Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:

Thank you for this opportunity to testify today on the importance of teaching. Improving the quality of instruction and, more specifically, putting a highly qualified teacher in every classroom, may well be the key to the success of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). That makes teaching a core concern for this Administration, as I know it is for the Chairman and members of this Committee.

The reason is simple. Research shows what most of us know from personal experience: a talented teacher has a tremendous impact on student achievement. In particular, we know that a combination of teaching experience and strong content knowledge are linked to gains in student achievement. Although we know it is important for teachers to have a solid grasp of the content they teach, out-of-field teaching remains a significant problem. Historically, qualified math and science teachers are more difficult to hire than English or social studies teachers, but out-of-field teaching is just as prevalent in English and social studies as it is in math and science classes. To illustrate this, one-fifth of 7th-12th graders in the United States will have an English teacher who does not have even a minor in the subject.

We also know that inexperienced or unqualified teachers tend to be concentrated in the high-poverty schools that face the greatest challenges in helping all students reach high State standards. And finally, we know that teaching is a tough job, because nearly one-quarter of all new teachers leave the profession during their first three years of service.

The requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act concerning highly qualified teachers were designed to address each of these issues in teaching. NCLB requires a highly qualified teacher in every classroom for core academic subjects, so that all kids have the opportunity to achieve at grade level. States must report on the percentage of classes not taught by highly qualified teachers, both overall and disaggregated by high-poverty and low-poverty schools, so that we know whether or not the students with the greatest needs are getting teachers who can meet those needs. And we believe that highly qualified teachers are likely to remain in the profession longer than those who are unprepared for the challenges of teaching.

No Child Left Behind requires that every public elementary and secondary school teacher of a core academic subject hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, obtain full State certification or licensure, and demonstrate subject matter competency in each of the academic subjects taught; however, States are provided the flexibility to develop procedures that conform to these three criteria.

Additionally, all new teachers hired to teach core academic subjects in Title I programs must meet these requirements now, and all other teachers of core subjects must be highly qualified by the end of the 2005-2006 school year.

Arizona is striving to meet these requirements. Your State Department of Education recently gave districts and schools guidance on the qualifications teachers need to have. They also have developed a HOUSSE, which is short for "high objective uniform State standard of evaluation," a procedure NCLB authorizes which allows veteran teachers to demonstrate that they know their subject matter without having to take a test or go back to school.

Last fall States submitted data for the first time on the numbers and percentages of their teachers who are highly qualified. As is often the case with something that is new, the data provided had a few holes. Some States made a good faith effort and submitted reasonably accurate information. Some States were still working on their definitions of highly qualified teachers, and their data reflected that uncertainty. And some States simply did not submit any data on highly qualified teachers, in part because of limitations in their current data-collection systems.

Nevertheless, on the whole the 2003 State data on highly qualified teachers suggest how far we have to go to comply with No Child Left Behind. Some States appear to be in good shape, with 90 percent or more of their teachers already highly qualified. Other States face a much bigger challenge, reporting less than half of their teachers meeting the highly qualified standard. Moreover, some of the States reporting high percentages of highly qualified teachers may not have been using a definition that meets statutory requirements.

I think it is important to recognize that last fall’s data served as a "wake-up" call for everyone involved, both at the State and local levels and here in Washington as well. There is a lot of work to be done over the next two years.

Secretary Rod Paige recognized the challenge every State would face in meeting these requirements. To assist States in their efforts, last summer he formed the Teacher Assistance Corps (TAC) to support State’s hard work in meet the highly qualified teacher requirements.

The Teacher Assistance Corps includes 45 teachers, former teachers, principals, superintendents, leaders from higher education, State officials, and national experts from around the country. Following training and assignment to teams that included U.S. Department staff, the Corps began visiting States in September 2003. During these "conversations without consequences," team members explained the highly qualified teacher requirements and answered policy questions. Just as important, the visits provided an opportunity to listen and learn with TAC teams hearing about innovative State and local professional development initiatives as well as unique local conditions affecting the recruitment and training of highly qualified teachers.

Teacher Assistance Corps teams have visited all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. They met with the Arizona Department of Education last November, answering questions and learning about how your State is working toward meeting the requirements. The Corps is available to provide additional assistance to Arizona through follow-up visits, conference calls, and regional and national meetings, if your State so desires.

A common set of concerns emerged from the Teacher Assistance Corps visits. For example, many rural districts must employ teachers who are assigned to teach multiple subjects, and thus face the challenge of meeting the highly qualified teacher requirements for each subject. Many middle school teachers have elementary or secondary certification, but lack specific middle school qualifications. And States continue to face shortages teachers of special education and in key subject areas like science.

To help States and school districts meet these and other challenges in complying with the highly qualified teacher requirements of No Child Left Behind, on March 15 the Secretary issued new guidance that both clarified existing flexibility and provided additional flexibility to meet these requirements.

One key change affects 100 districts in Arizona that are defined as small and rural under Title VI of No Child Left Behind. These districts will be allowed to provisionally employ middle or secondary school teachers to teach multiple subjects even if they do not meet all the criteria for a highly qualified teacher in each of the subjects they teach. Districts are eligible for this flexibility as long as they are providing intensive supervision and professional development that will enable these teachers to become highly qualified in the additional subjects over a three-year period.

The new flexibility also changed current Department guidance regarding qualifications for science teachers. Arizona now has the option of having science teachers demonstrate subject matter competence either in specific fields of science or in general science, depending on State certification or licensure requirements.

The Department also clarified that since States have the authority to define grade spans, they may determine the highly qualified teacher requirements that teachers must meet at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Other areas covered by the new guidance include the use of a High, Objective, Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE) for veteran teachers, requirements for special education teachers, and improved data collection and monitoring procedures.

This summer, the Department will follow up on the technical assistance provided through the Teacher Assistance Corps by monitoring State processes used to determine the highly qualified status of teachers. We also will look at how States are collecting data on teachers, how they are spending their Title II funds and provide technical assistance if needed. The 2005-2006 deadline is fast approaching, and the U.S. Department of Education is committed to monitoring every State prior to the deadline, to ensure States are meeting the highly qualified teacher requirements in the law.

In addition to the Teacher Assistance Corps and more flexible guidance, the Department is promoting two key principles to help States and school districts meet the highly qualified teacher requirements. First, we must raise academic standards for teachers. This is an explicit requirement of the law, which reflects research findings on the critical importance of subject matter knowledge for effective teaching. One way to raise standards is to improve traditional teacher preparation programs so that they serve as a more reliable source of highly qualified and well-prepared new teachers.

For example, the Arizona Department of Education is currently working with colleges and universities in the state to have uniform standards and increase the amount of time spent in the classroom by student teachers.

Second, we must lower the barriers that keep many talented people from entering the teaching profession. The law is silent on certification requirements, opening the door to new thinking at the State level about certification systems. In particular, Arizona can streamline the process and create alternative routes that will encourage talented, qualified individuals now in other careers or jobs to become teachers. Your State Board is currently considering adding a new route to certification that would allow individuals with a bachelor’s degree in a subject to bypass the education coursework, and participate in a three year induction/mentoring program.

Another example of innovative flexibility is the Adjunct Teacher Corps initiative included in the President’s 2005 budget request. This $40 million proposal would help create arrangements for utilizing well-qualified individuals from business, technology, industry, and other areas as teachers in secondary schools on an adjunct basis.

The President’s 2005 budget request, like his earlier budgets, would provide significant support for State and local efforts to ensure that all teachers are highly qualified by the end of the 2005-2006 school year.

The key Federal programs that provide flexible resources for teacher training are NCLB’s Title II Improving Teacher Quality State Grants and Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies program, along with the Higher Education Act’s Title II Teacher Quality Enhancement grants. Combined with smaller categorical programs that support professional development, along with benefits for individual teachers under Loan Forgiveness and tax provisions, the request would provide a total of more than $5 billion to help States and school districts improve the quality of their teaching forces.

As I said at the outset of my testimony, meeting the highly qualified teacher requirements of No Child Left Behind will be central to the success of the new law. I believe the law has already accomplished a great deal simply by focusing so much attention on the importance of putting a highly qualified teacher in every classroom. As is the case with implementing the rest of No Child Left Behind, the Department is working in partnership with Arizona—both through guidance and technical assistance and through significant financial support—to move from requirement to reality in ensuring that all teachers are highly qualified.

I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.