The phrase, “Those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach.” reflects the long-held public view of education.  In the eyes of parents and other community members, teachers are glorified babysitters who get way too much time off.  Unfortunately, this perspective became a self-fulfilling prophecy as the educational system developed.  Like manufacturing industries modern schools were designed to help, schools developed as increasingly specialized organizations.   Because decisions are made at the top of the educational hierarchy, there is no rationale for substantial teacher preparation or salary.    Teachers receive less pay than equally educated professionals (Darling, 2001).  Consequently, there are shortages of qualified teachers across the country.  These shortages drove school districts to lower standards for new applicants – they had to fill the vacancies.  The lower standards attract people to the field who are trained to do little more than babysit. 

            Teachers have a tremendous influence in their students’ lives.  Teachers can make students feel like failures or successes.  Teachers influence whether a student gives up or has a drive to success that lasts a lifetime.  Sanders, William, and Rivers found that fifth grade students are still affected by the quality of their third grade teachers (as cited in Haycock).  Many researchers now hypothesize that the achievement gap in the United States is not due to inequalities in race, economics, or ability, but is in the inequalities found in skills of teachers (Darling, 2006; Haycock, 1998; Johnson, Kahle, & Fargo, 2007; Schmoker, 2006; Stigler & Heibert, 1999).  Haycock found a direct correlation between a teacher’s score on their certification exam and ACT and their students’ test scores.  This study also revealed that a teacher who majored in the content they teach routinely have higher student performance scores than teachers who do not.  As this research has shown, the only lasting way to improve student achievement is to focus attention on developing competent teachers.