Bringing Highly-Effective, Accomplished Teachers Into Our Classrooms

BY  DR.  JOSEPH A. AGUERREBERE

Every child living in America deserves to be taught by a highly-effective teacher. In addition to being highly effective, teachers who reflect the diversity of their students have an added benefit in that they frequently understand the cultural experiences of those they teach. That understanding can lead to higher expectations for students, increased graduation rates, and greater college opportunities.

While roughly half of the nation’s students are of color, only about 15 percent of teachers nationwide identify themselves as being of color.

As the nation works to find new ways to recruit a diverse teaching force to serve our nation’s schools, the fact remains that students need teachers who are not only diverse in background, but also accomplished and effective in their teaching practice. This commitment to diversity and excellence is reflected in the work of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), which developed and administers the standards and assessment process for National Board Certification. Teachers who achieve National Board Certification have demonstrated that they are not only effective and accomplished in their teaching subjects and teaching practices, but . among the nation’s best teachers. More than 10 percent of all National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) are of color, a figure that has nearly doubled in the past five years.

Research documents that National Board Certification improves student achievement, but also retains and recognizes effective teachers. For example, in the most rigorous and comprehensive study to date about National Board Certification, the National Research Council found that students taught by NBCTs make higher gains on achievement tests than students taught by other teachers.  Students of NBCTs, particularly minority students, scored 7-15 percentage points higher on year-end tests (Goldhaber and Anthony, 2004). In addition, NBCTs certified in math areas helped their 9^th and 10^th grade students achieve larger testing gains––with particular benefits among African American and Hispanic students (Cavalluzzo, 2004). Many NBCTs provide mentoring and guidance to new or struggling teachers who are most likely to leave within the first five years of teaching (Yankelovich, 2001; Sykes, et al., 2006).

To help increase the diversity of effective teachers, NBPTS is involved in collaborations with the nation’s HBCUs. Given that these institutions graduate 50 percent of African American teachers with bachelor’s degrees, programs like the Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s Teacher Quality and Retention Program are critical to the National Board’s work. In addition to recruiting minority teachers to serve in high-need rural and urban schools, the program also provides participants with three years of mentoring with a National Board Certified Teacher. That focus is critical to teacher retention in some of our nation’s most challenged schools, since teachers who experience early support are more likely to continue teaching than those who struggle on their own. Since the program’s inception, committed NBCTs have guided teachers of color into the world of quality teaching with supportive and caring mentor relationships.

In addition to our work with HBCUs, the National Board continues to focus on breaking down barriers to underrepresented groups participating in National Board programs through a variety of initiatives. The National Board’s Direct Recruitment Efforts to Attract Minorities (DREAM) Team, led primarily by NBCTs, recruits and supports teachers of color to pursue National Board Certification. NBPTS also works with Hispanic-serving institutions and Tribal Colleges and Universities to improve the quality of teaching through National Board programs.

The National Board’s Targeted High Need Initiative (THNI) program recruits and supports candidates serving in high-need schools—many located in underrepresented communities. THNI supports the development of Comprehensive Candidate Support Centers—cohorts of teachers participating in National Board programs.

The National Board is committed to ensuring that every student has access to effective, accomplished teachers––either directly in the classroom or through the leadership and mentoring of other teachers in their schools. Every day, accomplished teachers from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds are changing the lives of learners in classrooms across the nation. We urge all teachers of color to become candidates for National Board Certification or its related programs. Join us in advancing accomplished teaching and furthering our nation’s commitment to access and equity for all students.