By July 7, 2006, all states must submit "equity plans" to the U.S. Secretary of Education describing the specific steps the state will be taking to ensure that poor students and students of color are not being taught disproportionately by inexperienced, out-of-field or uncertified teachers.

Based on the findings of a new report by the Education Trust, Teacher Inequality: How Poor and Minority Students Are Shortchanged on Teacher Quality, these state plans are confronting a formidable challenge.  Corrective action is needed to remedy highly inequitable teacher distribution across the country.

The report discusses the distribution of teacher quality in the United States: students in the highest poverty schools are assigned to novice teachers almost twice as often as students in low-poverty schools; students in high-minority schools are assigned to novice teachers at twice the rate as students in schools without many minority students; and classes in high-poverty and high-minority secondary schools are more likely to be taught by "out-of-field" teachers.

The report specifically focuses on new research done on three states: Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin.  These findings mirror the national pattern with Illinois presenting some of the most extreme inequities.  Furthermore, the researchers were able to show that in Illinois there was a clear link between teacher quality and student achievement.

The report offers a series of recommendations and strategies for remedying this problem.

The report is available at: http://www2.edtrust.org/NR/rdonlyres/010DBD9F-CED8-4D2B-9E0D-91B446746ED3/0/TQReportJune2006.pdf

Published Thursday, Jun. 15, 2006