Imagine having a specialized degree in your field of work, plus having taken numerous amounts of training to improve your skills, then being told that you're not qualified for your job.

For many teachers, years of experience, multiple degrees, certification in one or more core academic subjects and post-graduate education are not enough to satisfy the federal criteria to teach.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 was amended by the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, ostensibly to ensure that every child in our nation's public schools has the opportunity to succeed. But most educators familiar with NCLB agree that it has created a host of problems.

One of these is the requirement that teachers be "highly qualified" in the core academic areas they teach. On the surface, such a requirement sounds reasonable. But its application has created more problems than it solves.

Bureaucratic definitions of being a highly qualified teacher are confusing and have led school districts across the country to call into question the credentials of hundreds of thousands of teachers. Award-winning teachers — after receiving letters redefining their qualifications — are quitting and moving from public schools to private schools, or leaving teaching altogether, aggravating an already severe teacher shortage.

In January, 6,000 letters were mailed to Hawai'i teachers, telling them they could not be considered highly qualified because the Department of Education and its compliance consultant could not determine if they met the "highly qualified" criteria, as defined under the federal rules and regulations. This notification has created a great deal of confusion among teachers and in the community.

Assumptions are being made about the federal labeling of "highly qualified teachers" and the implied connection to "high-quality teaching." Notification letters are being interpreted by many teachers as a judgment by the employer that they are not qualified to teach.

In addition, teachers are receiving this notification without clear, specific guidance that states exactly what they lack or what they need to do to receive the federal highly qualified teacher designation.

Frequently, the cause of the letters stems from Hawai'i's shortage of licensed teachers, which results in many teachers being pressed to teach classes in subjects other than their core area.

Consider an example of this pattern, now all too familiar in our schools.

A licensed teacher considered highly qualified in history may be asked to teach an English class for which that teacher's experience and academic background are well suited. Unfortunately, NCLB doesn't consider such teachers qualified because they may lack a specific number of credit hours in English from their college coursework.

The teachers are then notified they cannot be deemed highly qualified. So, instead of being rewarded for taking on extra classes to ensure every class has a qualified instructor, these teachers are humiliated by the notification process set forth by NCLB. But it's not just teachers who are being affected.

When teachers do not meet the NCLB highly qualified criteria, the DOE is required to inform their students' parents. Parents are left wondering whether their child has a "good" teacher, and teachers are left further embarrassed.

Every year, approximately 1,500 teachers leave Hawai'i public schools, creating a chronic shortage. The manner in which NCLB notifications requirements are being implemented — carelessly designating teachers as failing to meet the highly qualified criteria — could likely accelerate this exodus, and make it more difficult to attract and retain truly qualified teachers.

NCLB already requires costly, unfunded remedies for schools not meeting a host of inflexible regulations. And unless 100 percent of Hawai'i's public school teachers are deemed highly qualified, the state risks losing million of dollars more in federal funding for education.

To date, more than 60 percent of the teachers who received notification letters have completed reviews that found they did, in fact, meet the NCLB definition of highly qualified. Another 2,500 are participating in the review process, which continues through mid-April. We appreciate our teachers taking this additional step to work with the DOE and their consultant to bring our state into compliance with the federal mandates. But things must change.

NCLB is the law, and everyone is doing their best to comply. We hope Congress will soon amend it to make it work with, not against, educators. Teachers worked hard to get their degrees and their licenses. They never stop training and striving to improve their skills and qualifications. We just want NCLB to better support our mission: preparing our children for a brighter future.

Roger K. Takabayashi is president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association. He wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.