National Board Certification and Teacher Retention

Research documents that National Board Certification helps keep the most highly accomplished teachers in the classroom. 

• National Board Certification has a positive impact on student achievement, teacher retention and professional development. (National Research Council, 2008)
• In Florida, nearly 90 percent of NBCTs remain in teaching—which far exceeds the average 60 percent retention rate for all teachers statewide. (Florida Department of Education, 2008)
• Researchers found that, compared with non-board certified teachers, NBCTs in Ohio and South Carolina are more likely to indicate that they plan to remain in the teaching profession. (Sykes, Anagnostopoulos, Cannata, Chard, Frank, McCrory, & Wolfe, 2006)
• Researchers found that NBCTs were less likely to move between schools and districts or to leave the North Carolina public school system compared with teachers who never sought certification. These findings are based on an examination of the career paths of NBCTs in North Carolina over an eight-year period. (Goldhaber & Hansen, 2007)
• Many NBCTs provide mentoring and guidance to the new or struggling teachers who are most likely to leave within the first five years of teaching. (Sykes, et al., 2006; Yankelovich, 2001)
• Several studies show that a majority of those who have applied for certification (whether they are ultimately certified or not) report a better understanding of pedagogy, increased opportunities for taking on leadership roles, increased collegiality and renewed enthusiasm for teaching. (Jenkins, 2000; Lustick & Sykes, 2006; Sykes et al., 2006; Vandevoort et al., 2004; Wiebke, 2000)