Challenging educators to turn a critical lens on themselves, review their teaching style and strive for the highest accreditation in their field, members of the D.C. public school system, AU faculty members and local educators gathered at the Kay Spiritual Life Center Thursday to discuss the importance of receiving National Board certification, an honor bestowed upon exemplary educators by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Speakers included Sarah Irvine Belson, dean of AU's school of education; Ivy E. Broder, acting provost; Beverly Echols, director of work force and professional development; Clifford B. Janey, superintendent of D.C. public schools; Mary E. Dilworth, vice president of Higher Education Initiatives and Research and several National Board certified teachers.
During her opening remarks, Belson posed the question: "Is the board the right tool for evaluating the quality of educators who teach in chaotic urban environments?" She and the other panelists not only firmly believe in the effectiveness of the board in evaluating these teachers, but believe that Board certification can improve urban schools by improving those who teach in them.
Janey elaborated on the teacher qualifications, discussing how the competence of educators greatly affects the performance level of their pupils and how that translates into standardized test scores. He encouraged educators to "transcend linear requirements" and to work towards earning Board certification as both a testament of their teaching ability and a sign of their commitment to education.
Mary Schellinger, a representative of the Dean's Office, says that earning Board certification is an "important [aspect of] professional development," in that educators "reflect on the process of teaching, addressing holes." However, the task of documenting one's teaching history is daunting and time consuming, and requires a substantial amount of money, according to Schellinger. As a result, educators, who are usually underpaid and overextended, have a propensity to shy away from the accreditation process.
In order to entice educators to seek board certification, Schellinger and others believe that teachers need, among other things, to have time set aside for them to build their professional portfolio; they also require financial support and recognition, whether in the form of higher salaries or annual bonuses.
The four-hour Think Tank Symposium ended with Belson delivering the concluding remarks. However, Schellinger said this symposium is the first of many. Every semester, for the next four years, AU will host similar conferences, geared toward the professional development of educators, including AU professors.
Schellinger thanked the U.S. Department of Education for awarding the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Education a five-year, $6.7 million grant, which made this and future symposiums possible. In addition to funding these forums, the Alliance for Quality Urban Education Grant will subsidize elementary and secondary licensure programs and introductory trainings for professors, helping them transition from student to teacher.
Schellinger also says that the grant allows professors to attend classes, free of cost, for the purpose of further immersing themselves in their field of study. She also believes that the grant will not only professionally benefit AU's educators but will also encourage continued scholarship among students while strengthening the interaction they have with their professors.
