To: Governor Gavin Newsom
Gov Brown: Keep teaching standards high
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing voted on June 19th to lower standards for teaching core academic subjects by eliminating five key requirements, including the Bachelor's degree.
Why is this important?
Teachers teaching core subjects should be required to have Bachelor's degrees. As a parent of a child in California public schools, I join other parents and teachers concerned that:
Lowering teaching standards compromises quality programs for students;
This sets a dangerous precedent to de-professionalize teaching by allowing substitutes by non-professional teachers;
The Commission has created confusion and has compromised the safety and education of students by authorizing unqualified personnel to teach core academic subject areas;
These actions fly in the face of the California legislature's requirement of a Bachelor's degree to teach academic subjects.
Lowering teaching standards compromises quality programs for students;
This sets a dangerous precedent to de-professionalize teaching by allowing substitutes by non-professional teachers;
The Commission has created confusion and has compromised the safety and education of students by authorizing unqualified personnel to teach core academic subject areas;
These actions fly in the face of the California legislature's requirement of a Bachelor's degree to teach academic subjects.