by Hoyt Smith
The State Farm Companies Foundation has presented National University with a $37,500 grant in support of the University's new Support and Leadership Center for National Board Certified Teachers.
The State Farm Companies Foundation is a major sponsor of National Board Certification, a voluntary process in which teachers submit themselves to an extensive series of performance-based assessments. The process requires teaching portfolios, student work samples, videotapes and thorough analyses of a candidate's classroom teaching and student learning. Candidates for National Board Certification must also complete a series of written exercises that probe their subject-matter knowledge and their understanding of how to best teach those subjects to their students. The process costs $2,300 and can take from one to three years to complete. Once achieved, it is considered a mark of teaching excellence.
At least 44 National University alumni were identified among the 687 California teachers who achieved National Board Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards last year. National University established its Support and Leadership Center for National Board Certified Teachers last March to promote and support National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) throughout California, as well as candidates who are going through the certification process.
"This grant will help the Center provide NBCT candidates with a number of scholarships to help offset the application fee," said Ronarae Adams, director of NBCT Programs for National University and a faculty member in its school of education. According to Ms. Adams, the State Farm Foundation grant will also support the development of a comprehensive web site, an annual recognition event to honor National Board Certified Teachers, and continuous promotion of teacher excellence in school districts across the state.
For more information about NBCT scholarships or the Support and Leadership Center for National Board Certified Teachers, please contact Hoyt Smith at 858.642.8111 or hsmith@nu.edu.
