Southern Schools Get Low Marks

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A national nonprofit advocacy group has
given Mississippi a D-plus and Louisiana a C-minus in recruiting
and retaining quality teachers and getting rid of those who are
ineffective in the classroom.
The National Council on Teacher Quality recently released its
2008 State Teacher Policy Yearbook. The report finds that laws and
regulations in most states discourage promising new teachers from
staying in the classroom while doing little to rid schools of
inadequate teachers.
The report gives Louisiana a D-plus in identifying effective new
teachers, a C in retaining effective new teachers and a C-minus in
getting rid of ineffective new teachers.
Mississippi fared even worse, getting a D-plus in identifying
effective new teachers, a D in retaining effective new teachers and
a D-plus in getting rid of ineffective new teachers.

To see the full state-by-state report, go to www.nctq.org