Raising the Bar| Professional Development

raising the bar

For more than a decade, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has been raising the bar for what teachers should know and be able to do in the classroom. Established after the landmark 1986 Carnegie report, A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the 21st Century, the National Board is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that aims to improve student learning by strengthening teaching.

The board's rigorous national certification process asks teachers to reflect on their own performance and skills. Teachers submit portfolios, student work samples, videotapes, and analyses of their classroom teaching and student learning. More than 4,800 teachers have successfully completed the grueling, yearlong application process so far, earning praise from President Clinton for "being challenged to fulfill their greatest potential."

Who are they? Nationally certified teachers average 15 years in the classroom. More than half have earned master's degrees, and 2 percent have doctorates. Although 95 percent teach in public schools, they are well dispersed geographically, with 29 percent teaching in rural schools, 32 percent urban, and 39 percent suburban.

North Carolina and Ohio lead the nation in the number of nationally certified teachers. In the Northwest, Idaho has emerged as a regional leader, with 88 nationally certified teachers by the end of 1999, according to the NBPTS. Washington follows with 23; Montana, 12; Alaska, 10. So far, Oregon has no nationally certified teachers, although 34 of the state's teachers are currently pursuing certification, according to a recent story in The Oregonian.

Why the disparity from state to state? A key factor seems to be the amount of support states offer their teachers to pursue certification. In Idaho, for example, candidates receive assistance with the $2,000 application fee from both the state and the Albertson Foundation. Successful candidates in Idaho also receive a $2,000 per year salary boost for five years.

Teachers who have pursued certification stress the intangible rewards that the application process brings. Barbara Kelley, past chair of the NBPTS, said the application process "requires intense self-reflection and analysis of one's practice, and has proven to be a terrific professional development experience."

Judy Bieze, Idaho's Teacher of the Year for 1999, earned national certification last year, nearly 20 years into her teaching career. The process confirmed her sound classroom practices in most areas, and helped her stretch in her teaching of science. "In science, the goal is to teach to the big ideas. Going through certification helped me think about what that means and how I can improve." What's more, Bieze says, earning the certificate is affirming to good teachers. "Teachers today do a better job than we've ever done even though many of the kids are more challenging to teach, the dynamics of families are different, and what's expected of us keeps expanding. We're on the right track, and national certification is a way to say that."

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