DeKalb County School District officials have decided uncertified teachers will soon receive guidance from the district on attaining certification.
When the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on a rising number of uncertified teachers in metro Atlanta last month, Leo Brown, the district's chief human capital management officer, said there were no plans to make certification a must for them.
“Certification is, of course, valued,” he said. “But we understand there are individuals with content knowledge who can come in immediately and teach. We see the value in content knowledge available to help our students.”
Monday, Everett Patrick, giving the district’s human capital management report to the school board for an absent director Leo Brown, said the department would be rolling out a plan for teachers on certification waivers to become certified.
“Human Capital Management is also working closely with Lisa Martin, chief academic officer (for curriculum and instruction), to discuss a certification route for all of these teachers,” Patrick said Monday.
As part of the district’s newly attained status as a Strategic Waiver School System, administrators are allowed to bring in teachers on certification waivers in exchange for more strict state regulations.
Experts say uncertified teachers are more unpredictable than their counterparts, with higher likelihood of leaving the district, and sometimes lack the background to effectively teach.
The underprepared teachers, as they’re called, receive support in DeKalb County Schools through a new teacher academy through the Office of Diverse Learners, where they undergo two-hour training sessions every other month, and will be assessed on a project they must complete.
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