walsh continued: “Unfortunately, states have tremendous ground to make up after years of policy neglect. There is more Georgia can do to ensure that all children have the effective teachers they deserve."

Among the findings about Georgia:

• Georgia's tenure policies do not consider what should count the most about teacher performance: classroom effectiveness. The state does not require that districts collect or consider evidence of teacher effectiveness as part of tenure decisions.

• Georgia does require annual evaluations for all teachers and requires objective measures of student learning in teacher evaluations. However, the state does not require this evidence to be the preponderant criterion.

• Georgia makes it too difficult for districts to attempt to dismiss poor performers by failing to articulate a policy for dismissing teachers for poor performance separate from dismissal policies for criminal and morality violations. It also appears that Georgia allows multiple appeals of dismissals.

• Georgia offers an alternative route that facilitates the entry of talented individuals into the teaching profession.

• Georgia ensures that middle school teachers are prepared to teach appropriate grade-level content.

• Georgia's requirements for the preparation of elementary teachers do not ensure that these teachers are well prepared to teach mathematics. While the state's policies do address the science of reading instruction, Georgia fails to ensure that its elementary teachers are well prepared to teach reading through an appropriate test.

• Georgia sets low expectations for what special education teachers should know, despite state and federal expectations that special education students should meet the same high standards as other students.

• Georgia's pay and benefit policies for teachers—including the state-run retirement system—offer inadequate incentives to stay in teaching.