Excellence in public education does not just happen. It takes the hard work, dedication and skill of many people, including parents, school board members, administrators and superintendents. Excellence, however, begins and ends with the people at the front of the classroom: the teachers.

New York's teachers are the best-trained, most highly educated and experienced in the nation. They are, in large measure, why the vast majority of New York's public schools are succeeding, and why excellence is becoming more commonplace in classrooms across the state. Their work is augmented by tens of thousands of dedicated and highly skilled teaching assistants who also undergo rigorous training to become certified, and then must keep current with developments in their field.

Don't take our word for it. Instead, a broad swath of facts and statistics bear out the contention that when it comes to teacher quality, New York's teachers and school-related professionals are at the head of the class.

Indeed, the State Education Department is expected to report this spring that more than 96 percent of New York's 225,000 classroom teachers are state-certified. This means that all but a slim number of New York's teachers have met requirements that are more demanding than any other state to enter and remain in the profession.

Outside of New York City, which has difficulty attracting and retaining teachers, nearly all of the teachers in the rest of the state are permanently or provisionally certified, meaning they have earned - or are working toward - a master's degree, which is required; have passed state tests, participated in an internship or student-teaching assignment; submitted documentation of their teaching ability in the form of a video and met other requirements. No other state has standards as comprehensive or as discerning as New York's. Only the best and the brightest earn permanent certification to teach in New York State. For example:

• New York is one of only seven states that require teachers to earn a master's degree to be permanently certified. [19] (New York, and Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Nevada, Oregon, Virginia.) Seventy percent of New York public school teachers hold a master's degree or doctorate, ranking New York No. 1 out of the 50 states in teacher education. [20] The national average is 42.6 percent. In addition, nearly 3 in 10 New York teachers have earned at least 30 graduate credits beyond the required master's degree or a doctorate.
• New York is one of only seven states to require beginning teachers to complete an induction (mentoring) program to achieve permanent certification. [21] (New York, and Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.) This gives new teachers a strong foundation as they begin their teaching careers.
• New York is one of only seven states to require teachers to pass state tests to become certified. [22] (New York, and Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Texas) This helps to ensure that teachers know their subject area and can teach it well.
• New York is one of only nine states to require teachers to demonstrate their teaching abilities as a requirement for permanent certification. [23] (New York, and Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio and South Carolina.)

New York's stringent certification requirements help ensure that children are taught by the most-qualified teachers. And, once in the classroom, teachers must do even more. Even though New York has very experienced teachers — one-third have spent at least two decades in the classroom — it has one of the most demanding continuing professional development requirements for teachers in the nation.

While 47 states require teachers to participate in additional coursework or training to maintain their professional certification, New York's requirement — 175 hours every five years — is among the stiffest. Professional development opportunities help to ensure that New York's teachers keep current with the latest research and trends in educating children.

Those paraprofessionals who support New York's teachers, such as teaching assistants, also face more rigorous requirements. Starting in September 2004, teaching assistants must pass a state exam; take professional development courses and earn 18 hours of college credit. A recent study by the American Federation of Teachers ranked New York first in the nation for its program to support highly qualified paraprofessionals under No Child Left Behind. [24]

Finally, more New York teachers are demonstrating mastery of their craft. The number of New York teachers earning national certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards — the gold standard of the teaching profession — has more than quadrupled since 1999. Nationally certified teachers are now found in every region of the state.

New York is not only holding children to high standards, but its teachers as well.

New York's teachers are meeting the very highest standards for the profession.

New York's teachers will continue to lead the drive for education excellence — the revolution no one is talking about.

NEXT: Bibliography and Footnotes