The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing maintains a database for public use.
Once there, click on the Search for Credential for a Public School Teacher link and type in the teacher’s first name and last name. Remember the example I gave you in the March seminar about searching for the name the teacher used, not finding her there, then learning later that she used a different name on her certificate.
If you don’t find the teacher in question using the name she/he uses, please just ask the question: “What name did you use on your teaching credential? I’m doing a little research on several of my child’s teachers and want to be sure I can find you.” That’s it.
No Child Left Behind required “Highly Qualified Teachers” in every classroom. Verifying a teacher’s credentials is part of the parental “right-to-know” language. Bookmark the link and use it anytime placement changes are being discussed, ideally BEFORE they happen.
