The superintendent of the D.C. public school system spoke on campus this past week about intiatives aimed at improving education in a city with one of the worst school districts in the country.
The overarching goal of the plan is to put more qualified teachers into schools, as well as critiquing the teaching methods of current instructors to seach for ways to improve.
Under the No Child Left Behind legislation passed in 2001, schools must meet minimum standards or face a loss in funding. No Child also aims at having 100 percent student proficiency by 2014.
This is certainly a noble goal, but obviously one that will not be met. Schools in urban and low-income areas are chronically underfunded, and real change will not be seen until real money is invested.
We recommend that we start addressing teacher qualifications is in the education departments of colleges and universities. Too many students leave without the necessary skills in their areas, which does themselves and their pupils harm.
