Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care? [img=/assets/blog/200712/nbct0024.jpg F:R]I have to say, I'm not all that into the whole NBCT thing. Is that bad? I mean, I get that it takes a lot of work to get through the process, and that not everyone succeeds. I'm not taking anything away from anyone individually. But as a policy initiative, I'm not so sure so sure it's what I would spend my money on. It seems like it's really expensive on an individual basis. And I'm not sure that the teachers end up where I'd most like them to be (in teams in schools that really need them). But perhaps these ideas are outdated, or things are different than I think they are. I remember someone telling me recently that students whose teachers scored high on the NBC tests showed higher gains in achievement than those who scored lower, or who took the test multiple times before passing. I didn't even know that NBCTs [u]could get[/u] different scores -- I thought it was pass-fail. Anyway, what do [u]you[/u] think? Is it a good program, whether you've done it or not? Is it helping kids in ways large enough to justify the time and money going into it? Let us know. In the meantime, Illinois has lots of NBCTs -- congrats to one and all. Read the ISBE presser after the jump.[#jump#] Illinois recognized as a leader for National Board Certified Teachers Illinois 4th in the nation with more than 500 achieving highest teaching credential in 2007; 2nd year Illinois attains national ranking SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois State Board of Education announced today that Illinois ranks fourth in the nation for having the highest number of teachers achieving National Board Certification in 2007. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) released the findings today as part of National Board Certification Day. This is the second year in a row that Illinois has been ranked fourth nationally for the number of new teachers achieving the profession’s highest credential. “This is an exciting day for education in Illinois. All success inside the classroom starts with the teacher. The quality of a teacher’s skills, practices and teaching knowledge is an essential component to raising student achievement,” said State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch. “I congratulate each and every National Board Certified Teacher in Illinois who has worked so hard to achieve this prestigious national certification.” In 2007, 511 Illinois teachers achieved National Board Certification, which is the highest credential in the teaching profession. That is an 18.6 percent increase over the number of teachers who achieved the recognition in 2006. Between 2001 and 2006, the number of National Board Certified Teachers in Illinois increased more than five fold – from 352 in 2001 to 1,986 in 2006. Illinois’ National Board Certified teachers are among the nearly 8,500 teachers nationwide who achieved the prestigious certification in 2007. There are now 63,281 National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in the United States. Nationally, Illinois continues to be among the leading states for the total number of teachers who have achieved this certification over time. "Here in Illinois we've made significant investments in education. Our ranking as fourth in the nation with the most new National Board Certified Teachers shows not just our administration's commitment to education, but the dedication and determination of our teachers," said Governor Rod R. Blagojevich. "I congratulate each of the more than 500 Illinois teachers who earned this national recognition and thank them for the work they do every day to inspire their students to learn and achieve." National Board Certification is a voluntary assessment program designed to recognize and reward great teachers—and make them better. Certification is achieved through a rigorous, performance-based assessment that typically takes one to three years to complete. As part of the process, teachers build a portfolio that includes student work samples, assignments, videotapes and a thorough analysis of their classroom teaching. Additionally, teachers are assessed on their knowledge of the subjects they teach. In May 2000, the Illinois State Board of Education began issuing Illinois Master Certificates valid for 10 years and renewal thereafter every 10 years through compliance with requirements set forth by the State Board of Education for NBCTs. Through state appropriations, ISBE also provides an annual $3,000 stipend for National Board Certified Teachers who hold the Illinois Master Certificate as defined by the Illinois Teacher Excellence Act. In addition, nationally certified teachers are eligible to receive an additional $1,000 if they provide 60 hours of mentoring and/or $3,000 to assist candidates teaching in academically at-risk schools or schools located in economically disadvantaged communities. More information about NBPTS and National Board Certification, visit the NBPTS web site at www.nbpts.org. A list of National Board Certified teachers in Illinois can be found online at: http://www.nbpts.org/resources/nbct_directory.
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Wed Dec 5, 2007 at 6:00 PM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
The NBC process was far more arduous than that of my M.Ed. I can't say that there's anything bad about a program that ask teachers to look at what they do in their classrooms (and why).
Teachers score points for 4 portfolio entries and 6 content assessments (half hour tests). Those points can be banked if a teacher does not achieve, and the teacher can choose to re-do entries or assessments with low scores in order to pass. Candidates can attempt NBC three times.
Teachers score points for 4 portfolio entries and 6 content assessments (half hour tests). Those points can be banked if a teacher does not achieve, and the teacher can choose to re-do entries or assessments with low scores in order to pass. Candidates can attempt NBC three times.
Wed Dec 5, 2007 at 6:24 PM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
I am constantly propositioned to take "the test" of which I continually decline. I do not think becoming NBCed will help me become more reflective towards a qualitative teaching pedagogy than I currently demonstrate almost each day.
I'd rather spend the time and money raising my three daughters into productive, happy Christian young women and working in an non-competitive and balanced state servicing my classroom students than using the time and money for the alternative -pursuing NBC.
Additionally, it seems to me that if doctors and attorneys, who make a lot more $ than teachers, do not have to pursue NBC in their practices to be considered "outstanding" etc, teachers should not feel pressured as well.
I also send my congratulations out to those who pursue and complete the process. I do not plan to be amongt you, but you go boys and girls!
I'd rather spend the time and money raising my three daughters into productive, happy Christian young women and working in an non-competitive and balanced state servicing my classroom students than using the time and money for the alternative -pursuing NBC.
Additionally, it seems to me that if doctors and attorneys, who make a lot more $ than teachers, do not have to pursue NBC in their practices to be considered "outstanding" etc, teachers should not feel pressured as well.
I also send my congratulations out to those who pursue and complete the process. I do not plan to be amongt you, but you go boys and girls!
Wed Dec 5, 2007 at 7:07 PM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
I'm currently in the middle of the NBC process. I am learning a ton about my current practice and how to improve it. The money will be nice (if I pass - I totally underestimated it's difficulty), but I didn't do it for the money. I like the challenge and the reflection. I know the process will make me a better teacher. Whether it's worth the state's money - I don't know, but I do know it's not the worst way they've spent it.
As for the comment above, doctors and lawyers don't have this, but their preparation programs and tests to enter the profession are more rigorous than ours. The basic skills test that pre-service teachers are required to take is an embarassment to the profession. In addition, both of those professions require three years or more of post-undergraduate work. Much more than the breeze of most masters degrees for teaching.
As for the comment above, doctors and lawyers don't have this, but their preparation programs and tests to enter the profession are more rigorous than ours. The basic skills test that pre-service teachers are required to take is an embarassment to the profession. In addition, both of those professions require three years or more of post-undergraduate work. Much more than the breeze of most masters degrees for teaching.
Wed Dec 5, 2007 at 8:23 PM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
Dear teacher
Lawyers make a living praying on fear. Doctors make a living praying on pain.
As a profession we teachers don’t yet realize our full potential earnings because we don’t
Pray on knowledge am not sure who has the right attitude.
Lawyers make a living praying on fear. Doctors make a living praying on pain.
As a profession we teachers don’t yet realize our full potential earnings because we don’t
Pray on knowledge am not sure who has the right attitude.
Wed Dec 5, 2007 at 10:30 PM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
Illinois has the 5th highest number of teachers, so the fact that they rank 4th in the number of NBC teachers is not that impressive.
Thu Dec 6, 2007 at 2:16 AM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
Come on! It's the holidays. Will somebody out there at least describe, in minute detail, how "The Box" has to be organized as part of the NBC finish line dash. Pretty please.
There's nothing wrong with jumping through hoops, as long as the Board can't get away with claiming that there is some kind of "super certification" that everybody should aspire to (instead of MA plus 45 or 60, which would be generally recommended for FNGs without children yet, or for veterans whose kids are now in college).
There's nothing wrong with jumping through hoops, as long as the Board can't get away with claiming that there is some kind of "super certification" that everybody should aspire to (instead of MA plus 45 or 60, which would be generally recommended for FNGs without children yet, or for veterans whose kids are now in college).
Thu Dec 6, 2007 at 9:42 AM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
Just to echo one of the above comments, to say that doctors or lawyers don't have to go through an NBC type process is ridiculous. Talk to a medical who has pulled a 30 hour shift or a lawyer who just finished studying for the bar exam or a doctor who is taking their board exam.
What teachers do to become certified embarassingly pails in comparison to what many other professionals go through to become full-fledged members of their profession. To me it is the biggest reason why it is also ridiculous to compare the salaries of doctors or lawyers to teachers.
Honestly, I wish a process like NBC was the norm for ordinary state certification, especially compared to the Illinois certification tests, which anyone who has graduated from high school should be able to finish while half asleep.
What teachers do to become certified embarassingly pails in comparison to what many other professionals go through to become full-fledged members of their profession. To me it is the biggest reason why it is also ridiculous to compare the salaries of doctors or lawyers to teachers.
Honestly, I wish a process like NBC was the norm for ordinary state certification, especially compared to the Illinois certification tests, which anyone who has graduated from high school should be able to finish while half asleep.
Thu Dec 6, 2007 at 10:31 AM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
The meaning of 1:04's entry changes depending on whether he really meant "praying" or if he meant "preying". Normally I don't go after typos, but in this case, the meaning changes depending on which word was meant.
I don't know whether teacher certification is an embarrassment today. In the days of Laura Ingalls Wilder out on the frontier, the requirements were that the prospective teacher be 16, single and able to pass a test. That test was completely knowledge based--no questions about child psyche, pedagogy, etc. The teacher who passed was granted a certificate to teach and if she could get a school, went in to teach it. No student teacher phase, no prep etc. So, today's student teaching program is a definite improvement over what was. Also, the 4 year education required by most states that emphasizes child development (for elementary school teachers) and psychology is probably also an improvement.
So the field has come a ways since what it was. The desire for better prepared and higher quality teachers has to be balanced, however, with the need for enough teachers to fill the classrooms. As the baby boomer teachers start retiring and the baby boomer echo starts happening simultaneously, staffing's going to be a stiff challenge so I don't see NBCT becoming a requirement just to get in the door.
I don't know whether teacher certification is an embarrassment today. In the days of Laura Ingalls Wilder out on the frontier, the requirements were that the prospective teacher be 16, single and able to pass a test. That test was completely knowledge based--no questions about child psyche, pedagogy, etc. The teacher who passed was granted a certificate to teach and if she could get a school, went in to teach it. No student teacher phase, no prep etc. So, today's student teaching program is a definite improvement over what was. Also, the 4 year education required by most states that emphasizes child development (for elementary school teachers) and psychology is probably also an improvement.
So the field has come a ways since what it was. The desire for better prepared and higher quality teachers has to be balanced, however, with the need for enough teachers to fill the classrooms. As the baby boomer teachers start retiring and the baby boomer echo starts happening simultaneously, staffing's going to be a stiff challenge so I don't see NBCT becoming a requirement just to get in the door.
Thu Dec 6, 2007 at 11:10 AM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
In response to John wondering what an FNG was, it is a military acronym for F#!@ing New Guy.
Thu Dec 6, 2007 at 12:53 PM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
I went through National Board two years ago and although I hated it went I went through, it definitely changed my teaching for the better. I think the place it has the most value is in its difficulty to complete. Regardless of the money being offered, the work required alone shows a willingness to improve ones craft. As Edna stated, there are a variety of ways to show this dedication and NBC is not without its flaws (bad teachers can BS their way through sometimes) but teachers are one of the main keys of improving education. We needs ways to celebrate those in the ranks who are trying to know more today than they did yesterday about their craft. I'm proud of "achieving" (weird term) but I don't think it is a perfect system.
Fri Dec 7, 2007 at 2:41 AM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
FNG in CPS means "Flowers of the New Generation."
Any military references are probably being misunderstood. Those new classroom recruits at place like Clemente this year (er., those who've survived this far) are not simply "raw meat." They're salvation. And the Shake and Bake officers running those places, ditto. Salvation corner. (Just as long as reality conforms to Power Point).
This year's crop of FNGs are the hope of the future. This process of denigrating experience and adulating naivity is being pushed by the same people doing all the rest of this racist nonsense. It's also happening (by the way) in other cities too (my favorite being New York). Novices brought in (like the FNG principals) to save Chicago (New York; New Orleans) from veteran (union) teachers (who are, as every right thinking person knows, the problem).
The FNG principal story is even funnier, especially this year, given that Chicago has hyped this process of Shake-and-Bake principals and "fast track" leadership models. There is nothing like experience to disqualify you from a job that requires experience. Just look at Arne Duncan and most of the guys and gals on the Fifth Floor at Clark St. (My favorite of all time, as everyone here knows, is "New Schools" where inexperience is the most important criterion, and you can get an "outstanding teacher" award even if you've never really taught long enough for anyone to know whether you can teach or not, like Hosannah did before moving on to other visionary frontiers).
National Board Certification is just a part of the general attack on urban public schools. The fact that some very good people do it doesn't change the dialectic of that reality. People aren't moving to Wilmette or Lake Forest (and sending their kids to those towns' public schools) after asking, "How many NBC teachers do you have here?"
At base, there is a great deal of teacher bashing in this whole phenomenon, no matter how many cheerleaders it has. To sustain it, you have to have bought into the belief that things were SO BAD before salvation arrived that ANYTHING IS BETTER. It's why we recently required a long perusal of "The Schock Doctrine." There are only so many times you can hear Chicken Little screaming before you have to ask who's paying her.
National Board Certification is also a process made for the relatively new or the very veteran, since teachers with families (usually, mid-career) don't usually have the time to hump all the joops. What's wrong with an MA or more?
Any military references are probably being misunderstood. Those new classroom recruits at place like Clemente this year (er., those who've survived this far) are not simply "raw meat." They're salvation. And the Shake and Bake officers running those places, ditto. Salvation corner. (Just as long as reality conforms to Power Point).
This year's crop of FNGs are the hope of the future. This process of denigrating experience and adulating naivity is being pushed by the same people doing all the rest of this racist nonsense. It's also happening (by the way) in other cities too (my favorite being New York). Novices brought in (like the FNG principals) to save Chicago (New York; New Orleans) from veteran (union) teachers (who are, as every right thinking person knows, the problem).
The FNG principal story is even funnier, especially this year, given that Chicago has hyped this process of Shake-and-Bake principals and "fast track" leadership models. There is nothing like experience to disqualify you from a job that requires experience. Just look at Arne Duncan and most of the guys and gals on the Fifth Floor at Clark St. (My favorite of all time, as everyone here knows, is "New Schools" where inexperience is the most important criterion, and you can get an "outstanding teacher" award even if you've never really taught long enough for anyone to know whether you can teach or not, like Hosannah did before moving on to other visionary frontiers).
National Board Certification is just a part of the general attack on urban public schools. The fact that some very good people do it doesn't change the dialectic of that reality. People aren't moving to Wilmette or Lake Forest (and sending their kids to those towns' public schools) after asking, "How many NBC teachers do you have here?"
At base, there is a great deal of teacher bashing in this whole phenomenon, no matter how many cheerleaders it has. To sustain it, you have to have bought into the belief that things were SO BAD before salvation arrived that ANYTHING IS BETTER. It's why we recently required a long perusal of "The Schock Doctrine." There are only so many times you can hear Chicken Little screaming before you have to ask who's paying her.
National Board Certification is also a process made for the relatively new or the very veteran, since teachers with families (usually, mid-career) don't usually have the time to hump all the joops. What's wrong with an MA or more?
Fri Dec 7, 2007 at 2:54 AM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
That reference was to Naomi Klein's "The Shock Doctrine" (sorry about the "Schock" schlock. As the children say: "My Bad").
Klein's book is a good read for this holiday season, although expect to be depressed as you learn why Arne Duncan' was the "right" guy to be head honcho of CPS in the current era. (And of course Paul Vallas for New Orleans post Katrina).
But the counter narrative doesn't begin or end there.
In January, we'll offer up Jerry Bracey's latest "Rotten Apples" and a long look back on the coverup of the Sandia Report's dissection of "A Nation at Risk." We continue that excavation of reality so as to show how everybody who wanted to bash public schools could proceed to date their privatization attacks on us from the Reagan administration and "A Nation At Risk" -- instead of some reality based look at things.
And since Diane Ravitch continues to be around to pontificate on these things like a bad case of herpes, our commentary will have national resonance.
For y'all FNGs who went to school after the new reality became the official canon of public schools history, it can help you understand how this teacher bashing stuff stuff didn't begin with George W. Bush's WMD fantasies and malapropisms. And why many of us are skeptical about certain candidates and policies being offered as an alternative by some of the candidates of the Democratic Party.
In February, the reality based community will continue with a look at some actual Chicago public school history. That will take place while Big Brother continues to exclude the main facts of history and continue the whitewash of Harold Washington's contributions to public schools (not exclusionary schools at public expense). That all will be just in time for Entrepreneurial Minority History Month (formerly, "Black History Month").
Klein's book is a good read for this holiday season, although expect to be depressed as you learn why Arne Duncan' was the "right" guy to be head honcho of CPS in the current era. (And of course Paul Vallas for New Orleans post Katrina).
But the counter narrative doesn't begin or end there.
In January, we'll offer up Jerry Bracey's latest "Rotten Apples" and a long look back on the coverup of the Sandia Report's dissection of "A Nation at Risk." We continue that excavation of reality so as to show how everybody who wanted to bash public schools could proceed to date their privatization attacks on us from the Reagan administration and "A Nation At Risk" -- instead of some reality based look at things.
And since Diane Ravitch continues to be around to pontificate on these things like a bad case of herpes, our commentary will have national resonance.
For y'all FNGs who went to school after the new reality became the official canon of public schools history, it can help you understand how this teacher bashing stuff stuff didn't begin with George W. Bush's WMD fantasies and malapropisms. And why many of us are skeptical about certain candidates and policies being offered as an alternative by some of the candidates of the Democratic Party.
In February, the reality based community will continue with a look at some actual Chicago public school history. That will take place while Big Brother continues to exclude the main facts of history and continue the whitewash of Harold Washington's contributions to public schools (not exclusionary schools at public expense). That all will be just in time for Entrepreneurial Minority History Month (formerly, "Black History Month").
Fri Dec 7, 2007 at 6:19 AM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
There's nothing wrong with an MA, and in fact, as the portfolio instructions for the components of entry 4 indicate, one important aspect necessary for achievement is "teacher as learner"...
I suspect the process threatens some people because teaching isn't their passion, or they cannot be reflective. There is a risk in NBC that does not come with a Masters... the risk of failure. It's much easier to sit around on a message board in the middle of the night bashing people than to attempt National Board Certification yourself.
I have known several mothers of young children who achieved. Achievement is a matter of wanting to be a better teacher. Those who are drawn in to the process by the prospects of more money tend to drop out.
I suspect the process threatens some people because teaching isn't their passion, or they cannot be reflective. There is a risk in NBC that does not come with a Masters... the risk of failure. It's much easier to sit around on a message board in the middle of the night bashing people than to attempt National Board Certification yourself.
I have known several mothers of young children who achieved. Achievement is a matter of wanting to be a better teacher. Those who are drawn in to the process by the prospects of more money tend to drop out.
Fri Dec 7, 2007 at 8:44 AM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
George, How the hell is National Board Certification an attack on teachers? That might be just about the most idiotic thing I've read to date. The only reason you don't like it is because it's on Arne Duncan's new greatest hits list.
National Board Certification is an opportunity for teachers to improve and reflect upon their teaching craft. Everyone I know who has done it thought it was absolute hell during the process, but they also all were convinced that it improved their teaching in the end. It is an incredibly rigorous process with very high standards, so of course those teachers who complete it are going to be lauded and deservedly so.
All professions have different degrees of standards that individuals are able to aspire to, why should teaching be any different. If you want the profession to be respected like law or medicine than you have to be willing to raise the standards of the profession. An optional learning experience for professional betterment is not an attack on the profession. The only attack I see on teachers here is from the person who does not see the potential in his colleagues to strive for something greater than the traditional standards set out for teachers.
National Board Certification is an opportunity for teachers to improve and reflect upon their teaching craft. Everyone I know who has done it thought it was absolute hell during the process, but they also all were convinced that it improved their teaching in the end. It is an incredibly rigorous process with very high standards, so of course those teachers who complete it are going to be lauded and deservedly so.
All professions have different degrees of standards that individuals are able to aspire to, why should teaching be any different. If you want the profession to be respected like law or medicine than you have to be willing to raise the standards of the profession. An optional learning experience for professional betterment is not an attack on the profession. The only attack I see on teachers here is from the person who does not see the potential in his colleagues to strive for something greater than the traditional standards set out for teachers.
Sat Dec 8, 2007 at 10:47 AM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
I'm currently pursuing National Board Certification through CTU's Nurturing Teacher Leadership program. It is far and away the best teacher training and professional development I have ever experienced.
In terms of personal financial cost, my expense for this year-long professional development is less than 1.5% of what my Master's degree took out of my pocket. I can only guess what the total cost of Board Certification is, but from what I know the overall financial burden is a drop in the bucket compared to both my undergrad and graduate studies.
On the whole teacher training is painfully inadequate. The biggest difference between a master's program and Board Certification is that NBC is intensely focused on what exactly happens in your own classrooms and why. Theory is wonderful, but the type of deep, structured, and rigorous self-evaluation of classroom effectiveness required by NBC is invaluable. This hands-on analysis, like in any other profession, is a powerful tool and motivator for positive change.
The NBPTS emphasis on teachers as learners, leaders, and collaborators is one of its more important attributes. The idea that teachers should continually improve by actively participating in these three key areas is correct. The standard professional development required to remain certified by the state, and that same PD as offered by CPS, simply can't compare to the impact National Board Certification has on students, teachers, and schools.
Board certification does not guarantee one will become the best teacher on the planet, but, more than any other teacher training I've ever seen, I believe it absolutely results in a vastly improved professional in the true sense of the word.
In terms of personal financial cost, my expense for this year-long professional development is less than 1.5% of what my Master's degree took out of my pocket. I can only guess what the total cost of Board Certification is, but from what I know the overall financial burden is a drop in the bucket compared to both my undergrad and graduate studies.
On the whole teacher training is painfully inadequate. The biggest difference between a master's program and Board Certification is that NBC is intensely focused on what exactly happens in your own classrooms and why. Theory is wonderful, but the type of deep, structured, and rigorous self-evaluation of classroom effectiveness required by NBC is invaluable. This hands-on analysis, like in any other profession, is a powerful tool and motivator for positive change.
The NBPTS emphasis on teachers as learners, leaders, and collaborators is one of its more important attributes. The idea that teachers should continually improve by actively participating in these three key areas is correct. The standard professional development required to remain certified by the state, and that same PD as offered by CPS, simply can't compare to the impact National Board Certification has on students, teachers, and schools.
Board certification does not guarantee one will become the best teacher on the planet, but, more than any other teacher training I've ever seen, I believe it absolutely results in a vastly improved professional in the true sense of the word.
Sat Dec 8, 2007 at 1:23 PM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
As principal of school with six NBCTs, I can say that each of them is exceptional. The process itself--which requires teachers to really examine practice and reflect on it--is powerful. We should only be encouraging more of our teachers to become involved.
I agree with "Current NBC Candidate": the teachers who go through this do have an intense impact across the board. They have taken on leadership roles and continue to talk with others and work on how to best reach students.
Isn't that what we want?
I agree with "Current NBC Candidate": the teachers who go through this do have an intense impact across the board. They have taken on leadership roles and continue to talk with others and work on how to best reach students.
Isn't that what we want?
Sat Dec 8, 2007 at 4:42 PM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
Reflection of current practice is goal that all teachers should strive for. Unfortunately, much of the discussion about education and how to best reach black children (or other oppressed race) is done in a vacuum that ignores the reality of the world in which we live. I'm curious if the NBCT process (which I have considered pursuing) teaches teachers about how to teach children about how to acheive collective social and economic justice. I also wonder how much NCBT educates teachers to reflect on how we as educators hold back our students from creating meaningful change because the ultimate goal is help some of the students leave their communities to chase the "American Dream" instead of transforming their communities. Within a generation, the Civil Rights Movement has been reversed, and all of the sacrifice, suffering, and death that occured from the 1920's through 1960's to create equal access for Blacks has evaporated. America's pie is rapidly shrinking, and certain sub-groups are expendable. More importantly, Blacks of lesser means politically and economically are exploitable, which means that the current nationwide practice of denying equal opportunity through our school systems provides a future job market for the sons and daughters of today's cops, po's, lawyers, judges, etc in the way of the criminal injustice system (think plantation). That's why the CPD is and has been an occupying army in most of our communities. Many of my students will have a diffucult time even getting a job not because they have done anything wrong but because they have been "contacted" by the police and therefore have a record (not criminal) that future employers will use to discriminate. Not fair, not legal you ask? So what - go hire a lawyer on your poverty level wages and fight for your "due process" or "rights". Maybe you'll win or maybe you'll be homeless. Yes, it's that serious nowdays. The powers that be need raw product to keep the assembly line going. As a mentor once told me: " It's the teachers who hold back the students, if your not putting your career on the the line to acheive justice for your students, then your not doing your job. Perpetuating a system that continues to make sure only a handful "make it" is not educating, it placating the masses" Another person once told me that being a teacher is one of the most political things you can ever do. I didn't understand then but I do now. I'd love to see a cadre of NCBT teachers in all schools along with the support and resources that that are currently the exclusive provence of a small segment of CPS. In fact those schools at the bottom should receive even more, since they are the end product of a white supremacist system that has been passed on for dozens of generations. The NCBT process should also include a social and geopolitical component that requires candidates to demonstrate a commitment to understanding the intense and ovewhelming commitent required to teach in todays urban, general enrollment population that allows children to learn how to transform their generation and communities. The NCBT discussion is a good one - but it's not asking the right questions. It will supplant the real discussion of how nearly 40 years after King was assassinated what have we really gained and how does our teaching practice reflect keeping this tradition alive. As the students often say: Black History Month is so lame! Yes we no longer have the blatant symbols of White supremacy, but have those on the bottom risen, and if so, where is the evidence? King's legacy was about so much more than whether or not we get a table at Denny's or shop at Macy's. Our collective ignorance and amnesia has made this possible.
I'd like to see a NCBT teacher in every classroom - along with a requirement that the process include a commitment to teach in a general enrollment urban school(especially one that recieves little resources and support). Furthermore, the NCBT process must include a social and geopolitical component that every teacher demonstrate how they are transforming their students lives and communities. As the African American community continues to slip further into the abyss, I recall the timeless wisdom of Carter G. Woodson in " The Miseducation Of The Negro" in which he says the with our education system the rest of the world wonders what the Negro is good for? This is the fundamental question that should be asked and answered for any teacher who proposes to lead or teach Black children or any other race that collectively rests at the bottom.
I'd like to see a NCBT teacher in every classroom - along with a requirement that the process include a commitment to teach in a general enrollment urban school(especially one that recieves little resources and support). Furthermore, the NCBT process must include a social and geopolitical component that every teacher demonstrate how they are transforming their students lives and communities. As the African American community continues to slip further into the abyss, I recall the timeless wisdom of Carter G. Woodson in " The Miseducation Of The Negro" in which he says the with our education system the rest of the world wonders what the Negro is good for? This is the fundamental question that should be asked and answered for any teacher who proposes to lead or teach Black children or any other race that collectively rests at the bottom.
Sat Dec 8, 2007 at 5:03 PM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
I know Alan Mather. There is no way he would ever blog on this website. He is far too intelligent to post such an elementary blog.
Sat Dec 8, 2007 at 6:59 PM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
Sorry for the typos and other errors - I'm still getting used to this new site
Sat Dec 8, 2007 at 10:08 PM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
Here is a link to the NBPTS 5 core propositions:
http://www.nbpts.org/the_standards/the_five_core_propositio
http://www.nbpts.org/the_standards/the_five_core_propositio
Sun Dec 9, 2007 at 7:18 PM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
Jody Ellis,
Why are you so sure Alan Mather would never write on this blog? And what exactly was wrong with his post? It seemed okay to me, and I know him too.
Why are you so sure Alan Mather would never write on this blog? And what exactly was wrong with his post? It seemed okay to me, and I know him too.
Mon Dec 10, 2007 at 3:36 AM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
"George, How the hell is National Board Certification an attack on teachers? That might be just about the most idiotic thing I've read to date..." (Charlie).
Even given the conventions of blogging, Charlie, you obviously have a small and rather narrow reading list. Are you listening? Or just hammering back here, like some people do. Well, here goes (again). As you learned in teacher school, when a student doesn't get it, try repetition.
While it's nice that teachers in Chicago get NBC status, the key is that all teachers be certified by their state, regularly and professionally supervised, able to work in collegial conditions with adequate supplies and a system of security that ensures their safety and that of their students. In a system where many of topmost dogs (starting with Arne Duncan) have neither certification nor experience, something is amiss.
And to be honest, I'd be much more comfortable if just about every office in the hierarchy were staffed with NBC teacher veterans than with the jokes currently being paid $100,000 or more up there. Context is important. The management context of CPS at the present moment is, as I've said, ludicrous and based on several major educational and management follies, each of which has to be named, described, and excised.
Anyway, let's start with Illinois certified teachers with BA degrees. Minimum professional standard. For administrators, professional credentials for whatever it is they are doing (Type 75, other, depending on the job -- just like Evanston, New Trier, or the Glenbards and Glenbrooks). You see, I've opposed this "urban only" deregulation of administration from the beginning as a racist abstraction, and I'll continue to do so. Even challenged Paul Vallas about it in the CTU House of Delegates when the Reece crowd (now the Stewart crowd) was cheering Vallas on.
Chicago (and other cities) didn't need deregulated marketized public schools -- just better public schools in all communities (including those serving the children from the poorest families).
So begin with reasonable professional regulation. No exceptions. Especially at the "top" where the greatest damage to everything can be done. (See, for example, IMPACT and "People Soft", the CPS payroll and tax reporting systems for current examples of what incompetence at the top results in).
After that, for both the classroom and administrations, advanced degrees should help for those who have to teach specific fields. Specific study of certain topics, depending upon the certificate needed.
National Board Certification is outside of all that, and the question is "Why?" It's nice, but it's a "So what?" To choose to pump it up when the "CEO" is an overpaid, undercompetent bubblehead who just repeats the corporate party line is to divert attention.
One of the main functional reasons, which you can hear every day in the media propaganda about "What's wrong with [Chicago] schools?" (or with public schools in general) is the drumbeat that amounts to "Good Teacher/Bad Teacher", a game that falls right alongside "Good Kid/Bad Kid" in the repertoire of divide and conquer. The funniest literary example I know is the Dr. Seuss book about the Sneeches.
But to get to a closer example here. It's nice to know what the principal of Lindblom things about his NBC teachers. Does this mean that the rest of the Lindblom staff is made up of teachers who are not "exceptional" -- or that the rest of the CPS teaching force is not "taking on leadership roles and continue(ing) to talk with others and work on how to best reach students."
Hope this helps, Charlie. You know how to get in contact if you ever want to discuss these huge issues in a serious way (blogging's not; read yesterday's New York Times public editor, a great insight into the sidelights of this stuff).
Oh, and the guess what? Some of the best teachers I've seen in action are National Board Certified. And some of the best teachers I've seen in action are not. It's really an interesting "So what?" I guess at least NBC status (so long as it's not part of some strange divide and conquer shtick) is OK.
But, really, what's the point when we just wasted 12 years in corporate fantasyland and the schools that needed the most help got the least and are now being closed and privatized by the same people who are bringing your the drumbeat for NBC...
Even given the conventions of blogging, Charlie, you obviously have a small and rather narrow reading list. Are you listening? Or just hammering back here, like some people do. Well, here goes (again). As you learned in teacher school, when a student doesn't get it, try repetition.
While it's nice that teachers in Chicago get NBC status, the key is that all teachers be certified by their state, regularly and professionally supervised, able to work in collegial conditions with adequate supplies and a system of security that ensures their safety and that of their students. In a system where many of topmost dogs (starting with Arne Duncan) have neither certification nor experience, something is amiss.
And to be honest, I'd be much more comfortable if just about every office in the hierarchy were staffed with NBC teacher veterans than with the jokes currently being paid $100,000 or more up there. Context is important. The management context of CPS at the present moment is, as I've said, ludicrous and based on several major educational and management follies, each of which has to be named, described, and excised.
Anyway, let's start with Illinois certified teachers with BA degrees. Minimum professional standard. For administrators, professional credentials for whatever it is they are doing (Type 75, other, depending on the job -- just like Evanston, New Trier, or the Glenbards and Glenbrooks). You see, I've opposed this "urban only" deregulation of administration from the beginning as a racist abstraction, and I'll continue to do so. Even challenged Paul Vallas about it in the CTU House of Delegates when the Reece crowd (now the Stewart crowd) was cheering Vallas on.
Chicago (and other cities) didn't need deregulated marketized public schools -- just better public schools in all communities (including those serving the children from the poorest families).
So begin with reasonable professional regulation. No exceptions. Especially at the "top" where the greatest damage to everything can be done. (See, for example, IMPACT and "People Soft", the CPS payroll and tax reporting systems for current examples of what incompetence at the top results in).
After that, for both the classroom and administrations, advanced degrees should help for those who have to teach specific fields. Specific study of certain topics, depending upon the certificate needed.
National Board Certification is outside of all that, and the question is "Why?" It's nice, but it's a "So what?" To choose to pump it up when the "CEO" is an overpaid, undercompetent bubblehead who just repeats the corporate party line is to divert attention.
One of the main functional reasons, which you can hear every day in the media propaganda about "What's wrong with [Chicago] schools?" (or with public schools in general) is the drumbeat that amounts to "Good Teacher/Bad Teacher", a game that falls right alongside "Good Kid/Bad Kid" in the repertoire of divide and conquer. The funniest literary example I know is the Dr. Seuss book about the Sneeches.
But to get to a closer example here. It's nice to know what the principal of Lindblom things about his NBC teachers. Does this mean that the rest of the Lindblom staff is made up of teachers who are not "exceptional" -- or that the rest of the CPS teaching force is not "taking on leadership roles and continue(ing) to talk with others and work on how to best reach students."
Hope this helps, Charlie. You know how to get in contact if you ever want to discuss these huge issues in a serious way (blogging's not; read yesterday's New York Times public editor, a great insight into the sidelights of this stuff).
Oh, and the guess what? Some of the best teachers I've seen in action are National Board Certified. And some of the best teachers I've seen in action are not. It's really an interesting "So what?" I guess at least NBC status (so long as it's not part of some strange divide and conquer shtick) is OK.
But, really, what's the point when we just wasted 12 years in corporate fantasyland and the schools that needed the most help got the least and are now being closed and privatized by the same people who are bringing your the drumbeat for NBC...
Mon Dec 10, 2007 at 11:44 AM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
here's the CPS presser touting the 208 new NBCTs -- has anyone seen a list or map of what schools they're at? it used to be mostly northside schools, though some switched to sherman etc. to help with turnarounds ( i think)
Dec. 10, 2007
More CPS Teachers Than Ever Earn National Education Credentials
Total of Nationally Board Certified Teachers Reaches New High of 208 This Year
WHO: Mayor Richard M. Daley
Arne Duncan, CEO, Chicago Public Schools
Ald. Freddrenna M. Lyle, 6th Ward, City of Chicago
National Board Certified teachers
WHAT: Mayor Richard M. Daley and Chicago Public Schools announce a new all-time high of nationally board certified teachers in the district.
WHEN: Monday, Dec. 10
11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Burnside Scholastic Academy
650 E. 91st Place
Mayor Richard M. Daley and Arne Duncan, CEO of Chicago Public Schools, announce that 208 CPS teachers received certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards this year. This certification is the highest credential an educator can earn.
The 208 total is the highest one-year certification number ever for Chicago Public School, besting last year’s total of 171. The CPS has the second-highest number of newly certified teachers this year, nationally, and the district’s total of 860 NBCTs in the district is the sixth-highest cumulative total in the nation.
Dec. 10, 2007
More CPS Teachers Than Ever Earn National Education Credentials
Total of Nationally Board Certified Teachers Reaches New High of 208 This Year
WHO: Mayor Richard M. Daley
Arne Duncan, CEO, Chicago Public Schools
Ald. Freddrenna M. Lyle, 6th Ward, City of Chicago
National Board Certified teachers
WHAT: Mayor Richard M. Daley and Chicago Public Schools announce a new all-time high of nationally board certified teachers in the district.
WHEN: Monday, Dec. 10
11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Burnside Scholastic Academy
650 E. 91st Place
Mayor Richard M. Daley and Arne Duncan, CEO of Chicago Public Schools, announce that 208 CPS teachers received certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards this year. This certification is the highest credential an educator can earn.
The 208 total is the highest one-year certification number ever for Chicago Public School, besting last year’s total of 171. The CPS has the second-highest number of newly certified teachers this year, nationally, and the district’s total of 860 NBCTs in the district is the sixth-highest cumulative total in the nation.
Mon Dec 10, 2007 at 4:54 PM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
I would be more impressed if CPS had the highest percentage of PhDs nationally of any school district. Not fake PhDs from internet schools in Education Administration, but real PhDs in math, biology, english, and yes education from real universities.
Mon Dec 10, 2007 at 4:58 PM
Lotsa Nationally Certified Teachers -- Do I Care?
the question isn't about individual benefit -- let's assume everyone benefits from participating -- but rather is the cost of providing the program (delivery of PD, time to complete, and bonus pay) getting us measurably better teachers in schools or parts of the city where we need them most? if you had $10-50K per teacher to spend (i'm making these numbers up) is this what you'd do with that money?
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