A newly released code of ethics for teachers could help provide some clarity across the mishmash of state rules.
The National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification last year convened a task force to draft the code, with support from the University of Phoenix, the Educational Testing Service, and the National Network of State Teachers of the Year.
Unlike with other professions, every single state has its own measures for teacher misconduct. The hope is that a common framework will serve as a basis for standards of conduct to be “consistently and similarly established, adopted, and enforced, and that professional educators can internalize regardless of where they practice.
