We know there are many NBCTs who believe in the value of the NBC process and want other teachers to have the opportunity. We have heard from them on the blog and through emails. And we know there are many NBCTs who have used multiple different strategies to recruit, mentor, read, or support groups. The question for me is how to network those NBCTs with experience with those NBCTs who want to bring the process to their teaching colleagues. Share your experiences and ideas to help the NBCT community to learn from one another about recruitment.
With the opening of the window for the Illinois application fee support on February 15, there is much activity in Illinois for recruiting NBPTS candidates. NBCT Regional Coordinators and Candidate Cohort Facilitators, Chicago Public Schools, and the Chicago Teachers Union have been actively setting up awareness presentations, talking to teachers individually and in small groups, working with principals and district administrators, blast emailing, and distributing flyers. Many NBCTs are recruiting teachers on their own. The NBRC website has podcasts, powerpoints, documents, and resources to support candidates and NBCTs. What have you done that may help other NBCTs?
The National Board Resource Center has received many calls and emails from NBCTs seeking resources to share with teachers and administrators. We have received more requests than in past years for information from teachers wanting to learn about National Board Certification and from administrators wanting to know how to recruit and build support for their teachers. What can you tell other NBCTs about how you connected with teachers or leaders in your school or district?
We know that the best advocates for the value of the process are NBCTs. There are over 5,000 in Illinois. Imagine if each one recruited just one candidate. Though a wonderful dream, this would be too much for the state budget of $1 million dollars. Imagine if NBCTs led whole schools or departments or grade levels of teachers through the process. Oh, we do not have to imagine this because NBCTs have done this in all parts of the state and they have shared that it made a difference in their teaching, conversations, and students. Imagine if NBCTs sought out principals and key administrators in districts and ROEs to begin conversations about the value of NBC and designed unique support systems for their school or district or ROE area Yes, that too has been happening in many places. Imagine informal wonderful conversations among NBCTs and teachers who are interested in improving their teaching practice by analyzing their decisions through the process. Again this has been happening for years. Let us know what you think or did?
The Illinois budget of $1 million dollars can support the fee for 500 candidates. We are waiting to hear about federal matching funds, which may help us to support 800 or more candidates. The new legislation outlines the first priority is for teachers in in low performing poverty schools and the second priority is for teachers in other schools. Visit the NBRC website to find more explanations and the application site.
Let us know through this blog what you are doing to help teachers who are ready for NBC to access the application fee. Ask NBCTs your questions. Let’s start a professional discussion to share strategies.
I went to see the documentary film, “The Mitchell 20” last night and was so inspired. I encourage NBCTs and educational leaders to visit the website, find funding, and host a showing in your area for teachers, principals, administrators, school board members, ROE/ISC, legislators, parents, the press, and whoever else influences what teachers do in the classroom. This 1 ½ hour documentary shows the reality of the rigor of the NBC process and how teacher-led professional development using the NBC process can improve a school and student learning. The film showed the reality of trying to reach the highest standard in today’s contexts.
The sole NBCT in Arizona’s Mitchell School led the 20 teachers and their principal who chose to complete either the whole NBC process or Take One! so they could take the risk to open their classrooms and their thinking to one another in their school through classroom visits, videotapes, and in-depth conversations. The camera followed them and the teachers and principal spoke from the beginning of the process through notification day and one year later. We saw glimpses of their classroom and their teaching. The film also shared the emotionally charged interference from the district superintendent, consequences, and how the teachers suffered and remained committed to the students of Mitchell School. There were cameo appearances from Linda Darling-Hammond, Arne Duncan, Joe Aguerreberre, and others sharing their beliefs that quality teachers are the key to student learning and that the teachers at Mitchell School showed the right way to build an effective school.
Here are some of my highlights.
- You can see the teacher’s commitment in their eyes—anticipation as they began, joy when working with students, exhaustion when working after school and at home, tearful when pressures interfered with their progress, disappointment when they did not achieve, and determination when trying to lead.
- My heart raced and I tensed up as we saw the teachers wait as the computers booted on Friday morning at 7:00 as they waited to see their letter on the screen. It was so true to reality. You could feel the celebration and heartbreak.
- I felt the frustration as they experienced budget cuts, transfers, and resignations while all along remaining committed to the students and National Board. Again the film stayed true to reality.
- I felt such pride in our profession for the sacrifice and quiet leadership under stress as these teachers sacrificed and attempted to make a difference in children’s learning.
This film was not just about National Board Certification. It showed the reality of what accomplished teachers do every day in the face of student needs, budget cuts, changing policies and programs, and questionable power moves. Teachers remained committed to their students and believed they could learn. They continued to learn about their students and subjects and how to teach them while consistently monitoring students’ learning. Most importantly, teachers constantly reflected and analyzed how their teaching decisions impacted their students’ learning and figured out how to improve. I believe there are many more stories in our communities, state and nation because so many teachers, NBCTs, and principals are trying to live the 5 Core Propositions even if they do not know it. It is the fifth proposition, “Teachers are members of learning communities” that most teachers crave. Too much of accomplished teaching is done in isolation. The real school reform that must take place is that teachers must have opportunities to open their doors and thinking in a safe environment. The “Mitchell 20” story shows that real school improvement is about a principal partnering with accomplished teachers to take the risk to analyze their practice and together do what is best for their students. Hooray for all the teachers, NBCTs, and principals who every day are taking a risk to improve teaching and learning!
Debbbie Kasperski, Director of the National Board Resource Center at Illinois State University, received emails from NBCTs with their thoughts about the loss of the stipend and responded to some and redirected others to this blog. Debbie expressed what the majority of NBCTs expressed in the blog and emails–the NBPTS process means something and it is important to enable teachers to have access to this rigorous and meaningful professional growth experience.
Debbie Kasperki said– I do understand how confusing this can be and the frustration of it all. I understand how NBCTs feel let down and unappreciated, especially after going through the National Board rigorous process. Though I join you in your frustration and respect those feelings, I have no regrets for going through NBPTS and keep it separate from the stipend issues.
I went through NBPTS because I was looking for a way to raise the bar on my teaching and to become the best teacher I could possibly be—the NBPTS process did that for me. It also connected me to a community of teachers who talked about what we ‘could’ do for our students and how we ‘could’ do it better. The experience was a win-win situation for me and for my students. I am sure many of you feel the same way about your experience. NBPTS didn’t have anything to do with the stipend.
Now—lets discuss the money. It took hours of work from dedicated NBCTs to get the funding that NBCTs have come to expect. The state paid $2,000 of the candidate fee plus the $3,000 stipend for all Illinois NBCTs. (I don’t know of any other state that did or does this). This went on for 9 years, then Illinois hit their financial crisis and could not handle paying $3,000 stipend for each of the 5,100+ NBCTs (millions of dollars).
Those of us who work closely with Illinois NBPTS have fought long and hard to keep this program and as you can imagine—held our breath as the legislators were cutting programs for the last three years. We watched many programs shut down because they were not given funding. Our legislators have great respect for NBCTs and knew that if they cut our funding we would dwindle. With that in mind they gave us ‘limited’ Candidate Subsidy funds to keep the program going so we could increase our numbers—that speaks volumes. We are also fortunate to have other sources that help with the candidate fees-NOT state money. If you compare the cost of the stipend to that of the subsidy you will recognize that there is no comparison.
I am extremely proud of the work that hundreds of Illinois NBCTs are doing to increase the number of NBCTs in their schools, districts, area, and Illinois by taking advantage of the candidate subsidy. They recognize that we MUST continue to grow so we can continue to be heard. I respect these teachers and will do everything I can to support them.
Why Change Now?
Why make changes in the Illinois National Board law now? My first thought was to leave it alone until the state recovered from this overwhelming debt? Maybe we could just survive on the diminished budgets.
I accepted that it would take five to ten years for the state to recover from this debt crisis and increase the Illinois National Board budget. I watched as the Illinois National Board budget decreased from $11.4 million to $5.7 million to $2 million to the current $1 million. The NBCT stipend kept getting smaller and in FY 2012 would have equaled about $200 for each NBCT ($1,000,000 divided by 5,000 NBCTs). With more NBCTs in 2013 and beyond, the stipend would have continued to decrease.
For seven years, the $3,000 stipend had an impact on recruitment and made a difference in growing awareness. That would not be available in the future. To continue with the NBCT stipend ($15,000,000 = $3,000 x 5,000 NBCTs), candidate applications ($2,000,000 = $2000 x 1,000 candidates), and NBCT mentoring ($7,000,000) would have required a budget of almost $25 million. In the current debt crisis, an increase of that amount would not pass for years.
I finally concluded that we could not hang on for that long. The question was how to remain committed to continue to grow the NBCT community and their impact on teaching and learning under the budget constraints. What would be more effective—pay the small stipend or the application fee for new candidates?
With a 2012 reduced $1 million budget, 5,153 Illinois NBCTs, and 1,000 candidates, the focus of the Illinois NBPTS program priorities needs to change to ensure that the program continues to grow. Even with the changes in the law, most of the priorities will not be funded. Many NBCTs have posted that the process was the best professional reflective experience and are concerned about recruitment. How can Illinois maximize the limited allocation and continue to grow the number of NBCTs as accomplished teachers?
In responses to the blog, many NBCTs responded to the changes in legislation by sharing their feelings—sad, disappointed, frustrated, outraged, and disheartened. What strikes me is that most focused on the disrespect of teachers or the fact that losing the stipend is one more way in which they feel their hard work, long hours, commitment to student learning, and effectiveness are not valued. Money talks. These NBCTs perceive that losing the stipend means they are not valued by government leaders for their extraordinary effort and results to improve their teaching and their students’ learning. NBCTs are concerned that disrespecting NBCTs by losing the stipend may mean there will be fewer teachers to want to participate in this rigorous professional development. In fact, as the stipend diminished, the NBRC has seen a trend over the past two years with more candidates coming from districts with NBPTS support programs. Only two NBCTs talked about how some districts pay an incentive or recognize ACE credit, college credit, district credit, or steps on salary schedules. In the past week, the NBRC heard from superintendents and NBCTs about putting stipends in contracts. It is sad and frustrating for many NBCTs who feel their professional accomplishments are not valued by their districts and now the state.
Some NBCTs have called for different types of actions. Actions need a message. A few years ago, a State Superintendent said he would be happy to meet with our group but we had to have a message that would improve student learning. We seem to be back to where we were at the beginning of the National Board program in Illinois prior to 1999 before the stipend. At that time, passionate NBCTs met with teachers, union and district leaders, legislators, and business leaders in different settings all over the state to explain the value of the National Board process to improve their teaching and impact the learning of their students. These NBCTs spoke from their hearts, experiences, and expertise that showed the evidence of how they met high standards in their practice and how they were committed to their students. From then until now, NBCTs emerged as leaders in their own niche and continued to share this message that the National Board Certification process was the best professional development experience they had. Many NBCTs responded on the blog about the rigor and quality of the process. Jody said, “I am a better teacher. No amount of local professional development activities can equal the rigor demanded by the National Board Certification program… This program unites educators together throughout the state. Shared knowledge can be a powerful step toward improving education in Illinois.” Some NBCTs responded that they completed the process for the money. A few stated that it was worth it and a few stated they would not do it again now that there is no stipend.
What does this mean for National Board in Illinois? We have over 5,000 NBCTs in Illinois because of the hard work and commitment of many NBCTs to work with candidates. How do we continue to share this message about the value of National Board Certification with teachers, administrators, school board members, parents, and state leaders? How can NBCTs continue to support their colleagues to make an informed decision about seeking National Board Certification knowing the value for them as a teacher without the external state appreciation?
Many NBCTs are frustrated because they became involved in National Board Certification (NBC) when there was money and enacted legislation to fund both the candidate application fees and National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) stipends. They believed it was a promise from the state for their hard work and accomplished teaching. NBCTs feel that their sacrifice, risk-taking, and long hours to show evidence of their accomplished teaching is not respected or valued. They understand the state is in debt but also know that they made the commitment and personal and professional sacrifices to complete the rigorous NBPTS process expecting there would be a stipend and opportunities for mentor compensation.
The frustration for teachers stems from their belief that legislation was a permanent contract, and that if the state government passed a law they would fund the compensation as promised. It was a shock to me in the late 1990s when I learned that every year we would have to work to keep the laws or change them so National Board would thrive in Illinois. From 1999-2008, Illinois NBCTs received fully-funded stipends and the state of Illinois paid for $2,000 of the candidate fee. No other state paid the fee without strings attached. Each year, educators and leaders worked to ensure the funding would be there. Since 2009, the legislators and governor have decreased the Illinois State Board of Education budgets by half and less again. NBC funding was reduced from the peak of $11.4 million to $5.7 million to $2 million to $1 million for FY2012. Because the stipend was the top priority in the way the law was written, this funding was divided equally among the NBCTs to pay for a stipend much less than the law stated. In each of these years, during the legislative session, the NBC funds were zeroed out of the budget and then reinstated at a lesser amount. The good news is that through all the turmoil, support for National Board still remains.
Legislators and governors come and go and priorities change. It is hard work to continuously build understanding of how NBCTs are integral to improving teaching and learning in schools and districts. Government policymakers pass legislation that may be changed or eliminated in any year, or they may pass budgets that zero out the funding for the enacted laws. Unfunded mandates are rampant through legislation for education. Though elected government officials may believe supporting candidates and NBCTs is essential, today they are faced with cutting budgets across all programs for all that the state has “promised” in legislation. Funding for National Board Certification is just one of the long list of programs. However, in Illinois, National Board Certification (NBC) is still in the law and in the budget.
Changes in the Law
The Illinois State Board of Education announced on their website two changes in the legislation for National Board Certification effective July 1, 2011.
1. The window for the Illinois Candidate Fee Subsidy will open in 2012.
2. Public Act 097-0607 eliminated the Illinois Teaching Excellence Program (ITEP) annual stipend for Illinois Master Certificate holders.
There is more to the legislation and budgets. In fact, we put tabs on 12 sections of the 101 page Public Act 097-0607 that referred to National Board Certification and we may have missed other references.
Let’s start with page 64 section (105 ILCS 5/21-27) which details the priorities for monetary assistance. The big change is that NBCT stipends were eliminated and the priorities were reordered. This is a shortened list of the sequence of what will receive money but many more details, definitions, and qualifications are included in the legal wording of the Public Act. I encourage you to read the pages related to this Public Act 0607 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
1. Application fees for 750 teachers in poverty or low performing public schools
2. Application fees for 250 teachers in other public schools.
3. Application fees for 500 Take One! Participants
4. $1500 incentive to NBCTs for 30 hours of NBPTS mentoring or professional development in poverty/low performing public schools.
5. $1500 incentive to NBCTs for 30 hours of NBPTS mentoring or professional development in other public schools.
Another key statement in the Public Act is “If funding is insufficient to fund a priority in full, then funding for that priority must be prorated and no further priorities shall be funded.” The current FY2012 Illinois budget for all of the National Board priorities is $1 million. That means that 500 Illinois candidates in priority one will each receive the $2,000 application fee in 2012. Priorities two through five will not be funded.
These changes will open the conversation about how to maintain the quality of recruitment and support and continue the growth of the influence of NBCTs throughout Illinois.
Welcome to the National Board Resource Center at Illinois State University Blog Site. The purpose of this site is to share information and enable conversations about issues surrounding National Board Certification.
