The Teacher's Teachers Step Up Their Game

Texas has always been notorious for having inferior educational results in comparison to the other states in the U.S. The question of the matter is who does the responsibility belong to in regards to performance and results of the students? The teacher was the common misconception having been directly in charge of the children’s education. However, the responsibility is shared not only with the children’s instructors but the instructor’s instructor themselves.

A new rating system proposed through an authored bill has been procured to include the teacher programs ability for the graduates’ ability to produce results on the job. The consequence for having a large amount of “poor” graduates will lose their state accreditation.

The rigid bill includes several new qualifications for upcoming teachers starting in 2011-12. The amount of teachers that must pass the certification exam will be increased to 80 percent from 70. After the graduates pass the exam, the programs will also be graded on the frequency of follow-ups with the teachers during the first year after training.

The plan seems a bit severe and strict to me since the blame goes so far from where the real problem lies: the classroom. The state seems to just want somebody to blame instead of utilizing the legislature to progress educational standards. I agree that in a sense they are raising standards for the betterment of education but losing teachers along the way because the blame is placed on them alone. Many roles play in the educational career of children, not just the instruction or the instructors. Other standards must be taken into consideration such as parental supervision, environment at home and at school, availability of resources and supplies, along with the effectiveness of the instructor.

However, I’m glad to see that the state is taking strong and firm actions to increase the quality of education in Texas. The upgrade in standards has long been in need and the legislature has finally heeded the call. The stronger standards will no doubt increase the quality of the teachers and therefore the education of children.

Although, there is controversy which lies in the state to formulate a system that links the teachers’ ability to improve the students’ performance on tests towards the teacher’s supposedly improved training and teaching methods. This will prove quite difficult and will allow the teachers to counteract with a claim involving other factors such as the environment, parents, etc.

In the end, the state legislature wasn’t really only playing the blame game but instead shows true concern for the improvement in quality of Texas education and decided to take action. The bill will definitely require teaching programs to step up their game along with teachers hopefully creating a ripple effect of increased vitality towards the students. It’s great to know that Texas government is still alive and actually is still good for something.