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No Educator Left Behind is a series providing answers from the U.S. Department of Education to questions about the federal No Child Left Behind Act and how it will affect educators. If you have a question about No Child Left Behind, send an e-mail to Ellen Delisio, and we will submit your question to the Department of Education.

Question:

How does the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act affect education requirements for Head Start staff members? If Head Start is moved under the Department of Education, will all Head Start teachers need bachelor degrees? Will teachers without degrees be "grandfathered" in? If Head Start teachers are required to earn bachelor degrees, can teachers remain in their current jobs while pursuing degrees?

U.S. Department of Education:

The president's plan to improve Head Start complements the goals of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Under the president's proposal, states could integrate state and federal preschool programs, including Head Start, into a comprehensive preschool system. To do that, state officials must agree to meet federal accountability standards.

Participating states will design a plan outlining how they will work with the public school system to develop goals for all preschool programs in the state; identify guidelines that preschool programs can use to achieve these goals; devise an accountability system to determine whether children are achieving the goals; provide professional development for preschool teachers and administrators; and help parents provide support for children to succeed in kindergarten.

The president's plan does not require Head Start teachers to have bachelor's degrees. However, states that choose to consolidate their preschool programs would have to provide professional development opportunities for all preschool teachers and administrators.

In addition, states that plan to consolidate their preschool programs must describe how they will maintain the child development goals of Head Start, including providing social, parental, and health services. States that meet those requirements will have the authority to create a unified system of preschool education to meet the needs of children from low-income families in their individual states.

States that choose to get more involved with Head Start can oversee all of their early childhood programs. This is especially important now because states are responsible for student achievement under NCLB, and some research shows that Head Start children are not entering school prepared to learn.

For more information, see the Head Start Policy Book on the White House Web site.

Read previous questions and answers in our No Educator Left Behind archive.