Boosting teacher quality must include peer assistance for new teachers, working with universities to improve teacher training, convincing state lawmakers to toughen teacher licensing standards and exploring innovative ways to recruit new teachers to deal with the influx of students into public schools. For more, check out AFT’s website on teacher quality.
For example, through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, instructors who master the content they are teaching and demonstrate superior teaching skills receive the board’s certification. “A good teacher has a better chance of producing good students,” says Sharon Draper, a board-certified teacher, former National Teacher of the Year and member of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers (CFT). The CFT bargained for a $1,000 salary increase and “lead teacher” status for those who pass the board’s exams. The union also helps train teachers who want to take the test.
