About one-third of private and parochial school teachers are not qualified to teach full time in Maryland public schools.
And if private schools were forced to adhere to the requirements set by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, many would have ranked lower than public schools and received a stern letter from the U.S. Department of Education that they did not make the grade.
But the emphasis that public schools place on certification and obtaining “highly qualified” teachers may be overblown, said Ronald Valenti, superintendent of Catholic schools at the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
“Certification does not necessarily mean a quality education,” he said.
“It just means a teacher has gone through the process and met therequirements. There are some that are certified, but are not very effective in the classroom.”
About 70 percent of the classes in the archdiocese?s 88 schools are taught by teachers who are certified, he said, compared to 80 percent in the state?s public schools.
But this lower percentage doesn?t mean a poorer education, he said.
Private and parochial schools are not legally bound to follow the federal requirements because they do not receive direct federal funding, Valenti said.
However, the archdiocese subscribes to the tenets of the “highly qualified” definition for its quality education, he said.
“We have always taken the position that we try to follow the spirit of the law,” Valenti said.
The 30 percent who are not certified are working toward that certification, with their jobs or salary at stake, he said.
Schools in the archdiocese also require teachers to get an additional certification in theology and youth ministry, he said.
Valenti said the schools do go through a strict accreditation process, which takes into account the entire school experience ? from the teachers to the library to the athletics.
The voluntary process, which involves a yearlong self-evaluation followed by a peer review, gives credibility to the school, said Linda Huskey, associate director with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, which provides accreditation to 43 Maryland private schools.
The association applies more general standards for teacher qualifications, and teachers and administrators must meet the minimum state requirements, said Kenneth Kastle, deputy executive director of the Commission on Secondary Schools.
“It?s the same concept in that we?re looking for teachers who are highly qualified and competent,” he said.
Unlike many public schools, the archdiocese has little difficulty hiring quality teachers, Valenti said.
All the positions are filled despite the much lower starting salary for teachers ? the archdiocese recommends $27,000.
However, the lower salary doesn?t deter many public school teachers from working at a private school, Valenti said. Teachers and parents choose private and parochial schools in part because of the entire culture, where values and morals are taught alongside academics.
“They know they are taking a pay cut, but for their own personal need, it?s where they feel they can operate as a teacher,” he said.
Examiner Staff Writer Matthew Santoni contributed to this report.
SCHOOL FAIR
» What: Association of Independent Maryland Schools? school fair
» When: 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday
» Where: Levering Hall at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore
For a list of participating schools, visit aimsmd.org.
