'No Child' Teacher Training Suit Filed

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'No Child' Teacher Training Suit Filed


Wednesday August 22, 2007 3:01 AM

By JULIET WILLIAMS

Associated Press Writer

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - When Maribel Heredia's son told her that his first-grade teacher was ``going to college'' and that there would be a substitute in the classroom two days a week, she started asking questions.

Only then did she learn that the teacher the Hayward Unified School District labeled ``highly qualified'' was still a student herself.

Calling the teacher highly qualified allows the district to meet the provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind education law, which requires that all students be taught by skilled teachers in core subjects such as English and math. The district's classification is legal.

Heredia said she believes such classifications are misleading and allow districts to place unqualified teachers in classrooms. On Tuesday, she was among a group of parents and education advocates who sued the U.S. Department of Education over its interpretation of what makes a highly qualified teacher.

``I didn't know that they let the teachers right from college, let them take a class all by themselves,'' Heredia said. ``So the fact that she was considered highly qualified, that was a shocker to me.''

Cheryl Petermann, assistant superintendent of human resources for the Hayward district, declined to comment.

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