The Christian Science Monitor – Lisa Suhay
“When bad teachers are fired or disciplined, how easy is it to track them? Only seven states got an “A” in a USA Today survey that ranked states across the nation on background checks, transparency on teacher disciplinary actions, mandatory reporting laws and how states handle sharing information about teachers’ misconduct with other states. The survey indicates there are big gaps in info about teachers and points to a need for better coordination in collecting and sharing information about the misconduct of teachers. It refers to America’s process for vetting teachers as “a loosely-connected patchwork of state laws and procedures, inconsistent practices by school districts and state officials, and wide variations in who’s accountable for what and how accountable they are.”.”(more)