As the Baby Boomers retire and schools all over the country face critical teacher shortages, many districts are looking to the private sector to recruit new educators. Studies of public schools in New York and Chicago , which have seen an influx of teachers without education backgrounds, have found that the quality of teachers over the past decade has increased. Advocates for private-sector professionals, who are often recruited to teach fields such as math and technology, point out that the professionals' real-world experience and specialized backgrounds allow them to energize today's students. But others argue that there's a difference between understanding a subject and knowing the best way to teach it -- particularly to difficult students in schools that lack resources. They also worry that fast-track certification programs leave such professionals woefully unprepared for the realities of teaching, leading to high teacher-dropout rates. Are teachers who enter the profession from the private sector good for education? Tell us what you think!
