Dozens of Maryland teachers are getting access to a prestigious certification for free through a new partnership involving Bowie State University’s Center for Research and Mentoring for Black Male Students and Teachers.
Out of an applicant pool of 500, just 75 Maryland teachers have been selected to participate in a three-year program to earn National Board Certification. The initiative is the result of a partnership with the Center of Excellence for Educator Preparation and Innovation at Voorhees University and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
National Board certification is considered the “highest professional standard in education right now,” according to Julius Davis, executive director of the Center for Research and Mentoring for Black Male Students and Teachers.
The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, the state’s education reform plan, advocates for more certified teachers across Maryland, especially in high-poverty areas, he said.
“Generally, teachers who are National Board certified have a keen focus on student learning and helping to increase their achievement,” Davis said.
The National Board certification is different from the initial certification needed to become a teacher in Maryland, Davis said. The 75 educators picked will participate in a rigorous program that includes one-on-one coaching, writing boot camps and homeroom sessions.
The tuition cost is being funded using “grants and contracts that we have with our various partnerships,” Davis said.
Participants will create a series of videos and then write reflections to describe how they impact student learning, pedagogy and how the assessment informed their decision-making and lesson planning.
“The certification sort of solidifies the work that you’ve put in to become a master educator, a teacher leader,” Davis said. “We know that National Board-certified teachers tend to impact students in their own classroom, but they tend to impact the building, schoolwide.”
Teachers who earn the certification can add up to about $10,000 to their annual salaries, and up to $17,000 if they’re “working in a high-need, high-poverty area,” Davis said.
“We know that when students get a quality education, it impacts generations to come. And that’s what we’re hoping to accomplish by getting more teachers, and more diversified teachers, to become National Board certified, so that they can help generations of families and communities to become better,” Davis said.
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