Giving Compass' Take:

• Jude Schwalbach argues that the majority of states require overly burdensome teacher certifications that hurt charter schools. 

• How can funders work to ensure that students have enough qualified teachers to learn effectively? 

• Learn about teacher shortages in the U.S.

Two means of certifying schoolteachers have diverged in California and Arizona, and one path—the one less taken in most states—is proving to better serve its teacher and student travelers.

State policies governing teacher certification can have a considerable effect on the educational options to which families have access.

California already compels charter schools to hire teachers with “a state-approved credential in all core academic subjects, including English language arts, math, science, and social studies.” The new regulations would also require those who teach electives, such as music and art, to obtain state-approved credentials.

These certifications will cost phys-ed and music teachers nearly $300, while art teachers will have to pay more than $260. Those costs do not include the time, energy, and transportation teachers will expend to acquire the state-mandated credentials.

Innovative charter schools are popular with Californians as they enroll about 10 percent of students. Their popularity increased dramatically in the past decade, which saw enrollment increase by 150 percent.

Opponents of charter schools claim that state-mandated teacher credentials are needed to ensure school quality. Such regulations, however, would vastly limit the pool of potential teachers, because credentialing is a lengthy and burdensome process—which research suggests provides limited, if any, value.

Research from the Brookings Institution, for example, shows that there is no difference between teachers who are traditionally certified, alternatively certified, or not certified at all.

Compulsory certification also means highly qualified professionals with subject-matter expertise and experience will be barred from bringing their skills to the classroom, absent a government seal of approval.

At the end of the day, state-required teacher credentialing is a win for teachers unions. By creating more barriers to the teaching profession, the jobs of unionized teachers in district schools are artificially protected from charter school competition.

Read the full article about teacher certifications by Jude Schwalbach at The Heritage Foundation.