ABSTRACT

The story of Anna is similar to that of many classroom teachers, that is, until she decided to challenge her professional knowledge and skills against the national board standards. The national board process was an opportunity for Anna to challenge her effectiveness for the sake of her students. The university wanted national board teachers in its college of education. One core proposition of the national board standards recognizes the effectiveness of teachers' working together to build a strong school program. Nationally certified teachers are passionate about their jobs, especially as their jobs relate to student learning. Nationally certified teachers are teacher leaders. National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) have stepped forward to test their practice and in the process, learned more about themselves and their profession. NBCTs are leaders through having sufficient evidence in their portfolio to demonstrate active participation in their professional learning community.