Educators form stiff opposition to teacher licensing changes

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Tony Bennett wants changes in the way teachers are trained and certified. His proposals are meeting stiff opposition.

Public hearings have been held in Rochester and Scottsburg, Indiana. The third and final public hearing was held Monday in Indianapolis.

The hearing was supposed to be from 10 a.m. until noon. Instead, it ended at 4:00 p.m. because there were so many educators and administrators who wanted to speak. The vast majority are ardently opposed to the changes.

In analyzing the changes, education leaders are considering the question, "What does it take to become a good teacher?"

For example, should a geometry teacher's training emphasize a mastery of mathematic principles? Or, should his training teach him how to teach, making hours of classroom experience a requirement for certification.

University education leaders say a good teacher must have both a mastery of the subject he's teaching and knowledge of children and how they learn.

That's why university education leaders, those who teach teachers how to teach, say they oppose Dr. Tony Bennett's Proposed Rule Revisions for Educator Preparation and Accountability or REPA. Educators argue the proposed rules will erode the quality of preparation of teachers and administrators.

"Anyone can be a principal without any educational requirements," said Deb Lecklider, Associate Dean of Butler's College of Education.

Opponents argue the revisions greatly reduce the hours needed in education courses and classroom experience. The proposal encourages people from other fields, like business leaders, to become school administrators by granting temporary licenses to those with no education training.

"I think we need to consider the business community and what they have done to the United States of America and where we are with regards to that now and ask ourselves the question, 'Do we really want to turn our children over to these people?'," asked Elise Matthews of the Anderson Community School Corporation.

Matthews' comments were met with thunderous applause at Monday's meeting.

Then, a dramatic moment came late morning.

"We are delivering, as a part of public comment to REPA, 2,480 petitions," announced Jill Shedd of the Indiana Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

At that point, a half dozen educators carried every petition to the front of the room and stacked them on a table in a dramatic show of what they said is public opposition to the proposals, giving Indiana Department of Education leaders plenty of reading to do.

Because opponents of the proposed changes have been so vocal, the Department of Education has a section dedicated to explaining the changes and addressing concerns.

Four State Department of Education employees listened to the public comment and will report to the DOE advisory board, a group of 19, all appointed by Governor Daniels. The board has split into five subcommittees to consider various sections of REPA.

On November 18, the group will meet to consider revisions. They will then submit any revised changes to the state attorney general, the governor and the legislative services agency. The new rules would then go into effect July 31, 2010.