'Problem teacher' database made available

Filed under: Teachers, Elementary school, Middle school, High school, Public school, Going to schoolDid you know that a national database of 'problem' teachers exists? It is a repository of information regarding teachers across the United States who have been disciplined for professional misconduct. In Florida, education officials run potential teacher's names through that database before offering them a job. Now, thanks to the Sarasota Herald Tribune, you can access that information as well.It is called the Clearinghouse and was created by the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC). While it may currently be the best tool available for checking up on teachers, it is not without its flaws.For one thing, membership in the NASDTEC is voluntary as is reporting cases to the database. And some states are better than others at reporting problem teachers. For example, some smaller states like Oregon have more entries than large states like New York or New Jersey. And what constitutes an infraction worthy of inclusion in the database varies widely from state to state. Some will report a teacher for something as relatively minor as failing to repay a student loan. Others only report misconduct that results in a criminal conviction.A fill-in form on the Herald Tribune website gives anyone with an Internet connection access to the database. But because the information returned only includes the teacher's name, date of birth and state, you will have no way of knowing without further research just why that teacher is in the database. Still, it might be a good place to start if you have concerns about your child's teacher.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments