NCLB Rules on ‘Quality’ Fall Short

Teacher mandate even disappoints supporters.

The end of the school year marks a deadline for states to meet a federal requirement that most teachers be “highly qualified.” But the cutoff holds little threat these days. And even one-time proponents of the provision are conceding their disappointment in its reach and are fixing their sights on new ways to raise teacher quality.

Advocates vary in how they suggest the teacher-quality mandate of the No Child Left Behind Act has fallen short. On the whole, it hasn’t prompted states to set higher and more sensible requirements with their licensing systems, some say.

It hasn’t helped schools get rid of veteran teachers who haven’t mastered the content they teach, others contend, because states were allowed to set lax standards for teachers on the job...