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SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today issued the following statement regarding a lawsuit filed by Public Advocates Inc., against the U.S. Department of Education over California's Highly Qualified Teacher plan.

"Highly effective teachers are the most critical factor in a student's success," O'Connell said. "I agree with the plaintiffs' desire to have effective teachers in every California classroom. While California followed federal guidance in the development of our Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements and California's High Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE) process, we know that unfortunately in California public schools there remains an inequitable distribution of highly qualified teachers. Too often, schools serving students who are African American or Latino have a disproportionate number of under-qualified and inexperienced teachers and administrators. This is a factor in why we have an achievement gap in our state between students who are African American or Latino and their peers who are white or Asian.

"While there is no single or easy way to fix the achievement gap, ensuring that students who need the most help get access to highly effective teachers is certainly part of the solution. The California Department of Education, as part of the federally approved Revised State Plan for No Child Left Behind Highly Qualified Teacher, has already established a protocol to assist school districts in writing plans to ensure they more equitably distribute highly qualified teachers in our lowest-performing schools. The plan requires districts to review and revise district policies and practices regarding the recruitment, retention, and professional development of their teaching staff and administrators.