The Pacific Research Institute has just released a report entitled Certified or Qualified? How California s Teacher Credentialing Process Harms Educational Quality. The report lays a good deal of blame for California s dearth of qualified teachers on the state s own credentialing system, noting, among many factors, that education schools lack rigorous and relevant course loads, and that California s credential requirements are not performance verified. It also cites California s overly complex process for recognizing out-of-state teacher licenses.

In general, concludes the report, the state does not adequately link teacher preparation and quality to student achievement. One report down, 49 to go.