The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how rural North Carolina teachers, after completing the National Board Certification process, describe how they apply systematic thinking to their teaching practice, reflect on the experience, and learn from experience. Grounded in David Kolb's Experiential Learning Model and The…

This research study examined current reflective practices used by kindergarten through 12th grade teachers in a single school district in North Carolina. The study sought to identify themes regarding the impact reflection has on teacher effectiveness, with effectiveness being measured by the five teaching standards of the North Carolina Department…

National Board Certification (NBC) is a voluntary yet advanced teaching credential that goes beyond the typical state licensure requirement (NEA, 2015). The purpose of this study is to determine the perspectives of teachers who have completed and achieved NBC, and specifically how it has impacted them as classroom teachers. Using data collected…

Teacher certification is an important topic in the history of teaching in American education. Policymakers have recognized that for students to meet high standards, their teachers must also be of high quality (Goldhaber, Perry & Anthony, 2004; McCaffrey, Lockwood, Koretz, & Hamilton, 2003). The National Board for Professional Teaching…

Background: Prior research shows that teachers' working conditions are important for teacher and student outcomes, such as teacher retention and student achievement. Because National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) can be effective in the classroom and as instructional leaders, they are well positioned to create favorable working conditions for…

Two decades ago, at a time when much of the country faced looming teacher shortages, a number of states invested in comprehensive strategies for strengthening the teaching profession. For example, and drawing upon recommendations from the National Commission on Teaching & America's Future, both California and North Carolina built statewide…

The authors' study reveals leadership opportunities fostered by National Board Certification in the areas of instructional leadership, association leadership, and policy leadership. Discover how this certification program yields these opportunities.

The purpose of this study is to report National Board Certified Teachers' (NBCTs) perceived impact on student learning. The guiding research question for this study, "How do teachers perceive the influence of the National Board Certification process on student learning in their own classrooms?" was explored. A total of 496 NBCTs…

The majority of research on faculty-student interaction has been primarily quantitative to date and has focused primarily on determining what kinds of interactions students have with faculty. This study furthers the literature on faculty-student interaction, taking a qualitative approach to examine what types of interactions with faculty students…

This qualitative study examined a culture of teacher leadership that has evolved in North Carolina over the past 20 years, conveying the professional journey of teachers who had moved out of the classroom into other educational leadership roles after attainment of National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification. The study…

As student accountability models have become the norm in the United States, first in individual states such as North Carolina and then throughout the nation with No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the implementation of inclusion as a curriculum delivery model for students with disabilities has been explored. The purpose of this study was to examine how…

As has been said by many educators, the challenge of educating the historically underserved--minority students, low-income students, and students who are the first in their families to attend college--must be met. Apart from the moral imperative, there is the need to raise the education and skill levels of all people to assure a reasonable…

North Carolina is in the process of transitioning to new English language arts and mathematics standards that will better prepare students to be successful in college and their careers. Time, effort, and resources must be dedicated to effective implementation in order to realize the promise of these new common core state standards. This paper…

In 2006, special education teachers made up 12% of the educational workforce but only 7% of National Board Certified teachers. In contrast, general education teachers made up 88% of the educational workforce and 93% of National Board Certified teachers. This study surveyed a sample of special education teachers who successfully completed…

This study examines trends in Black student achievement and in the Black-White achievement gap over the period 2000 to 2007, employing data from ten states drawn from the NAEP Grade 8 mathematics assessments. Results are obtained for three levels of aggregation: the state, school poverty stratum within the state, and schools within poverty…