Discusses questions that must be explored and answered if content standards are to improve teaching and learning, examining the need for standards, four types of standards, levels of standards, a framework for reform, and the creation of standards. Concludes with recommendations about how educators can use standards to improve teaching and…

This interview with Linda Darling-Hammond examines recommendations in the new national report, "What Matters Most: Teaching and America's Future," which focuses attention on improving teaching as a way to improve student achievement. The interview examines such issues as characteristics of good faculty development; the effect of national teaching…

Discusses the need for preservice teacher competencies in technology and describes the development of performance-based technology competencies at the University of Northern Iowa that were based on several national standards documents. Highlights include equipment operation, supporting information literacy, and technology integration in specific…

The aim of this study was to investigate pre-service physical education teachers' self-assessment of their competent levels in achieving the national standards for beginning physical education teachers (National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), 1995). One hundred seventy-three pre-service teachers in 10 physical education…

Studies continue to surface a disheartening fact: while research shows that teachers are key to closing achievement gaps, poor and minority students as well as those in low-performing schools are far less likely to have access to the most experienced and qualified teachers. For instance, although National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) are…

The No Child Left Behind Act is slated to be reauthorized in 2007, and both President Bush and the leaders of the incoming Democratic-controlled Congress have signaled their interest in keeping renewal of the law on schedule. Many observers expect the debate over renewing the law--which itself was a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary…

This monograph is designed assist to teacher preparation institutions that want to use standards of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) to help teachers prepare for their National Board Certification process and simultaneously improve their advanced programs for teachers. Part 1, "Rationale for Using NBPTS Standards as a…

Research indicates that teachers are the main influence on student achievement. However, standards and accountability related to teacher preparation, certification, and competencies are inconsistent. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education has developed a more rigorous system of standards and procedures for teacher preparation.…

Teacher knowledge and skills make a significant difference in student achievement. This paper discusses recommendations by the National Commission on Teaching on how to ensure that every child has access to high quality teaching; superior teaching in other industrialized countries; unqualified U.S. teachers; variations among states; states and…

National Board Certification represents one of the most significant reform efforts in the area of teacher quality in the last two decades. Since the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certified its first round of teachers in 1995, approximately 24,000 teachers have become certified at a cost to the country of well over $200…

There is an acute need to improve the quality of classroom teachers through improved standards for preservice programs and licensure and certification, especially in the middle grades. Several Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states are working to improve middle grades teacher quality. Some are raising standards on teacher licensure tests.…

This report describes the past 15 years of work by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) to raise the standards for teacher quality. The NBPTS identified five core propositions that describe the knowledge, skills, and dispositions characterizing accomplished teaching. It created professional standards for K-12 teachers,…

This booklet describes the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, an organization that allows the teaching profession to set high and rigorous standards for itself, create meaningful performance assessments based on the standards, and identify experienced teachers who meet the standards. National Board Certification focuses on…

In this paper, we describe the results a study assessing the relationship between the certification of teachers by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and elementary level student achievement. We examine whether NBPTS assesses the most effective applicants, whether certification by NBPTS serves as a signal of teacher…

Discusses the impact of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards on teachers' professional development, exploring how the standards and processes can act as benchmarks in designing advanced master's degree programs. The paper calls for the authentic redesign of Master's education to promote the development of teacher knowledge and…