at
Illinois State University
2008 – 2009 www.coe.ilstu.edu/ilnbpts/
Specific Strategies for School Leaders
Recruitment
Professional Development and Preparation
Celebration
Candidate Support
NBCT Leadership
/ National Board Resource Centerat
Illinois State University
2008 – 2009 www.coe.ilstu.edu/ilnbpts/
Recruitment
Build Awareness.
· Inform all staff about NBC process, school support, and monetary incentives.
o Send blast emails with focused topics about NBC.
o Include ongoing short presentations at monthly faculty meetings.
o Share strategies about NBC may increase quality of instructional practice.
· Arrange and facilitate a school-wide informational session with video for interested teachers.
· Work with other principals and district administrators to host district-wide informational meetings.
· Continuously include information in agendas and conduct discussions about NBC with staff and parent meetings.
· Enable NBCTs to give a recruitment presentation to staff.
· Enable NBCTs to meet one-on-one with interested staff.
Provide Resources.
· Provide on-site resources.
· Enable teachers to visit NBC Resource Centers.
· Provide substitute teaches for NBCTs to visit other classes and/or to talk to teachers about NBC.
· Link the NBC process to what teachers already do as routine--analyze student work, work in learning communities, learn about best practice, etc.
· Provide financial support for resources and fees.
Strategically Targeted Recruitment.
· Use “thoughtful” and “careful” words to strategically recruit candidates.
· Recruit teachers ready to pursue NBC.
· Ask teacher candidates during interviews about personal goals toward NBC.
· Include a discussion of NBC in post-observation conference and ask teachers for professional goals as to if or when they plan to pursue NBC.
· Offer options for professional growth that highlight NBC among other options—graduate degree, CPDUs, etc.
· Identify teacher groups to target for recruitment by grade level, department, committees, teams, etc.
· Meet with NBCTs to serve as “head hunters” to recruit and support candidates and retention.
Public Support
· Take pictures of NBCTs working together to post at school.
· Honor those who do not achieve as being models of persistence to improve their teaching.
· Celebrate teachers who accomplish NBC.
· Offer constant support and encouragement to NBC candidates.
· Use leadership positions as incentives to NBC participation.
o Support NBCTs to plan staff development with school improvement planning and shared leadership.
o Support teachers to work with other NBCT colleagues.
o Ask NBCTs to reinforce what is seen as exemplary and to share as presentation or with other teachers.
/ National Board Resource Centerat
Illinois State University
2008 – 2009 www.coe.ilstu.edu/ilnbpts/
Professional Development and Preparation
Create or revise the school professional development plan to include TAKE ONE and the National Board process.
· Set high expectations as a school.
· Enable NBCTs to model “best practices” and identify and clarify what is “best practice.”
· Enable NBCTs to serve as mentors.
· Integrate the NBPTS standards and “Architecture of Teaching” into professional development experiences.
o Provide time and substitute teachers to enable professional collaboration on embedding NBC into practice.
o Provide NBC framework to provide experiences in effectively examining student work, videotapes of teaching and working with families.
o Provide professional development experiences that are designed so participants may analyze their teaching decisions based on the NBPTS “Architecture of Teaching.”
o Link components of professional portfolios to NBC.
o Incorporate NBC into the culture of the school.
· Build inter/intra NBC groups.
· Provide technical support prior to beginning the NBC process.
/ National Board Resource Centerat
Illinois State University
2008 – 2009 www.coe.ilstu.edu/ilnbpts/
Celebration
· Arrange celebrations for NBCTs and candidates.
o Encourage family or classroom celebrations for newly-named NBCTs..
o Recognize candidates or NBCTs at the school open house.
o Arrange an opening ceremony for the initial step toward NBC.
o Sponsor a school status celebration (ex. First completed video, first written commentary drafted, etc.).
o Provide a breakfast with the principal for candidates and NBCTs.
o Sponsor a portfolio submission reception.
o Conduct recognition ceremonies for new NBCTs with entire staff and invite them to join the NBC process.
· Present formal announcements of teachers engaged in stages of NBC—awareness sessions, pre-candidacy, candidacy and newly named NBCTs.
· Post information about NBC or candidates and NBCTs in a newsletter, on the marquee, local newspaper, and school websites.
· Provide a bulletin board of NBCTs.
· Arrange for student letters/cards of thanks, congratulations, encouragement, etc. for candidates and NBCTs.
· Disseminate bumper stickers for students of NBCTs and provide celebratory items—hats, t-shirts, pens—for candidates when mailing their boxes.
· Issue school certificates for different stages of the NBC process—Registering as a candidate, submitting the portfolio, completing the assessment center, etc.
/ National Board Resource Centerat
Illinois State University
2008 – 2009 www.coe.ilstu.edu/ilnbpts/
Candidate Support
Enable NBCTs to mentor candidates onsite.
· Arrange time to meet with candidates to identify how to support.
· Arrange and pay for Saturday sessions for NBCTs to mentor candidates.
· Offer training and opportunities for NBCTs to read entries and for teachers to edit entries.
· Create your own school cohort support system for candidates.
· Arrange for support for candidates to prepare for the assessment center.
· Provide substitute teachers for NBCTs to observe candidates and/or to videotape in candidates’ classrooms.
· Schedule common prep time for candidates and NBCT mentors.
· Share information with interested candidates and administrators about NBC websites, resource center sites, and the NBC process through multiple means by well-prepared NBCT presenters at the school.
Make arrangements for candidates to have time devoted to completing the NBC process.
· Be flexible with candidates’ time and free them from professional development experiences to work with mentors or independently on the NBC process.
· Limit and minimize additional responsibilities to enable candidates to devote more time to NBC process.
· Minimize changes for candidates in schedules, room assignment, preps, etc.
· Provide substitute teachers for entire schools days for release time for candidates to work on portfolio and prepare for assessment center.
· Provide funding for after school mentoring time.
· Establish regular meetings to provide pacing and time management as candidates complete the process.
Allocate resources specifically available to NBC candidates—
· Provide a meeting place for NBCTs, TAKE ONE candidates and NBPTS candidates.
· Arrange for candidates to access copying service, food, water, ink cartridges, flash drives, laptops, video cameras, tripods, microphones, firewires, DVDs, computer labs, technological support, binders, paper, etc.
· Pay for the $565 initial cost for the candidate fees.
· Pay substitute teacher days for candidates to work on portfolio entries and prepare for the assessment center.
· Arrange to provide technical support.
· Arrange for students who are doing video projects to videotape for candidates.
· Offer clerical support for printing, compiling, packing, etc.
· Work with vendors for free materials.
· Enable cohorts to meet at your building.
o Keep school buildings open late.
o Position your school as a candidate cohort site and invite candidates from other schools to meet with your teachers and NBCTs after school.
/ National Board Resource Centerat
Illinois State University
2008 – 2009 www.coe.ilstu.edu/ilnbpts/
Candidate Support
Offer emotional support and words of encouragement face-to-face and through email and notes.
· Provide words of encouragement/motivation throughout the process.
· Affirm that candidates can be less than perfect and adjust responsibilities.
· Monthly check-in with the candidate to encourage and identify needs for support.
· Routinely request from candidates’ ways administration/staff can assist and get feedback throughout process.
Acknowledge the finishing steps along the way to complete the process.
· Arrange for a kickoff ceremony and Hold a reception or meeting early in the school year for candidates and staff and present candidates with care packages.
· Make announcements as candidates meet milestones in the process.
· Arrange for a packing party.
Acknowledge candidates with staff, LSC, parents, communities, etc.
· Encourage the rest of the staff to be supportive of the candidates.
· Recruit parents, staff, and principal as videographers.
· Send letter to parents from principal to support teachers and request parents to return their signatures on release forms.
/ National Board Resource Centerat
Illinois State University
2008 – 2009 www.coe.ilstu.edu/ilnbpts/
NBCT Leadership Opportunities
Identify potential NBCTs as leaders.
Enable NBCTs to select their strength and needs for professional development for further learning.
· Provide cognitive coaching professional development experiences to NBCTs to further develop their skills.
Provide release time for leadership activities.
· Enable NBCTs to serve on instructional leadership teams.
· Enable NBCTs to act as spokesperson for the school and its accomplishments.
Offer the school to serve as a lab site or candidate cohort site.
Enable NBCTs to serve as leaders, mentors, and professional development providers.
o Design and lead professional development.
o Lead walk-through teams.
o Mentor teachers.
o Serve as a coach.
o Facilitate data analysis on teams.
o Serve as department heads.
o Create your own school cohort support system for candidates.
o Serve on school representative to parent organization.
o Serve on school professional development committee.
o Serve on school improvement planning team.
o Serve on leadership teams.
Compiled by Dr. Lynn Gaddis Fall 2008
“Building Teams of National Board Certified Teachers” Training Sponsored by the Chicago Public Education Fund