More teachers

Missouri, like other states, is having trouble finding teachers in certain subjects. U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings says the shortage could be alleviated by allowing individuals who are trained in their professions but who lack teaching credentials to take over public-school classrooms.

That's the message Spellings brought to the Missouri State Board of Education last month -- on the same day the Missouri Senate supported a bill that would allow certification for those who want to use their professional training to become teachers.

Current certification standards in Missouri require teachers to complete certain education courses and have experience as student teachers. But programs like Teach for America, which allows individuals with degrees but no formal education training to be hired by public schools, have resulted in a teaching corps for hard-to-fill positions, particularly in urban schools.

State Sen. Luann Ridgeway is the sponsor of the legislation to change teacher-certification requirements. She notes, with some irony, that even though she has a law degree, she could not be certified to teach in Missouri's elementary and secondary schools, because she lacks the education courses currently required.

Special allowances for skilled professionals to share their expertise in the classroom makes good sense. Let's hope Missouri legislators heed Secretary Spellings' suggestion and work toward the the goals of Sen. Ridgeway's bill.