Chancellor Rosa And Commissioner Elia Letter In Opposition To SUNY Charter Teacher Certification Proposal

Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa and State Education Department Commissioner MaryEllen Elia jointly submitted comments today in opposition to the State University of New York Charter School Institute’s proposal to greatly reduce the teacher certification requirements for SUNY-authorized charter schools.

In a letter to SUNY Charter School Committee Chairman Joseph W. Belluck and General Counsel Ralph Rossi, Chancellor Rosa and Commissioner Elia cited many concerns with the proposal, which would allow teachers with as little as 30 hours of classroom instructional time to become certified to teach in SUNY-authorized charter schools.

“Simply put, such action is an affront to a critical tenet in education: rigorous and high-quality teacher preparation programs foster high-quality teachers who increase the likelihood of students achieving proficiency on state standards,” the letter stated. “Our efforts should focus on promoting effective teaching and strengthening and supporting the entire educator preparation pipeline, not eroding it.”

The letter continues, “The erosion of teacher certification requirements and teacher preparation programs will diminish the number of effective teachers in New York and have a negative impact on student achievement. The greatest impact will be on students of color, those who are economically disadvantaged, and students with disabilities who are served in SUNY-authorized charter schools.”

Chancellor Rosa and Commissioner Elia urged SUNY to withdraw its proposal, “The New York State Board of Regents and the New York State Education Department strongly urge the State University of New York Trustees Charter School Committee to withdraw the proposed regulations.” 

The full letter is available here.

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