The Chicago Public Education Fund

News Release
at The Chicago Public Education Fund
Cindy Lieberman, Director of Communications & Investor Relations
(312) 558-4520

November 12, 2007

Record Number of Chicago Teachers Pursue National Certification

Drive to Recruit More Candidates Comes on Heels of Teacher Contract which Boosts Compensation for Teachers Passing Rigorous Standard

CHICAGO - A record number of Chicago teachers this year are pursuing National Board Certification, the nation’s highest teaching credential, according to enrollment figures that top a combined 660 in the city’s three preparation programs.

“Chicago is already one of the fastest-growing urban school districts for National Board Certification,” explained Arne Duncan, CEO of Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Last year, Chicago had 173 teachers achieve National Board Certification, the largest single-year class of achievers ever for the district. “We want to grow even faster and encourage more teachers to sign-up this year. The more master teachers we have in this system, the more we can tap into that talent to help raise the level of performance in all our schools.”

To date, 652 teachers have achieved National Board Certification (NBC), more than 400 completed the process and are awaiting their scores (due to be released later this year), and another 660-plus are newly enrolled in support programs this fall. Applications will be accepted through December 31, 2007 on a space-available basis.

Mayor Daley, CPS, and The Chicago Public Education Fund (“The Fund”) set a goal in 2004 to have 1,200 Chicago teachers achieve National Board Certification by December of 2008. Interest in NBC rose this year in part thanks to the recently completed five-year contract between the Chicago Teachers Union and CPS, which includes a provision to reward National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) with a $1,750 annual salary boost for meeting the rigorous standard.

“We believe that compensating teachers for their performance to national standards represents a new era of professionalism for Chicago teachers,” said Bruce Rauner, vice chairman of The Fund, which has allocated $6 million since 2000 to spearhead National Board Certification in Chicago. This year and in previous years, teachers who achieve certification will be awarded a one-time financial incentive of $3,000 from The Fund. Additionally, CPS awards NBCTs with a one-time bonus, and the state of Illinois provides a $3,000 annual stipend.

Data shows that NBC teachers in Chicago are concentrated in high-need schools, are staying in the system, and are demonstrating effective teaching. From 2001 to 2005, schools with at least three NBCTs showed larger gains on standardized tests than schools with no NBCTs. This was true at both the elementary school level on the math and reading Iowa Test of Basic Skills and at the high school level on the Prairie State Achievement Exam and ACT.
More than 65 percent of the 269 district schools (including charter schools) with at least one NBCT serve populations of students that are 85 percent or more low-income.
Nearly 90 percent of Chicago teachers who have achieved National Board Certification remain in CPS, mostly in classroom teaching positions. Some have advanced to school leadership, administrative and district-level positions.
In a study conducted in 2006, the Consortium on Chicago School Research found that elementary schools with three or more NBCTs reported more instructional reform; high schools with similar clusters of NBCTs showed significantly more collective responsibility, innovation, and teacher-teacher trust.

“Our theory of change has always been that teams of talented teachers combined with highly-selective and well-prepared principals can transform instructional practice and the learning environments in our schools,” explained Janet Knupp, founding president of The Fund. “Human capital is the biggest lever we can use to positively impact students, and National Board Certified Teachers are demonstrating that in classrooms every day.”

CPS, the Chicago Teachers Union, and National-Louis University run support programs for teachers pursuing the certification. For more information on National Board Certification in Chicago, visit www.chicagonbcteacher.org.

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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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