Congratulations to the 2022 Class of National Board Certified Teachers

CPS ranks 3rd in nation for highest number of NBCTs in any district

Chicago boasts 49 new National Board Certified Teachers, 45 percent who are teachers of color, and ranks third in the nation for the highest number of NBCTs in any district. The 49 new NBCTs received their advanced certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in December and an additional 103 NBCTs renewed their NBCT credentials. 

Since its inception, the CTU/CPS partnership has produced more than 2,430 NBCTs. Each of these accomplished teachers earned or maintained the profession’s highest mark of achievement through a rigorous, performance based, peer-review process, demonstrating their proven impact on teacher quality and student learning and achievement. 

With this year’s additional 49 NBCTs, teachers of color now make up 39 percent of the district’s NBCTs and CTU continues to encourage more teachers of color to pursue this highest professional certification. 

CTU President Stacy Davis Gates honored the new and renewing NBCTs.

“Our fight forward is more than just one about changing the leadership in city hall, it is also about ensuring that our students have the most highly accomplished teachers and counselors.” CTU Vice President Stacy Davis-Gates said. “Representation matters, especially in Chicago’s classrooms. Our Nurturing Teacher Leadership professional development program is aimed at preparing candidates for National Board Certification. It is our belief that students greatly benefit from having highly accomplished teachers that reflect the communities they serve.”  

Through “NBC Chicago,” a partnership between the CTU and CPS, the CTU Foundation Quest Center’s Nurturing Teacher Leadership (NTL) program provides professional development, candidate support and mentoring for CPS teachers, counselors and librarians pursuing this advanced certification. The district funds the programming, as well as an annual pensionable stipend, for all CPS teachers who take the journey to National Board Certification. 

The partnership and professional development program is codified in the CTU/CPS collective bargaining agreement. NTL’s achievement rate is 94 percent, compared to the national average of around 70 percent.

Other Meaningful Metrics

• Every CPS network boasts at least one NBCT. 
• 346 schools have NBCTs on staff.
• 249 Title 1 schools have NBCTs on staff
• CPS NBCTs receive a $2,295+ annual stipend
• 17 percent of the new class of NBCTs are STEM teachers
• 15 percent of new NBCTS are Diverse Learner (Exceptional Needs) teachers

In addition to teaching and counseling, our NBCTs have worked in district and union leadership positions, including principals and assistant principals, network chiefs of schools, CPS and CTU project and program managers and directors, as well as the CPS executive director of educator effectiveness, and CTU President Emerita Karen Lewis.

Lynn Cherkasky-Davis, Director of Teacher Leadership at the CTUF Quest Center and manager of the CTU/CPS National Board Certification program, honored the new NBCTs and noted this year’s cohort faced unique challenges because of the pandemic. 

“I am so proud to honor our new NBCTs who have spent more than 400 hours over two years enhancing their pedagogy, collecting and analyzing student work, creating a portfolio of their practice, partnering with colleagues, parents, and community, studying videotapes of their teaching in order to improve their instruction, and preparing for content area exams,” Cherkasky-Davis said. “The new NBCTs are to be applauded for not only meeting the high standards of the national board but for doing so partially during the pandemic, a great personal accomplishment itself. We are honored that these NBCTs have followed in the footsteps of our late President Karen GJ Lewis, NBCT.”

More than 2,800 teachers across the U.S. earn National Board Certification

With 2,800 teachers, librarians, and counselors achieving certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and 8,064 National Board Certified Teachers renewing their certification this past cycle, there are now a total of 133,444 teachers across the country who have achieved National Board Certification for teaching to the highest standards in the profession and impacting culture and learning for vast numbers of students, schools and communities.

“After almost three years of navigating virtual learning, returning to classrooms, and the many other obstacles that have been thrown in the way of teachers and counselors, I am so inspired by the resilience and ingenuity of our teaching community. I am proud to be an NBCT, and to be among the incredible cohort of teachers who work tirelessly, day in, and day out, to amplify the brilliance of their students. I thank you all for being leaders in your schools and communities, and recognize all the work you do to better our education system and the teaching profession,” Peggy Brookins, NBCT, president and CEO of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, said. 

Congratulations to our new National Board Certified Teachers

Congratulations to our newly renewed NBCTs