Slowly but surely, a growing number of states are eyeing policies to select academically stronger individuals for their teaching programs as one avenue to improve the quality of new teachers. Underneath the attention such plans are attracting, though, run deep-seated fears about their potential consequences--particularly whether they will result…

This article deals with the reasons behind the difference in adequate yearly progress (AYP) outcomes between Florida and Georgia. The states' most recent results on the federal gauge--AYP-- are essentially the mirror image of one another. In Florida, about 77 percent of schools did not make adequate progress. In Georgia, 78 percent did. Both…