Since 2003, the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning has reported that the number of fully prepared teachers assigned to California's classrooms has increased significantly due in part to the efforts of federal, state and local education policy-makers. As Chart I demonstrates, the overall number of underprepared teachers--those who have…

The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation aims to achieve the national goal of ensuring that every child meets rigorous standards of academic achievement. In particular, California is challenged to meet the NCLB requirement that by 2005-2006, all teachers be "highly qualified," meaning they must have a bachelor's degree,…

This policy brief presents a strong case for the creation of a statewide teacher data system in California by highlighting some of the simple teacher workforce questions that cannot be answered because such a system does not currently exist. At the state level, data on teacher qualifications are needed to fulfill the new reporting requirements of…