Bangor teacher speaks at White House forum

WASHINGTON – Taking her crusade for better teaching standards to the White House, Bangor teacher Barbara Kelley was a featured speaker at an education summit hosted by first lady Laura Bush on Tuesday to exchange ideas on the best way to improve learning in public schools.

Several hundred educators, school administrators, academics, administration officials and members of Congress also attended the conference.

Those who addressed the meeting in the spacious White House East Room talked about how teachers should retool themselves to enhance their effectiveness. Several also outlined the challenges they face with sometimes minimal financial reward for their work or little positive feedback and support.

Kelley took the opportunity to share with the audience of several hundred the benefits of a one-year certificate program offered by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, a 15-year-old nationwide nonprofit association that she chairs.

Kelley, a physical education teacher at Vine Street School in Bangor who has been teaching for 28 years, explained how NBPTS’ rigorous voluntary program not only enhances an educator’s teaching abilities, but also uplifts the nation’s schools.

“It is critically important that teachers themselves be leaders in elevating our profession,” she said. “The first step in setting high standards for students is setting higher standards for teachers.”

Since 1994, more than 16,000 teachers across the country have received a master teacher certificate from the NBPTS program at a cost of $2,300, Kelley said.

During the one-year process, educators are expected to study the latest innovations in teaching, increase their understanding in a subject of expertise, submit written reports about their work with parents and colleagues, and submit two videotapes recording their in-class methods. Certificate candidates are also expected to taken written exams.

“It is the most demanding and the most rewarding professional challenge of their careers,” Kelley added, noting that only 50 percent pass the certification process after their first attempt.

Once certified, teachers then share their newly acquired skills and understanding with others. In Arizona they have launched a mentoring program and offer professional development courses to other teachers. In Massachusetts, certified NBPTS teachers are advising the state school curriculum and evaluating the work of midcareer professionals who want to enter the teaching profession.

In return for the teachers’ investment of time and money, a number of states increase the salaries of certified instructors. The incentive apparently pays off. North Carolina awards a 12 percent increase in salary for certified teachers, who now number more than 3,600.

While the state reimburses teachers for tuition to the NBPTS program, there is no other financial incentive for being certified in Maine, where there are now only 26 certified teachers, according to NBPTS spokesman James Minichello.

At the end of the conference, President Bush offered a few comments to the audience, and urged the country to treat teachers “like the professionals they are” in terms of salary, working conditions and general support.