Officials in Iowa’s largest teachers’ union are joining in the call for more attention to teacher quality. The National Education Association’s president issued a statement this week criticizing the use of emergency teaching licenses and unlicensed teachers to lead classrooms. Iowa State Education Association spokesman Bill Sherman echoes those sentiments.Sherman says nearly all teachers in Iowa classrooms are fully-licensed.The legislature recently did away with the requirement that high school coaches hold a teaching license. Sherman says that released many teachers from coaching jobs they didn’t want.According to the National Education Association, students taught by a fully-licensed teacher fare better on standardized tests.
