In his rambling, erratic debate performance, John McCain presented as one of his gimmicky solutions to our education problems the "Troops to Teachers" program.
Here is what he said that made me nearly fall out of my chair:
"We need to encourage programs such as Teach for America and Troops to Teachers where people, after having served in the military, can go right to teaching and not have to take these examinations which -- or have the certification that some are required in some states."
Say what? Bring anyone from the military into the classroom without certification or examinations required by the state? Is this true?
No. As usual, without his keepers, McCain just makes up facts to fit into some kind of weird mythological world where hockey moms can be vice presidents and soldiers can come off the battlefield into the classroom.
Below is the actual description of the
Troops To Teachers program. It sounds like an interesting idea. I'm glad I investigated it myself instead of listening to McNutty's bizarro take on it.
Under this program, the Secretary of Education transfers funds to the Department of Defense for the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) to provide assistance, including stipends of up to $5,000, to eligible members of the armed forces so that they can obtain certification or licensing as elementary school teachers, secondary school teachers, or vocational/technical teachers and become highly qualified teachers by demonstrating competency in each of the subjects they teach. In addition, the program helps these individuals find employment in high-need local educational agencies (LEA's) or charter schools. A "high need LEA" is defined as an LEA that has a poverty rate of at least 20 percent or at least 10,000 poor children and has a high percentage of teachers teaching out of field or with emergency credentials. In lieu of the $5,000 stipends, DANTES may pay $10,000 bonuses to participants who agree to teach in high-poverty schools. A "high-poverty school" is defined as a school where at least 50 percent of the students are from low-income families or the school has a large percentage of student who qualify for assistance under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Members of the armed forces who wish to receive the program's assistance for placement as an elementary or secondary school teacher must have a baccalaureate or advance degree, and their last period of service in the armed forces must have been honorable. In selecting members of the armed forces to participate in the program, the Department of Defense must give priority to those members who have educational or military experience in science, mathematics, special education, or vocational/technical subjects and who agree to seek employment as teachers in a subject area compatible with their backgrounds.
McCain is a clueless airhead. He even distorts good programs to make them fit into his deluded world view.
Crossposted from Education Forum
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