Barbour gets mixed grades on teacher certification

By Staff
from staff and wire reports
Jan. 28, 2004
JACKSON (AP) Some educators around Mississippi say they're skeptical about Gov. Haley Barbour's push to increase the use of alternate routes for teacher certification.
But others including Meridian School Superintendent Sylvia Autry and Lauderdale County School Superintendent David Little say the non-traditional process works in some cases.
Autry said the district offers support to teachers who did not major in education. She said with the teacher shortage, "We need to look at (alternative routes) as an option."
Little said he, too, agrees with the governor and that "We as a district would just have to use good judgment" about hiring people who take an alternate rote to certification.
Barbour's proposal
Barbour said Monday in his State of the State speech to the Mississippi Legislature that the state should encourage more frequent use of alternate certification to help districts fill teaching slots.
Mississippi has allowed alternative certification for several years. Barbour did not specify how he would expand the use of the process or if doing so would cost more money for testing.
Frank Yates, executive director of the Mississippi Association of Educators, said he wants more details on Barbour's plan. He also wants assurance that the quality of teaching won't be compromised.
The MAE, the state's largest teachers' union, endorsed Barbour's opponent in last year's campaign, Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove. Barbour is a Republican.
Traditional routes
Most teachers follow traditional routes into the classroom, officials say. They major in education and pass exams to earn their certification.
Statistics for the state, Meridian and Lauderdale County comparing the number of traditionally certified teachers to the number of alternate-route teachers were not immediately available.
The state Department of Education Web site says Mississippi offers three paths to alternate certification, one of which produces a master's degree in teaching. The others require specific education courses.
Tom Bates, assistant dean and certification officer for the School of Education at the University of Mississippi, said he gets about five calls a day from people interested in alternate certification.
Some of the calls are from people looking for practical ways to use degrees in English, history or other subjects.
Bates said some people who are well versed on academic subjects need to learn about classroom management before they can teach.
There are some excellent people with alternate-route certification. There are some people who are not ready,'' he said.