National Board Certified Teachers and HardtoStaff, Low Performing Schools

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National Board Certified Teachers and
Hard-to-Staff, Low Performing Schools
Barnett Berry CCSSO State Teacher Quality Network
June 2, 2005
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NBCTs Do Not Teach in HPS(except in California)
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NBCTs Do Not Teach in HMS (except in California)
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NBCTs Do Not Teach in LPS (except in California)
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LA NBCTs Do Not Teach in the Lowest Performing
Sub- District
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New Proposals

• Capping numbers of NBCTs limiting incentives
  for taking the assessment
• Pay NBCTs more only if they teach in
  hard-to-staff, low performing schools
• Federal Teacher Incentive Fund (pay effective
  teachers more for teaching in LPS

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Faulty Assumptions

• Salary and other financial incentives are
  sufficient
• Importing accomplished teachers is the key to the
  teaching quality problems in LPS
• NB process in and of itself has no professional
  development value for improving schools.

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The Evidence

• Limited, but compelling research on recruiting
  and retaining teachers for hard-to-staff schools
• National study of NBCTs in low performing schools
  (including SECTQ case of Adams in NC)
• Voices from Teacher Leaders Network

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Adams Elementary School (small, grades 3-5, 75
FRL)

• Nirvana in North Carolina
• 52 are NBCTs goal is 90 (100)
• NBCTs among the most respected in the school and
  teacher leadership is valued
• Principal and AP are NBCTs
• Teacher evaluation draws on NB standards and
  serves as an opportunity to push expectations
• Cross-grade curriculum mapping built on NB
  standards

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Adams Elementary SchoolThe Fruits of Their Labor

• School was rated as a North Carolina School of
  Distinction for 2002-2003 2003-04
• More than 80 of students now performing at grade
  level (up from less than 50 in recent years)

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The Bottom Line

• What We Know About NBCTs and Accomplished
  Teachers and hard-to-staff, low performing
  schools

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Accomplished teachers

• Do not work for weak principals.
• Do not teach where they cannot apply their
  teaching expertise
• Want to teach with kindred spirits
• Need right resources smaller case loads
• Need incentives

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NBCTs (and other accomplished teachers)

• Need school district leadership to understand
  embrace the NB process
• Need to use NB process to drive professional
  development
• May know how to teach but may not choose to lead.
  
• May want to lead but lack leadership skills
• Need P.D. in collaboration and cultural
  competence

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What Needs To Be Done

• Network states and districts willing to develop
  comprehensive action plans
• Chicago Public Education Fund
• National Education Association
• Venture capital funds
• Beyond pay for performance
• Documentation and dissemination of best practices
  and policies public engagement

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976 Martin Luther King, Jr. BLvd., Ste.
250 Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514 (919)
951-0200 SECTQ - www.teachingquality.org TLN -
www.teacherleaders.org