If this bill passes the Missouri House of Representatives, less than before.

The Missouri Senate passed a bill 25-5 on Wednesday that would let people without teaching degrees to become teachers. But it's not as simple as leaving a different career and walking into a classroom. Those people would have to be certified by the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence.

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch article (and former Missourian reporter):

The group, based in Washington, requires candidates to complete a teaching methods course under the guidance of a professional teacher. In addition to having at least a bachelor's degree, prospective teachers would also have to spend 60 hours in a classroom before they were accredited.

If you're curious, the Missourian ran a detailed article about the exact proposed process of accreditation Tuesday.

The main holdout on this bill was Representative Joan Bray, D-University City. She worried this bill would lower teacher quality.

What Makes A Good Teacher is not a new topic of discussion. Schools pay teachers based on years of experience and level of education. In Columbia, employees with PhDs are paid more than those with Master's degrees, who are paid more than those with bachelors degrees.

Last week, Eric Hanushek (whose credentials are too long to list here) spoke at St. Louis University about improving "urban schools" — the same problem this bill is trying to address. It was proposed because of a teacher shortage in the St. Louis area.

Hanushek stressed the importance of teachers.

"Good teachers are the one thing that can change the level of student knowledge, learning and achievement," he said.

But when it came to how much a teacher's education and long-term experience helped students, he was skeptical.

"The ones that are effective are no less likely and no more likely than the ones that are not highly effective to have a master's degree, or 10 years or 20 years of experience," he said.