Jason says:

Under NCLB, it is becoming increasingly rare to find a teacher who does not have a degree in their own subject AND not pass the mastery exam(s) for the subject. Additionally, most teachers who have 'Education degrees' earn them after they begin their teaching career.

As for the failing rates of students. I have tutored children in one part of the city, currently teach at a high school in another part of the same, and present as a lecturer at the university level – all regarding the same subject level and to the same age groups. I've taught Calculus and Statistics to these audiences in similar fashions, with very little differences and the results could not be further apart from each other. I'll have students who have no teacher at their local school teach them the material pass the AP exam just based on their own efforts and the lectures I give once a month. At the same time, I'll have students I've taught daily, pulled in for tutoring after-school, Saturday, and on holidays for over 300 hours fail the same exam. We need to be serious here: it isn't just a matter of time or effort the teacher puts in. The parents, siblings, family, and everyone who has anything to do with the child has an incredible impact on that child well before they enter school at age 4. Put in a child who has been taught how to count, read, or sing, and that child will have a tremendous lead over their non-exposed counterparts.

As a teacher, I can only raise the student's level of understanding the material starting from when they enter my class. I take no credit for a child who succeeds and goes off to college – the parents did an excellent job. They entered my class with a strong understanding and I could move them up a level with ease. However, when the typical child comes into school afraid of fractions, skips all the problems with decimals, and parents do the math for them instead of having the child think, my job is much different. Besides getting the student to the next level, I have to consider and work with the student to get him/her just up to the prerequisite level of my course.

I will continue to teach my students the same way I have taught graduates who are now at Harvard, Princeton, UCLA, and Cal. It has worked for them just as much it has not worked for their classmates who ask, "would you like fries with that?" I just ask that all parents and individuals working with young children to spend time and love nurturing the youth so that if and when I have them, I can tell you that you have done a wonderful job and not have you tell me that I'm a horrible teacher.