Half of Houston ISD's uncertified teachers are at elementary schools, data shows

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Rachel Rucker said she went from working at a restaurant to working in the classroom.

Although Rucker is no longer a teacher, as executive director of impact and analytics at the Houston Independent School District, she said the nationwide teacher shortage means they're welcoming educators from different backgrounds.

The district currently has nearly 2,000 uncertified teachers, which means about one in every five teachers does not have a certification.

"I went from Texas Roadhouse into the classroom, and I was a good teacher," Rucker said. "I do believe that we should welcome people who want to become teachers. We shouldn't gatekeep who can become a teacher. If you want to become a teacher and you realize after you graduated college that the thing that you're doing is not what you want to pursue, please consider teaching."

As 13 Investigates first reported at the start of the school year, the number of uncertified teachers at HISD has more than doubled over the last year.

Our investigation found that 7% of HISD's teachers were not certified last school year, but that number is up to 20% this year.

REALTED: HISD sees biggest rise in uncertified teachers among 15 area districts

Two months after asking HISD for a list of every uncertified teacher, the district finally sent us the names and job titles of its 1,961 uncertified teachers as of Dec. 4.

A 13 Investigates analysis of uncertified teachers' data shows about half of the uncertified teachers are at the elementary school level.

Michael Ruiz, a senior executive director of Strategic Initiatives at Houston ISD, said there could be some logistical reasons for more uncertified teachers at elementary campuses.

"Most of the campuses, of our 273 campuses, are elementary schools. They tend to be smaller campuses," Ruiz said. "To give an example, Lamar High School has almost 3,000 students. Our largest elementary school is pushing about 1,000. You also have classroom size caps for kindergarten through fourth grade, where you can only allow 22 students per teacher. You need to get a waiver if you want to go over that, so the staffing ratios are slightly different in elementary school, which means elementary schools typically need more teachers per student than a secondary campus would."

Our investigation also found 82 uncertified teachers instructing the Art of Thinking class Superintendent Mike Miles brought to HISD as part of his NES model.

Another 153 uncertified teachers are teaching AP or Pre-AP classes, including algebra, biology, chemistry, geometry, and physics.

HISD's Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center High School has the most uncertified teachers, with 39.

Milby, Sharpstown, and Wisdom high schools are next, with 32 uncertified teachers each.

Ruiz said 11% of the district's uncertified teachers came to the district with classroom experience.

However, that also means that 89% of them don't have classroom experience, and state data shows that certification does matter.

According to research from Texas Tech University, uncertified teachers leave the job at a higher rate.

The research also shows that students with uncertified teachers who have no classroom experience lose the equivalent of four months' worth of learning in reading and three months' worth of learning in math.

"In my research, I use data statewide, so I have access to every single person and their certification or lack thereof, and I can see where they go or if they leave the teaching profession entirely, and so that research is not only just an anecdote of what's happening in one district or another, that research is what is happening across Texas," Jacob Kirksey, an assistant professor in the College of Education at Texas Tech University, said earlier this month.

Ruiz said a teacher's passion and willingness to become a better teacher is more important than their background. He also said all uncertified teachers are required to get a certification within two years or they can no longer teach at the district.

"I can tell you that if I was running a high school and you showed up to interview for the journalism teaching position, Kevin, I would feel confident in my ability to make you a great teacher because you have that almost like -- there's a smart guy who knows what he is doing, clearly has passion," Ruiz said. "So yeah, absolutely. I can teach him to be a teacher. Sometimes, it's harder to teach passion and competence and energy."

For updates on this story, follow Kevin Ozebek on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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