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Education Reform Takes Major Step Forward with Announcement of 9,600 New National Board Certified Teachers in 2008

December 9, 2008

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ARLINGTON, Va. -- For the second straight year, the number of new National Board Certified Teachers hit record-breaking highs with the announcement of 9,600 accomplished teachers who achieved certification in 2008. This achievement brings the total number of teachers who achieved National Board Certification to nearly 74,000.

Today’s announcement represents a 12 percent increase over the number of teachers who earned National Board Certification in 2007. Nearly half of all NBCTs teach in high-need schools as defined by the National Center for Education Statistics.  

This announcement comes several months after the National Research Council affirmed that National Board Certification has had a positive impact on student achievement, teacher retention and professional development. In the most rigorous and comprehensive study to date about National Board Certification, the NRC found that students taught by National Board Certified Teachers make higher gains on achievement tests than students taught by teachers who have not applied and those who did not achieve certification.

“National Board Certification is a sound investment - a force in student achievement and a factor in teaching excellence that is reshaping teaching and learning in our schools,” said Joseph A. Aguerrebere, president and chief executive officer of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. “At a time when policymakers, educators and the public at large are looking for ways to improve education, a critical element begins with the quality of the teacher in the classroom. We know that each new class of National Board Certified Teachers brings a better chance of providing a highly qualified teacher to every child in America.”  

The latest numbers providing further evidence that the teaching quality movement is growing include: 

• The number of NBCTs has more than doubled in the past five years (from more than 32,000 in 2003 to nearly 74,000 in 2008).
• States with the highest number of teachers achieving National Board Certification in 2008 were: Florida (1,826), North Carolina (1,453), Washington (918), South Carolina (754) and Illinois (703).
• Sixteen states and the District of Columbia had at least a 20 percent increase in the number of 2008 NBCTs over the number of teachers who achieved certification in 2007.
• NBCTs make up at least five percent of the total teaching force in seven states. They are: North Carolina (15 percent), South Carolina (13.7 percent), Mississippi (9.4 percent), Florida (7.8 percent), Oklahoma (5.7 percent), Delaware (5.5 percent) and Washington (5.3 percent).

Nearly 15 percent of teachers who hold National Board Certification teach math or science. “In order for our students to successfully compete in the global economy of the 21st century, it is essential that we have a critical mass of National Board Certified Teachers who teach science in our schools,” said Bill Shore, director of U.S. Community Partnerships for GlaxoSmithKline. “These accomplished teachers are proven leaders and are among the best in their field.” Shore was recently named chair of the NBPTS President’s Roundtable, an advisory committee for the organization. 

“The Chicago Public Education Fund is committed to increasing the number of National Board Certified Teachers in the city of Chicago. Our return on investment is when a teacher achieves National Board Certification, every child in his or her classroom has access to one of the best teaching professionals in the country,” said Janet Knupp, founding president and chief executive officer of The Chicago Public Education Fund. “As a venture philanthropy, we invested in National Board Certification early on as an effective way to identify and compensate the most talented teachers in Chicago Public Schools.”

 “As a former superintendent of schools in Fairfax County, Va., I have seen first-hand that National Board Certified Teachers make a difference in the classroom when it comes to student achievement. Teachers who achieve National Board Certification not only have a positive effect on students but other members of the instructional staff,” said Dan Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators. “There is a tremendous need to close the achievement gap between kids who have and kids who have not. National Board Certified Teachers make up just the right workforce to get that job done, and we need them in much greater numbers.”

“The National Board Certification process itself and incentives for those who earn it help meet the challenges of retaining our most accomplished teachers in the classroom and the profession,” said former Georgia Governor Roy E. Barnes, chair of the NBPTS Board of Directors. “Like board-certified doctors and accountants, teachers who achieve National Board Certification have met the highest standards through intensive study, expert evaluation, detailed performance self-assessment, and expert teacher review.”

NBPTS is also moving forward with a new initiative to develop advanced certification for educational leaders. The plan calls for rolling out the new principal certification from design to launch in 2011. “An effective principal is critical to the success of any school. Research has shown that principals have a tremendous impact on school-related factors in their effect on student achievement,” said Aguerrebere.

National Board Certification is a widely respected model of pay-for-performance and is supported by teachers and administrators nationwide. More than two-thirds of the states provide salary incentives and cover the cost for teachers who pursue and achieve this advanced credential.

For more information about NBPTS and National Board Certification, visit the NBPTS Web site at www.nbpts.org.

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NBPTS is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan and nongovernmental organization. NBPTS advances the quality of teaching and learning by developing professional standards for accomplished teaching; creating and administering National Board Certification, a voluntary system to certify teachers who meet those standards; and integrating certified teachers into educational reform efforts. Today, nearly 74,000 National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) are making a positive difference in the lives of students across the nation.

© 2008 National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. All rights reserved. NBPTS, NBCT, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, National Board Certified Teacher and National Board Certification are registered trademarks or service marks of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Other marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective organizations.