Ensuring Great Teachers for Children
Recognizing that providing our children with the skills to compete in the 21st century economy, means supporting great teachers and high teacher quality, Governor James E. McGreevey recently issued the following statement regarding the State Board of Education's adoption of new teacher licensing codes:
" The State Board's adoption of our new licensing codes again raises the bar for teachers, and brings us one step closer to ensuring every child has the best teacher possible in their classroom. The success of all of our education initiatives comes down to one thing—the teachers who are on the frontline of all those efforts. Today we progress even further to fulfill our obligation to provide our children with the strongest possible individuals on that frontline.
"Already this year we have raised the minimum GPA required for our teachers and begun to offer financial incentives that encourage teachers to obtain National Certification, so we are ensuring our children are being taught by the best of the best. We have invested in teacher mentoring programs and enacted new options for the •Alternate Route' teacher certification program to get qualified teachers into the classroom sooner. Over the next few months we will be raising the minimum passing score on national testing exams, and we formalize our requirement that teachers demonstrate core competency in their subject area.
"Our efforts to build better schools and help 300,000 children become better readers, must be supported by great teachers. With landmark achievements like this, we will ensure New Jersey's children are receiving an education that prepares them to compete in the new economy."#
