D.C. Public Schools administrators will not be able to tell parents at the start of next school year which teachers are considered “highly qualified,” despite federal rules requiring the disclosure, according to e-mails obtained by The Examiner.

Deputy Chancellor Kaya Henderson said in an e-mail exchange with a parent that she expects to make the information public in October.

But waiting until two months into the academic year cripples parents’ decision-making abilities, sources said Tuesday.

“In the nation’s capital, it is disheartening that D.C. parents are still unable to know whether their child’s teacher meets the No Child Left Behind standards,” said activist Theresa Bollech. “This information is critical so that parents can make the right decision when it comes to school choice for their child.”

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Beyond just being certified, instructors that are deemed “highly qualified” demonstrate knowledge in their specific subject areas through tests or applicable course work.

D.C. has long struggled in the area of teacher quality. According to the U.S. Department of Education, last year almost half of the core classes in the city’s public schools were taught by teachers that were not highly qualified, putting D.C. at the bottom of the nation when compared to states.

Henderson, in the e-mail, said that in the past the obstacle has been “inaccurate data.” It will take until October of next school year to provide this information to parents because many teachers’ assignments won’t be finalized until then, she wrote.

“Much of the question of whether or not teachers are highly qualified depends on which courses they are teaching,” Henderson said. “As those decisions are made at the beginning of the school year, we generally don’t get a final handle on who is teaching which courses at each school until a few weeks into the school year.”

D.C. schools spokeswoman Jennifer Calloway did not return calls Tuesday.

dlevitz@dcexaminer.com