TROUBLED TEACHERS

U. S. LACKS GOVERNMENT DATABASE TO TRACK MISCONDUCT

Unlike other countries, the United States does not maintain a national database listing all teachers who permanently lost their licenses for misconduct. An audit by USA TODAY Network found that more than 1,400 revoked teachers’ names are missing from a privately run database. Out of those, more than 200 involved allegations of sexual misconduct. The records at the state level and the privately run national database are inconsistent and incomplete, so there are likely hundreds, if not thousands more, that background checks would miss.

1 BACKGROUND CHECKS

USA TODAY found more than a dozen states’ education agencies don’t do comprehensive background checks before they give someone a teaching license, leaving checks to local schools or districts, where experts say they can be inconsistent, poorly done or even skipped.

Best case: States would check teachers’ work history and their criminal background before issuing anyone a teaching license.

2 NATIONAL DATABASE

USA TODAY found teachers who lost teaching licenses in one state but were not entered into the database, so they were able to move to another state and teach.

Best case: Schools would be required to report every serious disciplinary action involving a teacher into an official, national database.

3 TRANSPARENCY

Eleven states and Washington, D. C., don’t even provide an online search for active teacher licenses, let alone disciplinary records. Most states’ disciplinary records are not online in any useful way.

Best case: States would be transparent about disciplined teachers’ records, posting complete lists and documentation online, to make it easy for parents or future employers to see serious misconduct cases.