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Is National Board Certification an Effective Signal of Teacher Quality?

This study, using data from a large urban school district, examines the association between student gains in mathematics in the ninth and tenth grades, National Board Certification, and other indicators of teacher quality. Based on a variety of different specifications and student sub-samples, robust evidence was found that National Board Certification is an effective indicator of teacher quality. Indeed, seven of nine indicators of teacher quality that were included in the analyses resulted in appropriately signed and statistically significant evidence of their influence on student outcomes.

Among those indicators, having an in-subject-area teacher, a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT), or a teacher with a regular state certification in high school mathematics had the greatest effects. These findings suggest that school systems that wish to target pay increases to teachers of the highest quality can use National Board Certification for this purpose. Such a strategy will benefit students in the long term if National Board Certification has the desired effect of attracting better candidates into teaching through incentives that are targeted to top performers or by and raising the professionalism and prestige associated with teaching. To increase student outcomes in the nearer term, the challenge for school systems will be to implement professional development programs or strategies that change practices so more teachers will adopt methods used by those who have already achieved certification.

1. Do students of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) have greater achievement gains in mathematics in the ninth and tenth grades than their counterparts without such teachers?
2. Do students of teachers who did not achieve, withdrew, or were National Board Certification applicants realize greater achievement gains than their counterparts without such teachers?
3. All else equal, how do the student gains that are associated with several teacher quality indicators compare with one another?
4. Do gains associated with NBCTs vary across different student sub-populations?
   

Full text of study:

• From the CNA Web site
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