‘Some districts require’ their teachers to be “Highly Qualified” (HQT), and individual states have specific descriptions of what a teacher must do to become an HQT. Urban, hard to teach districts are suppose to employ only Highly Qualified teachers and if a teacher is not Highly Qualified, parents and students are supposed to be notified. Should you take the steps to become Highly Qualified? Consider the new legislation before you make your decision. On January 23, 2011 Valerie Strauss, for The Washington Post, wrote, “So they’ve gone ahead and done it. U.S. legislators passed legislation that includes people in teacher training programs as “highly qualified” teachers.” “Opponents of this definition of “highly qualified” note that these non-certified teachers are concentrated in high-poverty schools, serving children who actually need … Read entire article »