How Do I Check the Status of an Educator’s Teaching Certificate?

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We like to think of teachers as being altruistic, compassionate, and competent. But this is not always the case. There are tons of educators that give the profession a black eye. For instance, do you know whether your child’s teachers are certified to teach? If not, this could be an issue. Certification signals that a teacher meets the academic requirements of the position.

Also, do you not whether or not your child’s teacher has been reprimanded or faced disciplinary action because of inappropriate conduct? Of course, you don’t. You believe that just because a teacher has been hired by your local school teacher, they must ok. Maybe, maybe not.

For instance, many school districts start the year in desperate need of teachers. Especially to fill areas such as math, science, and social studies. If they can not fill the position, they will consider a candidate that has not proven that they are highly qualified. What do I mean by that? I am referring to people who have not passed their licensure exam, but they have completed a teacher education program.

Schools looking to fill a critical needs area may ask the state department of education to issue the individual a 1-year emergency license to teach. They can fill the position, and the teacher has one year to pass their licensure exam, or they lose their job. However, I have seen districts continuously ask for an extension for the teacher in question, and before you know it, this unqualified teacher has been teaching for 3-5 years.

When it comes to teacher misconduct, teachers fired by one district for inappropriate conduct may simply move to another district. If the next district doesn’t do its due diligence, your child could be in the presence of someone unsafe.

You need to be proactive as a parent and research the teachers at your child’s school. Not just the ones that they come in contact with on a day to day basis. You need to know if they are fully certified and if they have faced disciplinary action before. Luckily most states have a mechanism for doing so.

Many have websites that allow you to look this information up. Even if they don’t, you can call or visit the state department of education. This information is protected by the Freedom of Information Act, which means that anyone can request it.

For your convenience, I have provided a listing of states they have an online database that you can search. If you need to contact them directly to request this information, I have placed and N/A under the state’s name.

Alabama

Teacher credentials lookup: https://tcert.alsde.edu/Portal/Public/Pages/SearchCerts.aspx

Alaska

Teacher credentials lookup: http://education.alaska.gov/TeacherCertification/CertificationsSearch.cfm

Arizona

Teacher credentials lookup: https://oacis.azed.gov/PublicOACIS/NormalPages/Educators.aspx

Arkansas

Teacher credentials lookup: https://adeaels.arkansas.gov/AelsWeb/Search.aspx

California

Teacher credentials lookup:

https://educator.ctc.ca.gov/esales_enu/start.swe?SWECmd=GotoView&SWEView=CTC+Search+View+Web

Colorado