DoE: Dave on ED

McCain Backs ABCTE, Focuses on Teacher Recruitment in Education Platform

wschimmel — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:47:52 +0000

Great news for ABCTE today. Here is our press release. I will include a link to the full text to the speech as soon as it is available.

UPDATE: Full text of the speech from McCain's web site.

Technology in the Classroom

Dave Saba — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:13:06 +0000

I am rapidly becoming a tweenteacher reader based on excellent blogs like this one on technology in the classroom (the graphic is worth the look). It still seems pathetic that education is the one area that has not benefited from technology. In any other industry, when there is shortage of a critical resource (i.e. great teachers), technology creates efficiencies that allow us to fully leverage that resource.

Math and Science Problems Continued

Dave Saba — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 05:55:50 +0000

Great article about the shortage of math and science teachers even affecting suburban schools now. These are schools that normally have a waiting list for jobs and now they can't find math and science teachers. Why is that?

Education Studies Show Nothing but High Price Tags

Dave Saba — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:03:37 +0000

Two articles this week on education research with no real winner or loser in either. Shocking. The first is the result of an exhaustive study of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Ed Week says that the results show that “National Board Teachers found to be Effective”. Wow. Not exactly a resounding victory.

Teacher testing is necessary

Dave Saba — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:01:57 +0000

If you have not seen Flypaper over at Fordham – they have a lot of posts on their blog. They had a recent post about a study that will appear soon that says that teacher testing deters good people from becoming teachers. I posted the following response on their blog:

Best restaurants in state capitals

Dave Saba — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:38:10 +0000

I have a second blog. It has the same content with one exception - the other blog has my running tally of the best restaurants in state capitals. I have now been to 28 different state capitals in the last 2 ½ years and had some pretty great food. I highly recommend Leo’s BBQ in Oklahoma City if you are ever there and save room for the amazing cake at the end. So enjoy this list and provide comments if you wish.

Transforming Schools

Dave Saba — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 02:44:29 +0000

Education next has a great article on transforming schools. The authors describe the current systems in historical context as organizations invest in innovation/technology and see no return on that investment. Schools everywhere are experiencing this and it is because we are trying to “cram innovation into the existing operating model” which never results in improvements.

Ed Schools at the abyss

Dave Saba — Thu, 29 May 2008 03:57:54 +0000

Not so shocking revelation from the Cleveland Plain Dealer on colleges of education. To me, it is amazing that this issue has not outraged more parents and students. (Note that there are always exceptions and there are many schools working to improve and all people who generalize are jerks). We do not have a lot of exceptional Education schools in the US and we cannot have a world class teaching workforce if we aren’t more selective of who gets in the classroom.

Alternative certification and mentoring

Dave Saba — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:02:23 +0000

I received a great comment from tweenteacher on my recent post on alternative certification. She makes a very strong point about the quality of the courses at her Ed school and the fact that her on the job training is what really helped her succeed. During legislative committee hearings this year, I also heard that some of the courses teachers are forced to take have no value.

Missouri Legislative Session Ends

Dave Saba — Thu, 22 May 2008 05:53:40 +0000

The Missouri Legislative session ended last Friday. It was not a great session. Only 147 bills passed out of 1,954 filed. That means they only passed 7.5% of the bills that were filed and the ABCTE bill was one of them. Pretty amazing and our thanks goes out to the Missouri Chamber, some outstanding legislators plus Kent Gaines and Nikki Strong who helped us get this done.

Alternative Teacher Certification

Dave Saba — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:59:52 +0000

There is a great report on alternative teacher certification from the Center for American Progress. They get many things right in this article and are pushing lawmakers/decision-makres to think outside the university in order to get the numbers of teachers we need in this country.

The Downward Spiral

Dave Saba — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:08:07 +0000

Joanne Jacobs has an excellent post on the academic issues with college students and college graduates. I wholeheartedly agree with many of the viewpoints listed and it is well worth your time to read. At ABCTE, we continue to see this problem first hand.

MO does equal momentum

Dave Saba — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:04:34 +0000

First Missouri and now Utah. When people honestly look at what is best for students and not just consider the politics, things can actually get done in education. In 2004, Utah accepted ABCTE’s math certification as a pilot program. Friday, after seeing the quality of the teachers who complete our program and an exhaustive look at our exams, the Utah State Department of Education recommended that the Utah State School Board accept all the ABCTE certifications. And the School Board did just that.

Thank you Governor Blunt!

Dave Saba — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:01:40 +0000

I first went to Missouri two and a half years ago and knew nothing about the legislative process. I learned the hard way. We didn’t even get our bill out of committee that year. But last Thursday, I was standing next to Governor Matt Blunt as he signed the first bill of this legislative session; a bill to allow ABCTE. This was a hard fought victory to help school districts with their teacher shortages. Once the politics are done, the real work takes over.

The irony of high teaching standards

Dave Saba — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:48:19 +0000

I had an interesting day in Richmond speaking with education leaders from all over the state. I keep hearing from all around the country that no one can find high school teachers and this was certainly evident in Virginia. It is rapidly reaching crisis level. The irony is that states claim that they don’t want to lower standards and try other alternative ways to recruit, prepare and certify teachers while districts continue to just ignore the current standards to fill critical positions any way they can.

BIG MO!

Dave Saba — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:07:41 +0000

MO – it stands for Missouri and momentum. We got a little of both yesterday when the Missouri State House voted final approval of Senate Bill 1066 without any new amendments. This means it goes on to the Governor who has shown he is in favor of the bill. This will allow ABCTE to recruit, prepare and certify new teachers for Missouri schools.

It's Limbo Time!

Dave Saba — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:03:19 +0000

Where are the teacher unions in Massachusetts? As defenders of the profession, they should be outraged by a bill that will lower the standard for getting into the profession. McKinsey tells us from their research that selectivity is how the best performing schools in the world build a world class teaching force. Massachusetts is going to keep the bar high to get into teaching unless you can't reach the bar.

Drill and kill

Dave Saba — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:28:03 +0000

Both of my daughters completed their middle schooling in Virginia. We moved to Loudoun County because they have great schools and I endure the long commute to ensure they had the very best.

Wanted: Improved Reading Scores

Dave Saba — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:51:10 +0000

We need a school that wants to improve their reading scores. We have a reading certificate program for teachers based on the recommendations from the National Reading Panel. The program has a CD ROM and workbook for teachers to complete and then a rigorous certification exam. The program covers phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, text comprehension and differentiated instruction.

Career switching will get worse

Dave Saba — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:00:21 +0000

When people try to claim that the teacher shortage we face is a retention problem, I laugh. Don’t get me wrong – I would love to see better working conditions and even higher salaries for teachers. But that will not come close to fixing the problem.

We no longer live in a society where someone works in one job, let alone one career, for life. Based on my daughter’s college friends, it is not going to get any better.

Starfish, change and data

Dave Saba — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:17:48 +0000

This one is a little sappy but quite applicable to education. I was speaking with Dr. Nixon in Tennessee and he has all these starfish in his office. So I asked him if he likes the beach. He said no and that he had them in his office to remind him of The Star Thrower Story which can be found at: http://www.starthrower.com/star_thrower_story_script.htm

The Battle Rages On

Dave Saba — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:40:27 +0000

Interesting discussion in Education Next on Teach for America. I am amazed that after 19 years there is still discussion on whether it is good for schools. Somehow the education establishment, in this case appropriately represented by Art Wise, always wants the change agent to show why the program is good.

Prediction: another panel report that leads to no changes in education

Dave Saba — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:02:48 +0000

I should probably be happy with the National Mathematics Advisory Panel’s recommendations because of the far reaching implications that could lead to incredible leaps in math expertise in our youth with the United States regaining the title of world leader.

But I am not.

Teach & Inspire

Dave Saba — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:38:55 +0000

Recruiting teachers is not an easy task as any principal can tell you. But there are a lot of people out there that want to teach. In April 2007, the Tarrance Group conducted a survey of Florida residents and found that 28% wanted to teach at some point in their lives.

Is there only one right way in education?

Dave Saba — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:25:19 +0000

The last few months we have been working in Utah to help them develop a way to recognize great teachers. Some of their more forward thinking legislators put forth a modest bill to provide $275,000 to teachers who complete our Distinguished Teacher program. That program recognizes teachers based on student achievement through value add analysis (40%), live observation (30%), subject matter mastery (15%) and principal evaluation (15%).

Carnival of March Ed Madness is UP!!

Dave Saba — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:25:59 +0000

http://learnmegood2.blogspot.com/

Management by Fad

Dave Saba — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:16:09 +0000

When United States manufacturing companies were getting their collective butts kicked by Japan in the late 70’s early 80’s, they started grasping for straws. They would try anything new to get their edge back and the string of different techniques they tried became known as management by fad. Many of these fads were actually sound ideas. However, when companies went to implement the latest fad, they neglected to properly train staff which created lousy execution.

Selectivity

Dave Saba — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:49:18 +0000

I find the McKinsey & Company analysis of the world’s best performing school systems fascinating. This analysis and comparison should create some amazing actions to help improve education in the United States. Unfortunately education is not about analysis, it is about politics.

Their number one recommendation is that we need to develop a world-class teaching work force if our schools are ever to regain their rightful place as the best in the world.

Been a little busy lately

Dave Saba — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:31:17 +0000

It has been a while since I blogged - but it turns out that many states are looking for the solutions we offer.

In Missouri, the Senate passed a bill allowing ABCTE to recruit, prepare and certify teachers. A lot of press on this since one senator attempted to filibuster the bill that ultimately passed 25 to 5. It is now on to the Missouri House.

Updates from the university world

Dave Saba — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:51:35 +0000

Two significant updates from the college world this week. I have a daughter at Radford University in Virginia and one who is a junior in high school.

Education moving forward

Dave Saba — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:43:10 +0000

Today I had the pleasure of attending the US DOE working group on school leadership looking to exchange ideas on teacher recruitment, retention and leadership in general. A number of points from this outstanding discussion:

Great Teaching Defined

Dave Saba — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:47:02 +0000

How do you identify a great teacher? It is a question that seems to always bring out political ramifications mixed with research questions. But today I heard an interview of Richard Ognibene who is the teacher of the year for New York. His thoughts are so inspiring and his advice absolutely the best. If we had 3.3 million clones of Richard teaching in our schools, we would have the absolute best educational system in the world.

Subsitutes getting a longer term

Dave Saba — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:14:37 +0000

The use of long term substitutes as a story is getting legs. As school districts continue to experience severe shortages, the practice of using substitutes to fill positions grows. And the students suffer. The US DOE says that we now have double the number of long term subs in the classroom since 1994 and that over 20% of schools now use long term subs every year.

Budget cuts = creative solutions

Dave Saba — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:26:15 +0000

District Superintendents are running a huge business. It is fascinating to watch Fairfax County Superintendent Jack Dale. He is basically running a $2.3 billion company. Most CEO’s with vast business experience don’t have a $2.3B budget and haven't yet had to make drastic cuts in a budget that large.

A GREAT week for education improvement

Dave Saba — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 19:32:36 +0000

The "good weeks" in education improvement really keep you going. This week was certainly one of those weeks here. We had our 750th certification!! She is a health care professional from North Carolina who is moving to South Carolina to teach science. See what happens when you have the right program to attract career changers NC – you get the teachers you need!! (or if you don't, you lose a great science teacher)

Senator Kennedy on NCLB

Dave Saba — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:10:17 +0000

Senator Kennedy has an op-ed in the Washington Post today to mark the anniversary of No Child Left Behind. It is a valiant effort to ensure that even with everyone focused on presidential politics, we don’t leave the legislation behind. I think it is a futile effort.

Charter School Staffing: help is on the way

Dave Saba — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 17:52:03 +0000

The Issue:

Teachers have the greatest influence on student achievement
There are not enough great teachers
School districts have TFA and TNTP to help them
Charter schools need to start demonstrating that they are really increasing student achievement
Charter schools are not getting the staffing they need

The Solution:

Hold ABCTE recruitment events just for Charter and Private Schools

2008: Education Changes Ahead

Dave Saba — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:41:37 +0000

My safe prediction for 2008 is that it will be a wild year for education. It is a safe prediction because more people are getting involved, more people are becoming disillusioned, more state legislators are finding their voice and there is so much more data available to help drive change. Our schedules for January are pretty busy - so we know we will be helping drive more change.

For the new year, I resolve to blog a minimum of twice per week. There are so many more issues out there and so much to think about and I have no excuse not to.

Math Problems

Dave Saba — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 19:40:13 +0000

The question that I sometimes ponder is how our deteriorating national rank in math and science will manifest itself in everyday life. What effect will this have on the economy here in the U.S. and in the rest of the world?

The Business of Education

Dave Saba — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:22:04 +0000

A few weeks ago, AEI held their annual education entrepreneurship presentation where they have the usual suspects (TFA, KIPP, TNTP, Edison, New Leaders etc – it seems they are required for every education panel) present and talk about how difficult it is for entrepreneurs in education. Attending this annual event, you would feel that these are the only companies working in education and that there is no hope for business in education.

Clock Officially Cleaned

Dave Saba — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:38:46 +0000

A stunning day today. In DC, pretty much on any given day, there is a panel discussion about some study with the usual suspects doing the discussing with alarming regularity. The results of the myriad of panel discussions is not startling and usually have enough error that both sides can still argue their case. And the day after these weekly panel discussions - nothing ever really happens. You could seriously get discussion panel poisoning in this city.

Science Bonanza

Dave Saba — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:06:33 +0000

Not here. A recent study in the Bay Area confirmed what most people know: elementary students are not getting the science basics they need. Forget high school reform - if you don't develop a love of math and science early in life, you are not going to suddenly find it in high school. From the study:

Carnival of Education is UP!

Dave Saba — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:40:57 +0000

The Carnival of Education is up - - very different and interesting format!

Enjoy!!

Math: there is no substitute

Dave Saba — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 14:58:41 +0000

Schools continue to use long term substitutes as a way to mask the critical issue of a shortage of highly qualified teachers - especially in math and science. The latest is from Michigan which hired 20 long term subs even as they close schools and teachers graduating from schools of ed are leaving to find jobs in other states.

This quote from Dominque, the student representative on the school board in Flint Michigan, highlights the issue:

Ugly

Dave Saba — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:22:12 +0000

Ugly. I have two daughters and if they had a teacher that had made suggestive comments towards them - and he didn't get fired and didn't lose his license and went on to teach somewhere else, I would be outraged.

That is what happened in Houston and a reporter there called to ask me what I thought.

Distinguished Teachers

Dave Saba — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:47:51 +0000

Here is an outstanding paper about pay for performance written by Joan Baratz-Snowden, formerly of AFT, who now sits on our board of directors. She clearly states the issues with current pay programs for teachers in saying; "it has not produced competitive salaries in the current job market, it does not respond to market forces, and the evidence linking teacher education and experience to improved student performance is weak."

Reg, that is just OFFENSIVE

Dave Saba — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:55:51 +0000

I cannot believe that any professional, yet alone an education professional, would say what Reg Weaver said in Oklahoma. It is truly offensive - and I am not talking about the thinly veiled reference to ABCTE.

As for the ABCTE part, how about examining the research, instead of just criticizing something new, for a change Reg.

To Persevere

Dave Saba — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 23:16:21 +0000

Today, after 43 years of being beaten by Notre Dame, Navy won in triple overtime. As a Naval Academy graduate, I cannot tell you how good it feels to end this streak. It was truly inspiring to watch guys who weigh half of their opponents, try on every play and never, ever give up. They are not playing for a future NFL spot; they are playing for their team and for their school. By June, many will be stationed in Iraq. But today, they battled hard and won.

It was amazing and I am more inspired then I have ever been in my professional career.

Challenging Teaching

Dave Saba — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 20:34:49 +0000

Outstanding look at classroom management over at the New Teacher Hotline. Also a really good snapshot of what teachers have to go through in the classroom today. Any letter that ends in "God please let him be absent today" pretty much sums it up.

Only the best need apply.

Dave Saba — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 16:36:40 +0000

The Economist article on successful schools is certainly eye-opening. There is always a danger in extrapolating data – but there are some solid lessons that McKinsey has developed from their research. First – we must be more selective in getting teachers and we must provide more ongoing training and collaboration for them when they get into the classroom.

Carnival of Education is UP!

Dave Saba — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 12:39:30 +0000

Over at History is Elementary you can get the latest on education blogging!

The Shallow Pool

Dave Saba — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:03:26 +0000

When the pool gets shallow, you are going to end up with some of the sludge.

Teaching: eating their young

Dave Saba — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:03:13 +0000

Great post over at Joanne Jacob's site on some TFA teachers struggling to survive. As is usually the case, people find their political point in the article and in the comments use that point to push their case instead of looking at the big picture presented.

Here are the key points as I see it:

Belaboring the numbers

Dave Saba — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 19:05:36 +0000

Let's do the math. Great chart up at the Department of Labor on back to school statistics

Talent Competition

Dave Saba — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 14:24:43 +0000

There is a limited pool of talent in the United States. In an expanding economy, recruiters are competing with each other for that talent. In most companies, these recruiters are savvy, experienced talent scouts who are trained for this role and know the tools that help them succeed. They have only one role - recruit the best possible talent for the company.

Evolution of Teaching Knowledge

Dave Saba — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:39:02 +0000

Top secret test development stuff revealed: we are at the 5 year point in the life of our professional teaching knowledge examination. Therefore it is time to reassess the assessment and make sure it covers the material teachers need to know in order to succeed. We assembled our panels of experts and have had a series of meetings over the last 6-9 months and some great work has come from those meetings.

We will be adding more depth and questions to the exam to create requirements on special education, English language learners and gifted & talented students.

Disconnected

Dave Saba — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:09:11 +0000

We are from Washington and we are here to help - that line always gets a chuckle out in the various state leaders I visit. The chuckle comes from a belief that people in Washington couldn't possibly know what is needed in their state.

The Fox Guarding the Hen House

Dave Saba — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 14:04:26 +0000

Yesterday in Nevada, I again was subjected to the harsh conflict of interest that exists in Teacher Certification. Many states, like Nevada, have professional standards boards to approve changes to teacher certification that are made up of - SURPRISE - Ed School Deans and professors!! Woohoo. Now, normally they try to take the high ground and not appear blatant about protecting their monopoly - but yesterday was an extreme exception.

Exponential change vs Glacial Change

Dave Saba — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 18:37:15 +0000

If you have not watched this yet, you need to.

Alternative Certification Isn't

Dave Saba — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 14:09:31 +0000

Obviously, we are thrilled with the recent study by Fordham and NCTQ revealing that Alternative Certification in the US really isn't. I remember back a few years when I briefly thought about going to law school and looked into a couple of night schools. I found out that they basically consisted of the day time program crammed into the night - it wasn't spread out or really designed for busy professionals to complete their course work.

Subject Matter Matters

Dave Saba — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:40:54 +0000

I have been in 4 different states meeting with 4 different state education chiefs and all of them expressed the same concern - there is a serious lack of subject matter knowledge in their math teachers. Therefore, it was with great pleasure that I read the Title II draft and saw the emphasis on STEM professional development for teachers. It is with great sadness that I read that all the money had to go to institutions of higher ed (hopefully this will change).

Gen X and Gen Y: any teachers there?

Dave Saba — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 15:27:08 +0000

Education loves to ignore societal trends - going through time as if nothing could alter the current operation. Finding talent is one such blind spot. In the past, "Education" always found the talent they needed so they ignored the incredible societal shift going on around them. The current teacher preparation, recruitment and certification system is great for finding and keeping baby boomers. But that no longer represents the current reality.

Title II - No Competition = No Innovation

Dave Saba — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 18:57:20 +0000

Here is our response to Title II - the bottom line is that it forces states and districts to partner with higher ed and national board which will limit competition and innovation.

Dear Chairman Miller, Rep. McKeon, Chairman Kildee, and Rep. Castle:

On behalf of the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE), I am writing to provide comments on the Title II Discussion Draft of your No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Reauthorization legislation.

Tier Twos Try Harder

Dave Saba — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 16:51:24 +0000

We dropped our oldest daughter at Radford University for her first year and it really is quite impressive how things have changed. Part of this is due to the fact that someone at Radford mistakenly received training in customer service. Gone are the - "look left and look right because only one of you will be here". It has been replaced by bragging about freshman retention rates, graduate in four years rates and all the things other education pundits are pushing for in the US News rankings.

Teachers Lawyers Doctors

Dave Saba — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 19:29:47 +0000

The next few blogs will be about solutions to teacher shortages. Many of the opponents to alternative teacher certification like to play the doctor/lawyer/nurse card when defending the current system of preparing and certifying teachers. They say that you would never allow lawyers or doctors to come into the profession through an alternative certification.

More Students & Less Teachers

Dave Saba — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 13:19:36 +0000

NCES statistics have been updated and the big story that everyone is covering is the dramatic increase in students - over 1 million new students reporting to schools. And on the teaching front there is barely a sound. Based on an average class size of 20, we would need 50,000 new teachers to handle this new work load and that is only to cover the new students - it doesn't even address the issue of teacher retirements and teachers changing careers.

Prognostication - Extreme belt tightening ahead

Dave Saba — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 18:15:32 +0000

State and local budgets are going to get very tight for at least the next two years. You can already see it happening in Michigan, Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, Maryland, Nevada and many others. From NCES data for 2005, $214 billion came from local and $228 billion came from state coffers for education with only $45 billion from the Feds.

DC Public Schools - Anecdotal Positives

Dave Saba — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 16:51:49 +0000

The absolute most effective way to positively impact education is to actually do something in a school - not write about, not attend the countless briefings by the same 5-6 education experts in DC every week - but actually go to a school and help. And so it was with great excitement that I woke my family up at 6:30 am on Saturday to trek in from the suburbs to meet up with a half dozen other ABCTE'rs and help Michelle Rhee and the DC Public Schools on school beautification day.

Start STEM Sooner

Dave Saba — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:52:14 +0000

Where do young students first experience passion for math and/or science? It starts from having a great experience in math and science in the early grades. If you have that great elementary teacher who has a passion for math and science, they will pass that on to our young students and ensure they become so proficient that they will actually like math and science in secondary school.

Standard standards anyone?

Dave Saba — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:50:53 +0000

We are talking with many states right now and one of the big questions we get concerns teaching standards. Do the ABCTE preparation and testing standards align with the state standards? So, we hire an independent firm to go line by line between our standards and the state standards to ensure that they are properly aligned.

History vs Social Studies: we lose

Dave Saba — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:49:18 +0000

Two years ago, our test development team began the lengthy process of creating our history exams. Our quest started in a time that now seems like a totally different world. It was a time when the Highly Qualified Teacher aspect of No Child Left Behind had yet to be neutered and (to properly mix metaphors) still had potentially scary teeth. So we listened and were told by “experts” and DC thinkers that “social studies” would not be tolerated. In order to be highly qualified, you needed to be an expert in your subject and therefore we should create separate certifications for U.S.

I guess irony can be pretty ironic

Dave Saba — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:47:58 +0000

We had the ABCTE South Carolina launch last week with full press coverage and teacher recruitment events in Charleston, Greenville and Columbia. We had over 1,000 people request information from South Carolina – that is a pretty large group wanting to become teachers PLUS over 300 people attended the events and so far 40 have enrolled! Not a bad start and the Governor is doing a signing ceremony with me next week.

Is there a problem?

Dave Saba — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:42:43 +0000

Gone are the days of political rhetoric at ABCTE. We exist for one reason – to help states recruit, certify and retain quality teachers. Much has changed here and those changes are radically altering the way we are perceived. Bottom line from NCES numbers on degrees issued: