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I think it would be interesting to see this implemented at a state level, where it belongs, rather than trying to accomplish this at the Federal level.

On one side, teachers do suffer from excess bureaucracy, underappreciation and (sometimes) lack of skills. On the other, mandatory guilds/bars are not usually something I'm a fan of, on principle.

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Why not create a non-mandatory bar, like the ABA? This group could create high-standards teacher certifications, possibly something similar to how actuaries have a series of tests in order to get accredited at a specific level (and the amount of schooling they have isn't relevant, just the level they've managed to pass). I know a lot of states wouldn't require it, but if I'm a principle and someone's taken the time to get accredited, I think that's a good reason to hire them. Especially in more competitive areas like English and History. We wouldn't prevent people from practicing teaching without accreditation, but it should be more difficult, in the long term, as more and more teachers do get accredited.

Teachers can earn National Board certification[0]. This is a fairly rigorous process, that demonstrates teachers have a higher level of proficiency.

[0] http://www.nbpts.org/

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