Adopted March 1984 – Reviewed and deemed relevant May 2021 – Education Commission
California State PTA believes all students shall have access to well prepared, effective, and highly qualified teachers, administrators and certificated staff in the public schools of California. PTA supports high standards for all credentialed school personnel working with students beginning with quality comprehensive preparation programs for both teachers and administrators. PTA believes that in order to attract and retain qualified people to teaching, high standards must be accompanied by competitive salaries, support services and ongoing professional development.
PTA believes there must be:
- Increased capacities of universities to prepare sufficient numbers of certificated teachers for public schools;
- Careful screening of candidates for all credential programs at institutions of higher education to ensure that candidates demonstrate a strong potential for teaching;
- Emphasis on quality training programs for each level of credentialing;
- Training in strategies for working with parent/guardians and the community to encourage their full participation in the educational process as an integral part of all teacher/administrator certification programs;
- An emphasis on recruiting candidates with a willingness to work with the diverse constituencies, challenges and needs of California’s public schools;
- Teachers and administrators who reflect California’s diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds;
- Pre-intern and intern programs for prospective teacher credential candidates that provide guidance, counseling and support services by assigned mentors;
- Alternative methods of certification that ensure quality of instruction by requiring applicants to meet initial competency requirements and to complete an equivalent course of teacher preparation within a specified time period;
- Background checks in the hiring and assignment processes for all credentialed school personnel;
- Work assignments based on the subject of a teacher’s credential, determined by such processes that are compatible with preserving the integrity of the instructional program;
- Appropriate support for beginning teachers and administrators;
- A requirement that all credentialed school personnel meet standards for ethical behavior and demonstrate respect for students and others;
- An understanding that employment is contingent upon meeting clearly established performance standards and fulfillment of continued professional growth requirements;
- Ongoing constructive and systematic evaluation programs for all credentialed school personnel;
- Appropriate staff development for all credentialed school personnel that will answer the professional needs of the individual and the individual school site;
- Certification programs and ongoing staff development that enables teachers and administrators to work effectively with all parents/guardians and with service providers to meet the needs of our diverse student population;
- More options available to paraprofessionals and subject matter experts who are actively seeking proper certification;
- A longer instructional school year and instructional school day to provide increased time for both staff development and for student-teacher contact/instructional time; and
- Practical experience/application required during the undergraduate courses.
