New WHYY column: Would Raising the Requirement for Teachers' GPA's Improve Teacher Quality?

My column today at WHYY's Newsworks considers the NJ DOE's proposal to raise the required G.P.A. for new teachers to 3.0. Would this change be a meaningful way to improve teacher quality?

The New Jersey Department of Education has proposed raising the required college GPA for new teachers to 3.0, or a "B" average.   The higher cut-off -- NJ currently requires a 2.5 –will "ensure [that] all novice teachers meet a minimum bar for knowledge and pedagogical skills before entering the classroom," explained the DOE in a memo circulated last week.

Simple, right? Raise the bar for selection of teachers and, thus, raise teacher quality.

It should be so easy. The DOE's proposal is not simple but simplistic, a facile sound-bite, (remember, it's election silly-season) that does nothing to elevate the teaching profession.

Read the rest here.