Driving Instructor Information, sponsored by Statewide Driving School, a California Driving School, with driving classes for Sacramento, Roseville, Elk Grove, Folsom, Citrus Heights, Orangevale, Rocklin, Rio Linda, Del Paso, Oakmont, El Dorado Hills, Antelope, Natomas, Florin, Wilton, Mather, Carmichael, Arden, Laguna, West Sacramento, Sacramento County, and parts of Yolo and Placer counties.

All Content Copyrighted, 2003-2005, Statewide Driving School, Inc. Sacramento, CA

Driving Instructors come in three varieties: Licensed , Maybe-Licensed , and Who Cares .

LICENSED:
     Commercial driving school instructors (such as Statewide Driving School's Instructors), have several requirements to meet before becoming a California State Licensed Driving Instructor:

1) They MUST undergo a DMV-Certified 40-hour classroom training course, plus an additional 20-hours of DMV-Certified "Behind-the-Wheel" training. These courses can ONLY be taught by DMV-Approved Driving Instructors ( Statewide Driving School is one such school, with Mr. Munson certified to train other instructors ).
2) They MUST undergo a criminal background check, performed by the California Department of Justice via fingerprints, and have a clear record of ANY violation that would render them unsuitable for teaching your teen.
3) They MUST show proof of a high school diploma, or equivalent GDE.
4) They MUST have a driving record showing that they are not on the California "Negligent Operator" list.
5) They MUST pass a special DMV-Approved Medical Examination. This exam will determine whether they are qualified to teach BOTH classroom and in-car, or JUST classroom.
6) They MUST take 18 credit-hours of Continuing Education courses during the 3-year term of their license. Failure to do so requires a complete re-testing of the instructor every three years. ( Mr. Munson, as President of the California Driver Education Association , is one of a handfull of people authorized for conducting these Continuing Education classes ) .

MAYBE-LICENSED:
     Public high school teachers are SUPPOSED to be certified, as an additional credential on their "K-12" Teaching Credential, to teach Driver Education. Unfortunately, with budgetary considerations, and a lack of colleges offering courses in teaching driver eduction, most of the "Driver Ed" instructors in the public school sector are either NOT-CERTIFIED or "ON WAIVERS", allowing them to teach as they work towards their credentials. Those who ARE certified, in my opinion, ARE quality teachers, for the most part, and your teen will most likely get a good driver education class from them. But, the only way you'll know is to ask, and teachers, as a rule, don't like to be asked by parents to show their credentials. Unfortunately, driver ed classes are often taught by a teacher looking for extra stipend money, or as part of the health sciences class, where it becomes a diluted course.

WHO-CARES:
1) Private High Schools are prevalent in California, and MOST of them are quality educational facilities, with classrooms, campuses, and high educational standards. And then there are others. To become a private high school, a person only needs to fill out an affidavit with the Department of Education and VOILA!...they are a school. Anyone can fillout this affidavit (some of you reading this may have already done so, if your teen is "home-schooled"), and indeed, a local "Private High School" offers Driver Ed Home Study, and the operator holds a contractor and pest-control licenses (but no teaching credentials) !
2) NO credentials of ANY kind are REQUIRED to teach in a Private High School, although the quality schools DO HAVE credentialed teachers.
3) Private high schools with ANY integrity in their education, are ACCREDITED through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WSAC), and are PROUD to show you their accreditation certificate. Before simply giving your money, and your teen's life, to a private high school, ask to see their accreditation.