News & Media
More than 4,000 Teachers Achieve National Board Certification, Profession’s Mark of Accomplished Teaching
December 3, 2014
Results Follow National Poll Showing Broad Public Demand for Certification ARLINGTON, Va. —December 3, 2014— In 2013-14, more than 4,000 teachers nationwide achieved National Board Certification through a performance-based, peer-review process similar to Board certification in medicine. To date, more than 110,000 teachers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia have achieved the profession’s gold standard for accomplished teaching, based on standards—created by teachers, for teachers—that define what teachers should know and be able to do to advance student learning. The results come on the heels of a nationwide poll released in September by PDK International and…
Read MoreHow Do You Make a Great Teacher?
December 1, 2014
Jessica Cuthbertson, NBCT, joins five other education professionals to answer the question, "How Do You Make a Great Teacher?" Cuthbertson proposes pre-service teachers should treat student teaching like a surgical residency. Smithsonian Magazine, Zócalo Public Square, December 1, 2014 Article
Read MoreSeven Prominent Education Leaders Join NBPTS Board of Directors
November 20, 2014
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, a nonprofit organization created by the teaching profession to set and maintain standards of accomplished practice, announced the election of seven prominent education leaders to its board of directors, including four National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs). Elections were held during its November Board meeting. “The seven new directors represent some of the brightest thinkers, most accomplished practitioners and strongest advocates within education today,” said Ronald Thorpe, president and CEO of the National Board. “From Dr. Deborah Ball, an expert on teacher preparation and development, to Rebecca Pringle, a top-ranking official at the NEA,…
Read MoreNational Board Appoints Pioneering STEM Education Leader Peggy Brookins, NBCT, as Executive Vice President
November 12, 2014
ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has named pioneering STEM educator Peggy Brookins as Executive Vice President, effective December 1st, 2014. A National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) who has championed a rigorous STEM education for all students, particularly girls and minority students, Brookins co-founded the Engineering and Manufacturing Institute of Technology (EMIT) at Forest High School in Ocala, Florida, in 1994. She will leave her dual role there as director and mathematics instructor in late November. In her 36 years in the profession, Brookins has received numerous honors, including being named a Florida Education Association “Everyday…
Read MoreCoalition Launches Roadmap for Transforming the Teacher and Principal Professions
October 7, 2014
WASHINGTON — More than 100 national, state and local civil rights, disability, rural, youth, higher education, principal and education advocacy organizations under the banner of the Coalition for Teaching Quality went to Capitol Hill today to urge Congress to push a comprehensive roadmap for ensuring students in every community have access to well-prepared and effective educators. At House and Senate briefings the coalition will press the importance of profession-ready and effective teachers and principals as key to advancing educational opportunity. “One of the most critical investments we can make is in high-quality education for our children, and that starts with…
Read More31 Organizations Pledge Support for Teach to Lead
October 6, 2014
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards announced today that 31 organizations have joined the Teach to Lead initiative as supporters in the effort to advance student learning by expanding opportunities for teacher leadership. Supporters include the National Education Association (NEA), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY). Each organization pledged to help engage the field and their members in various ways, including through social media, summits,…
Read MoreUS News: Americans want a bar exam for teachers
September 16, 2014
This article examines the results of a national opinion poll by PDK and Gallup, which found strong public support for Board certification for teachers. US News, Allie Bidwell Article
Read MorePDK/Gallup Poll Finds Strong Public Support for Board Certification for Teachers
September 16, 2014
ARLINGTON, Va. — More than 80 percent of Americans agreed that teachers should achieve Board certification in addition to be being licensed to practice, similar to professions like law and medicine, according to results from a national poll by PDK International and Gallup released today. The statement garnered the most positive overall response from respondents among the survey questions included in the 46th annual Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, published in the October issue of Kappan. In addition, 70 percent agreed that “new teachers should spend at least a year practicing under the guidance of a…
Read MoreResidency: Can it transform teaching the way it did medicine?
September 1, 2014
In this compelling article in PDK’s Kappan magazine, Ron Thorpe explores how the teaching profession can learn from the medical profession by adopting the residency model. Kappan, September 2014 issue. Article
Read MoreNew Online Community Seeks to Crowdsource Teacher Leadership to Improve Education
August 28, 2014
WASHINGTON — As students and teachers across the country head back to school, the U.S. Department of Education and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards today unveiled “Commit to Lead,” a new online community that makes it easy for educators to share ideas for teacher leadership and collaborate to bring them to fruition. The community enables educators everywhere to provide feedback and vote on each other’s ideas, allowing the most talked about ideas to rise to the top so they can gain traction and prominence in the field. Commit to Lead is the online platform of Teach to Lead,…
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