What does it mean to be a “highly qualified” teacher for Alabama fifth-graders?

That question made headlines Monday when Alabama Teacher of the Year Ann Marie Corgill resigned her teaching job at a Birmingham school. The Alabama State Department of Education ruled she didn’t meet the “highly qualified” standard.

Teacher certification presents complicated questions with unsettled answers for public education policy-makers. What are the rules to be “highly qualified”? Do they apply to everybody? Why are they especially important for schools in lower income neighborhoods?

Trisha Powell Crain answers those questions and more in this analysis published today by . Read her report here:

What Does Highly Qualified Teacher Status Really Mean?