Document Type

Graduate Project

Date of Degree Completion

Summer 2008

Degree Name

Master of Education (MEd)

Department

Education

Committee Chair

Steven A. Schmitz

Second Committee Member

Don B. Woodcock

Third Committee Member

Connie Lambert

Abstract

If today's students are going to succeed they need quality teachers. To atiract and retain those teachers, we need to have a system to recognize and reward those teachers. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) was created to fill that need. This study presents the historical development of the Natio1ial Board Teacher Certification program, research on its effects on student learning, and the personal certification experience of a teacher practitioner. The high standards set by the NBPTS are commendable and worthy of being replicated in teacher training programs. These standards set the ground work for what teachers should be able to know and do to promote maximum student learning in their classrooms. Research has not conclusively detennined that being a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) makes one a more effective teacher, but other benefits to the teaching profession have resulted from the National Board Certification Process. Those benefits include increasing the professionalism of teaching by making candidates part of a larger learning community and increasing their opportunities to influence that community.

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