News Release
at The Chicago Public Education Fund
Mayor's Press Office
(312) 744-3334

December 10, 2007


City Posts Record-Number of New 'Master Teachers'

208 CPS Teachers Earn National Board Certification, The Profession's Highest Recognition

CHICAGO - Mayor Richard M. Daley and Chicago Public Schools officials today congratulated the record-setting class of 2007 National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in the school system.

The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards has awarded certification-the highest credential an educator can earn-to 208 CPS teachers this year. That's the highest one-year number for the district, besting last year's total of 171 new "Master" teachers.

In addition, the CPS has the second-highest number of new NBCTs this year of any school district in the country. And the total of 860 NBCTs in the district is the sixth-highest cumulative total in the nation.

With the hundreds of other CPS teachers who are currently involved in the rigorous National Board Certification process, the district is within reach of its goal of having 1200 teachers achieve certification by the end of 2008.

"Almost everyone in education agrees that the most important factor in how a student does in school is the teacher in the classroom. And everyone agrees that National Board Certification brings with it the most rigorous evaluation of teaching skills that exists. To earn that certification is the teaching profession's highest achievement," Daley said in remarks delivered at Burnside Scholastic Academy, 650 E. 91st Pl.

Daley pointed out that there are many measurements that show the progress CPS has made in the 12 years since he asked the state for responsibility over the school system.

Elementary school test scores and college entrance exam scores are at record highs, and dropout, attendance and graduation rates are all moving in the right direction, he said.

Another way to measure progress is through our participation in a nationally-recognized program such as the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), the Mayor said.

"National Board Certified Teachers have a huge impact on their students and are a tremendous asset to our schools. Many of them are in schools that serve almost entirely low-income, minority populations in neighborhoods all across the city," he said.

CPS Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan said: "National Board Certification is a very intensive, tough, and time-consuming program, and these teachers don't take a break from their classroom work to go through it. They make the time, and they make the sacrifice, because they know this will make a difference in the classroom and in the lives of their students."

Daley outlined numerous initiatives CPS has undertaken with the Chicago Teachers Union, in addition to participation in the NBPTS program, to improve teacher quality.

"Working with the Chicago Teachers Union, we have invested a tremendous amount of resources in improving teacher quality. We are doing more each year to attract better quality teaching candidates and doing all we can to assure they go into schools that most need our support.

"For example, more than 26 percent of our new hires in 2006 have advanced degrees. The suburban rate and statewide rate both are 19 percent," Daley said.

CPS has established:

A teacher support program on the South and West Sides where high turnover among young teachers has been a problem. It's called the Chicago New Teacher Center.
Four teacher training schools where new teachers learn side-by-side with master teachers.
Alternative certification programs that have attracted hundreds of mid-career professionals into teaching.

And CPS, with money from the Gates Foundation, has launched its High School Transformation Plan in 25 schools. The program includes intensive coaching and mentoring for teachers.

And the school system used federal grant money to create the REAL program, which rewards teachers in high-needs schools. It is in 10 schools now and is expected to grow to 40 over the next three years.

Daley thanked The Chicago Public Education Fund, which has raised millions of dollars over the years to improve teacher quality by helping CPS teachers achieve National Board Certification.

"The Chicago Public Education Fund has been a catalyst for improving school leadership and student achievement. Their work is an impressive display of what an effective public-private partnership can do for our city," Daley said.

"Teams of talented teachers are transforming the learning environments in our urban district. Human capital is the biggest lever we can pull to positively impact students, and National Board Certified Teachers are proving their value in classrooms every day," said Janet Knupp, founding president of The Chicago Public Education Fund.

The National Board Certification process includes a performance-based assessment that is broken down into two parts:

A portfolio that the candidate compiles that includes a videotape of classroom instruction, a list of accomplishments, and an analysis of student work.
A series of intensive written assessments conducted by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.

"Six years ago, just 11 Chicago teachers had gone through the National Certification program. Now we have 860, but there is much more to do," Daley said.

"Becuase we have no more important job than building a school system this is stronger, more focused and more determined than ever to graduate students prepared to succeed in life and help keep our city moving forward," he said.

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As a venture capital fund for public education, The Chicago Public Education Fund is an unprecedented catalyst for improving school leadership and student achievement system wide. Launched by a group of corporate and civic leaders, The Fund brings private sector dollars and expertise to high-impact programs aligned with Chicago Public Schools priorities. Find out more at www.cpef.org.

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