The Chicago Public Education Fund

CHICAGO - Business and community leaders honored 209 teachers from Chicago Public Schools for achieving National Board Certification (NBC), the highest credential in the teaching profession, during a ceremony attended by more than 1,000 guests on March 4.

This class of 2007 NBC achievers is the largest recorded by the City of Chicago, which puts the city well on its way to reaching its goal of 1,200 National Board Certified teachers by the end of 2008.

To date, 861 Chicago teachers have achieved National Board Certification. More than 300 public schools in neighborhoods across the city have at least one NBCT.

“Teams of talented teachers are transforming the learning environments in our urban district,” explained Janet Knupp, founding president of The Chicago Public Education Fund, a venture philanthropy focused on improving the quality of principals and teachers in Chicago Public Schools. “Human capital is the biggest lever we can pull to positively impact students, and National Board Certified Teachers are proving their value in classrooms every day."

To achieve certification, teachers enrolled in NBC must demonstrate their teaching knowledge and skills through a series of performance-based assessments. These include work samples, classroom videotapes, subject-area competency exams, and a rigorous analysis of how their students learn over time. The certification process can take up to three years to complete.

In addition to being a time-intensive process, NBC is also an expensive certification for teachers to attempt to earn. Because teachers make such a large investment in their professional development, The Fund, the State of Illinois, and Chicago Public Schools provide financial incentives for teachers who ultimately achieve certification.

The Fund has allocated more than $6 million dollars of its capital to National Board Certification programs and incentives. Bruce Rauner, Fund Vice Chairman, has been one of the strongest supporters of NBC from The Fund’s board. He and his wife contributed $1 million dollars in December 2005 to The Fund to support its work with NBC in Chicago.

According to Rauner, “The impact of National Board Certified Teachers extends beyond their classrooms and the more than 45,000 students who receive the benefits of their achievements. The support of the business community not only facilitates effective learning environments, but also fosters leaders in our communities."

The Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Teachers Union, the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association, National-Louis University, and The Chicago Public Education Fund are working together on a city-wide strategy for recognizing and compensating the best Chicago teachers using National Board Certification. NBC achievement is now a recognized track in the Chicago Board of Education contract with the Chicago Teachers Union. NBCTs receive an additional and pensionable $1,750 each year they teach in a Chicago Public School.

“This is a monumental step that will help the mayor and the school district to meet the challenge of increasing the number of NBCTs in Chicago to 1,200 by the end of 2008. The new group of certified teachers brings Chicago even closer to that goal,” said Knupp.

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As a venture capital fund for public education, The Chicago Public Education Fund is an unprecedented catalyst for improving school leadership and student achievement system wide. Launched by a group of corporate and civic leaders, The Fund brings private sector dollars and expertise to high-impact programs aligned with Chicago Public Schools priorities. Find out more at www.cpef.org.