The President's Perspective  

Volume 3 Issue 5

February 2004

By: Jim Muscarella

When I first started teaching nine years ago, I was a convert from the engineering world.  I knew very little about the profession of teaching in a historical context, and even less about teacher unions and the role of professional organizations in education.  My only recollections of teacher unions were the occasions I’d read about a teachers’ strike in the newspaper.  While I instinctively assumed the union had some level of importance in the grand scheme of things, I certainly had no desire to become a very active member of the association.  I just wanted to teach.

In retrospect, to think that I could go about my daily routine of teaching and not be impacted by the decisions of administrators, school board members, and politicians was naïve.  I was content at the time to let others worry about such things.  During my time at the middle school, I was surrounded by very active members of the association.  Through these veteran leaders, I learned the history of the Colonial Education Association the days when teachers needed a 2^nd job, the story of the first strike, the ‘good years’ and so on.  The dedication these members had for both their profession and their membership in the association was inspiring.  I came to understand that teacher unions are charged with continually defending the very concept of public education, upholding the rights of teachers as workers, and demanding improved conditions of teaching and learning.  The Colonial Education Association led in such areas through the 70’s and 80’s.  The Colonial School District became a highly regarded place to work and teach. 

The mid 90’s were tough times for most area school districts.  The gains of previous decades were met with political backlash.  The public perceived schools to be failing, or at the very least not to be cost effective.  Teacher unions were perceived as obstacles to school reform.  The public demanded higher levels of accountability from teachers.  Unprepared with ideas of our own, the Colonial School Board decided to push their own agenda regarding accountability.  We spent years battling over systems of accountability.  The impasse reached its climax in the form of a work stoppage at the beginning of

the 2001-2002 school year.  However, this most difficult time served to unify and strengthen our membership.  From that contract settlement the association emerged with a stronger emphasis on professionalism.  As we continue to move forward, we need to remember that we have a responsibility to take the initiative in areas such as professional development, mentoring, and peer collaboration.    Our current negotiations will surely present new challenges.  From the past we have learned that unionism means defending public education and the rights of teachers.  To this we add a new emphasis on professionalism, ensuring that all children receive quality instruction from highly skilled teachers.  

From a once reluctant member, to association representative, to president, I realized that I had more to contribute than I ever imagined.  The path ahead may be difficult.  We are all faced with a choice- to become actively involved or to stand back and hope for the best.  I encourage all of you to contribute.  Our strength is in our unity.   We are CEA.

NATIONAL  BOARD FOR PROFESSIONAL TEACHING STANDARD

By Dreamalee Brotz

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards was created in 1987 by a 14-member task force that included then-NEA president Mary Hatwood Futrell.  Its mission is to advance the quality of teaching and learning by maintaining high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do, providing a national voluntary system certifying teachers who meet these standards, and advocating related educational reforms to integrate NBPTS certification in American education and to capitalize on the expertise of NBPTS certified teachers.

The NBPTS vision begins with a policy statement organized around  five core principles:

            1. Teachers are committed to students and their learning;

            2. Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach these subjects to students;                          

            3. Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student earning;

            4. Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience;                            

            5. Teachers are members of learning communities.

      Based upon these propositions, National Board has set advanced standards in almost different 40 certificate fields.  The certificates are structured according to student development levels and the subjects taught.  Standards in each certificate area are created by committees of classroom teachers, teacher educators and subject experts, and they are reviewed extensively before gaining approval from NBPTS Board of Directors.

      National Board Certification is a symbol of professional teaching excellence in which teachers gauge their skills against objective standards of advanced practice in their fields.  The certificate attests that a teacher has been judged by peers as one who is accomplished, makes sound professional judgments about students’ best interests, and acts effectively on those judgments.

     NBPTS certification is not a high-stakes test; it is a voluntary professional development process based upon high and rigorous standards developed for each certificate.  In a year-long process, teachers must document their subject matter knowledge, provide evidence that they know how to teach their subject effectively, and demonstrate their ability to manage and measure student learning.  NBPTS Certification assesses not only the knowledge that teachers possess, but it assesses the actual use of their skills and professional judgment in the classroom as they work to improve student learning.

     Broad support for National Board Certification comes from Democratic and Republican leaders at all levels, from former President Bill Clinton to local school boards and national teacher unions.  Both the NEA and the National School Boards Association have endorsed NBPTS.  Because of this broad bi-partisan support, more than 40 states and hundreds of local school districts now offer some incentive or reward for teachers seeking National Board Certification.

   CEA members have a financial incentive to obtain NBPTS Certification.  Colonial School Board has agreed to add $2500.00 per year to the salary of each NBPTS certified teacher for the10-year period during which the certification is valid (an abbreviated recertification process is being developed by NBPTS).  The Board will also reimburse each successful candidate for 90% of the cost of application (currently $2300.00).  Numerous application scholarships are also available, the most popular one in PA amounting to $1000.00.

     One issue of the NBPTS Newsletter The Professional Standard reports that 93% of candidates say they believe that the National Board Certification process has made them a better teacher, and 96% report that the process provided a positive professional development experience.  The American Council on Education recently approved a proposal to grant 6 hours of graduate credit to those teachers who earn National Board Certification.

     Although Pennsylvania currently lags behind many states in the number of Nationally Board Certified Teachers, CEA can be proud that three of our teachers have earned this distinction.   Linda Chmielewski (CES, Middle Childhood /Generalist), Tonia Kaufman (PW, Adolescence and Young Adulthood/Music) and Steve Wills (PW, Adolescence and Young Adult/English Language Arts) successfully completed the NBPTS process and earned NPBTS Certification in 2003.

     Information about NBPTS is available at www.NBPTS.org.  Dreamalee Brotz also has some information about the process, and all three Colonial NBPTS Certified Teachers have agreed to support their peers in the process.   CEA members who are planning candidacy during the 2004/05 school year are encouraged to notify Dreamalee.  She will connect CEA members with Steve Schreiner, NBPTS Certified Teacher from Central Bucks who currently works at ETS, who has developed support groups for candidates from Bucks and Montgomery Counties.

*Facts in this article are adapted from The Backgrounder or The Professional Standard, materials published by NBPTS.  Opinions are those of the author who is a part-time employee of NBPTS.  

 Volume 3 Issue 5                                                                                                                The Advocate