6 of Florida's 7 living former Governors want degrees required for Pre-K teachers

[madfloridian]

But this editorial shows that even though Charlie Crist agrees with them..

Gov. Crist said this week that he supports the idea of requiring qualified teachers. "How do you argue against having certified teachers?" Crist said in a meeting with The St. Petersburg Times' editorial board Monday. "I don't want to make that argument. Crist said if he was asked to sign the same letter, "I'd sign onto it today."

All that's needed now is to get a majority of the Legislature to sign on.

And the editorial is realistic, saying Crist will learn something.

Unfortunately, Crist may be about to find out about how an argument can be made against certified teachers.

Many Governors, One Ardent Voice

More on the topic is in this article:

Require Degrees for Pre-K Teachers

The Governors are Claude Kirk Jr., Reubin Askew, Bob Graham, Wayne Mixson, Bob Martinez, Buddy MacKay & Rhea Chiles (widow of Lawton Chiles).

We are serving as honorary co-chairs of a statewide campaign, Seniors4Kids (www.seniors4kids.org) because, as grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, we know it is not enough to pay lip service to this idea. We want to make sure that, in the coming year, Gov. Charlie Crist and the Legislature realize the promise of the constitutional amendment voters overwhelming passed in November, 2002, and provide all of Florida's children with pre-kindergarten classes taught by qualified teachers with bachelor's degrees.

The 2002 constitutional amendment assured Florida voters that high-quality universal pre-Kindergartens would be in place within four years. This is the fourth year. Now is the time for our state to mandate that we take the crucial steps toward making that promise a reality. According to the latest annual report from the National Institute for Early Education, the quality of Florida's pre-K program ranks among the lowest in the nation. While our state's 4-year-olds are most ready to learn, they are failing to get the education they need.

Research shows that teachers who have bachelor's degrees create superior learning environments. They have more-responsive interactions with children, and provide richer language and learning experiences. Yet Florida's legislation frames bachelor's degrees for pre-K teachers as a desirable goal, rather than a requirement. Seniors4Kids is working hard to change the language of the bill to make degreed teachers mandated rather than just hoped for.

We can change the world by changing one word. To raise the level of the state's program and adequately prepare and educate our 4-year-olds, Florida must require that pre-K classroom teachers have a four-year college degree and specialized training in early childhood education by 2013.

Right now as it stands, Pre-K students may be given public taxpayer money to attend private schools, even private religious schools. The many governors are right, there should be a requirement.

[Dr.Phool]

1. Guess which former governor doesn't support it.

I had a good idea of who it was before I looked.

[Rosemary2205]

2. This must be why I am so damn stupid.

My own parents taught me instead of sending me off to "pre K"

Now if I'd only had a college degreed teacher ..........

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Having the experience of teaching 3 to 5 year olds (combined

in a Montessori class), a degree is necessary in order to plan a proper curriculum, provide an inviting environment to stimulate the kids' curiosity, and to analyze what is observed. At this age, there truly is a limited window of opportunity to learn basic concepts that are necessary for development in later years.

Jeb Bush, as much a fool and hostile to education as his brother.

[fed-up]

5. I was a family day care provider w/24 units ECE, my mom raised 6 pre-K readers-NO degree

Somehow she figured out that by letting us have plenty of free time mixed in with games and stories read by her and enough other siblings that informally "schooled" each other we were well prepared for kindergarten.

I understand wanting some training, but to require a bachelor's degree to "teach" PRESCHOOLERS is absurd, especially given the pay they receive. I am not saying that it would be harmful to the children, but it is an unnecessary expense, not to mention the time involved for the teachers.

On the other hand I think that all parents should be required to take a child development class and if enough time a child curriculum class.


please excuse any typos as I am in severe pain and too lazy to fix them all...

[madfloridian]

7. Of course public schools should require degrees in every area.

Not talking about moms at home. This is money going to private religous and private schools that do not have those requirements.

Florida started lowering their standards years ago. Maybe that is why we are one of the worst states in education.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

8. I agree. My grandson goes to Montessori preK. Last year he attended

a daycare that also does preK, but none of the ladies had any educational experience. The difference being lots of television cartoon shows and snacks such as fruit loops and playground sand-throwing compared to organized classroom studies and playground games and healthy meals and treats. He has literally blossomed.

[porphyrian]

4. Of course, they don't want to pay for them, though. - n/t

[AndreaCG]

6. Or make college affordable

Would 2 year degrees count?

[porphyrian]

14. Really. - n/t

[SoCalDem]

9. Pre-K is "babysitting"..

technically it "may" be "school", but it's totally paid for by parents, so it;s up to the parents to deide whether they want to pay big bucks for a "certified" school, or if they need something they can afford.

This whole "debate" is just another unfunded mandate and a way to make it harder for people to make a living.

[madfloridian]

11. I give up.

I have tried to explain Florida vouchers to private schools. The people demanded pre-k....it was not a whim of lawmakers.

I can't explain it anymore.

[madfloridian]

10. Food for thought: Unaccountable by design. Profit for pivate schools with public money

I guess I just assumed most would get the gist of the OP, so I did not really go into detail. I grant you that parents do a wonderful job with 4 and 5 year olds, but that is not the point of this issue.

From People for the American Way....one of the groups we proudly donate to and support.

The Real Beneficiaries—Private, Religious Schools

It addresses far more than just Florida's Pre-K, but it gets to the heart of using taxpayer money to support private schools. That is not ok.

Unaccountable by Design
The Real Beneficiaries—Private, Religious Schools

Federal and state constitutions prohibit, to varying degrees, government funding from subsidizing or advancing religion. Some state constitutions include explicit bans on taxpayer funding for religious schools. But even before last year’s Supreme Court ruling (Zelman v. Simmons-Harris) which opened the door to funding voucher programs that primarily benefit religious schools, policymakers had begun to see tuition tax credits as an indirect alternative means to reaching the same goal—diverting public education funds to religious and other private schools.

In fact, much of the public tax funding being funneled to private schools through corporate tuition tax credit programs benefits religious schools. According to the executive director of the Pennsylvania School Reform Network, a group that opposes vouchers, the state’s corporate tuition tax credit scheme is “flatout, a subsidy for religious instruction.” The analysis by the Morning Call found that of the 20 scholarship organizations in Pennsylvania receiving the most corporate donations, 16 provided students with vouchers primarily benefiting religious schools (see Appendix C for more information). In the first year of Pennsylvania’s tuition tax credit voucher program, almost three-fourths of all corporate contributions —or $13.6 million—was donated to scholarship organizations which in turn provided vouchers that directly supported religious schools.

Many private schools, including religious ones, do not require certified teachers. Some do, many don't. I have seen teachers who failed in public schools here go on to teach for years in private settings for whatever reasons.

If my tax money is going to private schools over my wishes, then at least hold them accountable. Require the testing, make the test scores known just like in public schools. And have certified teachers.

[maxsolomon]

12. raise the salaries to 60K

then you can demand degrees.

[NashVegas]

13. No Kidding

My sister-in-law was a highly-valued teachers' assistant in special ed schools for years before she was forced to leave around 1995. Salary? 10k per year.