The Disproportionate assignment of new and unqualified teachers to poor and minority students is well documented, both in California and in other states. This year, the federal government has taken action to hold states accountable for eliminating this practice, by finally implementing the teacher equity requirements of the 2001 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. This brief report includes a history of an update on California’s response to NCLB’s equity requirements, an analysis of the state’s most recent plan for insuring an equitable distribution of teachers, and raises a series of critical questions about the state’s plan and its overall approach to addressing the teacher quality gap.
Published: November 1, 2006