Andrew J. Rotherham, Progressive Policy InstituteMarch 2004
In this policy report, Andrew Rotherham, director of the 21st Century Schools Project at the Progressive Policy Institute, argues for incentives to lure National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) to teach in struggling schools and work with struggling students. NBCTs, he contends, "are disproportionately working in more affluent schools that are less likely to be struggling or having trouble meeting NCLB's teacher quality mandate." In response, Rotherham suggests a sharp increase in the bonus and pay differential for NBCTs and linking these incentives and rewards to state efforts to "help hard-to-staff schools meet NCLB's highly qualified teacher mandate or otherwise help struggling schools improve." Of course these recommendations are only as good as National Board Certification itself, and more research is needed to determine how well this certification identifies effective teachers, especially those who are most likely to be successful in needy schools. (See http://www.edexcellence.net/gadfly/issue.cfm?issue=19#201 for our review of the most recent study of NBPTS certification.) To see for yourself, go to http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=110&subsecid=135&contentid=252498.
