(AP Photo/David Guttenfelder) AP Photo/David GuttenfelderNearly half of the nation's middle and high...

1. Teachers Could Be Better Qualified
(AP Photo/David Guttenfelder) AP Photo/David Guttenfelder
Nearly half of the nation's middle and high school teachers were not highly qualified to teach their
topics in 2000, a report to Congress says.
Federal law defines highly qualified teachers as those who hold a bachelor's degree from a four-year
college, have state certification and demonstrate competence in the subject they teach.
The 2002 law requires that by the school year beginning in 2005, there must be highly qualified
teachers in every class for core subjects, including English, math, science and history.
Meeting that deadline is "going to be challenging. Other figures ranged from 47 percent for math
teachers to 55 percent for science and social studies teachers.
Paige said his department will develop a "tool kit" of information to clarify what's required under No
Child Left Behind, the reform of elementary and secondary education that President Bush signed in
2002.
He said teams of educators and researchers also will visit states and provide help as requested by
local officials.
The law aims to raise the academic standards of teachers - newcomers and veterans - and to make it
easier for people with expertise in given fields to become teachers.
Making sure the teacher-quality changes work is the next big push for federal education officials.
Carousel - A U.S. flag flies half-mast, in honor of the 13 dead and 30 wounded in the shooting
rampage at Fort Hood Army post in central Texas, at an outpost for soldiers from the 2nd Battalion,
12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division in the Pech Valley of
Afghanistan's Kunar province Saturday, Nov. He said his agency would try to reach out to the NEA,
and that he believed the union's position would change over time.
"Are we going to be deterred because they're making noise like that?" Paige said. At a briefing, they
defended the 18-month-old law, sensitive to claims that schools face unrealistic demands and good
teachers will be forced out.
The country's largest teachers union, the National Education Association, plans to sue over the law.
7, 2009. "But it's necessary, and it's going to be done."
Department officials used the federal definition as a guide in their report to assess teacher
qualifications from the 1999-2000 school year.
Only 54 percent of secondary teachers were highly qualified, the report said. "You can believe that
we are not."

2. By Ben Feller
© 2003 The Associated Press. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
. The union claims the federal government broke a
promise to states that they won't have to pay for any
required changes, such as expanded student testing.
Paige told reporters that the law is sufficiently paid for,
and that the union view does not reflect those of many teachers. It's going to be tough," Education
Secretary Rod Paige said Tuesday. All Rights Reserved