Letter to President Barack Obama
-- August 29, 2012
RE: Ending Section 163 of Continuing Resolution (H.R. 3082), which Negatively Changed the Definition of a "Highly Qualified" Teacher under the No Child Left Behind Act
Dear President Obama:
The Coalition for Teaching Quality remains deeply concerned that the Administration and Congress have yet to fix a serious flaw in federal policy that prevents all students from having equal access to fully-prepared and effective teachers. That flaw is Section 163, a provision inserted in the December 2010 Continuing Resolution (H.R. 3082) making it lawful for teachers who are still in training to be labeled as “highly qualified” under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). We urge you to close this harmful policy gap by requesting that Congress not extend this provision during the upcoming September 30th Continuing Resolution vote, thereby allowing the amendment to sunset by June 30, 2013. (Read more.)