The purpose of this study was to find out how and to what extent alternatively certified teachers, who are considered highly qualified, impact the achievement gap that exists between Black and White students that is measured by the End Of Course Test (EOCT). Two public school districts, one rural and one suburban, were selected from 150 school districts in the state of Georgia. A quantitative research approach was used to answer the research questions. Archived data was collected on eleventh grade students in two Rural South Georgia schools by using the school's EOCT results. A questionnaire was conducted to gather information about the participants' perception and attitude of each highly qualified program. The results of this study indicated that student performance does not depend on teacher certification type given that no strong empirical evidence was found showing that students taught by traditionally certified teachers are at a significant advantage academically or vice versa, based on the EOCT archival data. The survey results supported this conclusion as well, given that the teachers were not likely to show a bias towards one group of teachers versus another. Therefore, both sources of data supported the conclusion that traditionally certified teachers and alternatively certified teachers are equal in terms of their ability to close the achievement gap between Black and White high school students. Recommendations for practice and further research were offered. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]