Title I –Parents’ Right-to-Know

September 7,2012

DearParent/Guardian:

The Elementary and SecondaryEducation Act is our country’s most important federal education law. In2001 this law was reauthorized and is now called the No Child Left BehindAct of 2001 (NCLB).  NCLB wasdesigned to make changes in teaching and learning that will help increaseacademic achievement in our schools.

The law requires that all schoolsreceiving Title I funds must inform parents of their right to ask schools aboutthe qualifications of their child’s teachers.  Our district receives Title I funding tosupplement the programs in the Title I schools.

The law requires that all teachers whoteach in core content areas must meet a specific legal definition of “highlyqualified” in order to teach in schools that receive Title I funding. The legaldefinition of a “highly qualified teacher” has three parts. It states that theteacher must have the following:

            1.       Afour-year college degree

2.       Aregular teaching certificate/license

3.       Proofof his/her knowledge in the subject they teach

New Jersey has some of the most qualifiedteachers in the country, and we are extremely proud of the quality of theteaching staff at Thomas Jefferson Middle School.  All our regular teachers have college degreesand many have advanced degrees.  NewJersey has always required a teaching certificate/license for all teachers. Inaddition, every teacher continues learning through professional developmentactivities and our teachers are evaluated each year to make sure that theirteaching skills remain at the highest possible level.

A highly qualified teacher knows what toteach, how to teach, and has a full understanding of the subject matter beingtaught.  Every teacher in our district isfully qualified and dedicated to teaching your child.

I encourage you to support your child’seducation and communicate with your child’s teacher on a regular basis.  For more information on NCLB and the role ofparents, please visit the United States Department of Education (USDE) websiteat www.ed.gov/esea.

Bypartnering with your son/daughter’s school, families and educators can provideyour child with the best education possible.

                                                   Sincerely,

                                                             Antoinette Emden

                                                            Principal