Americans place a lot of trust in their teachers, and they may want to raise the bar when it comes to choosing the best teachers for their students. 

According to a poll conducted by PDK International and Gallup, 60 percent of Americans support the "rigor of admission requirements for teacher preparation schools, and that teachers should be required to pass a board certification exam, similar to the tests lawyers and medical professionals take, before earning a license to practice" said an article on USNews.com. 

"There’s a lot of interest in teachers and teaching, and stressing the need for high-quality teachers in the classroom," said Bill Bushaw, chief executive officer of PDK and the poll's co-director. "Support for a board certification similar to what doctors have, support for higher entry requirements to become a teacher, all indicate to me that Americans see the need to attract the best teachers we can in the classroom and to help them grow professionally."

The article also said that 80 percent support the use of a board certification exam. "Support for both of those proposals was higher among public school parents, at 61 percent and 83 percent." About 3 percent of the nation's roughly 3 million teachers have met the requirements for national board certification. 

"We're preparing thousands of teachers every year and we put them in the classroom too often unprepared," Bushaw said. "It's like a leaky bucket. All these measures are feasible, are very possible and in fact essential to improve education. Just adding more tests isn't going to cut it. We need to get better teachers in the classroom.

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Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor