An Historical Analysis of the Development of National Board Certification Stipends in Virginia

Abstract

This study examines the historical evolution and legislative valuation of the National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This fund offers stipends to teachers who earn National Board Certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. This research project included three steps of data collection. First, the legislative history of Virginia's National Teacher Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund, which covered the General Assembly Session in 1999, was reviewed. The second step was open-ended interviews with legislators and a representative from the Virginia Education Association who participated in the creation of the "Fund." The third step was to collect and report the incentives that are offered by the local education agencies for teachers who earn National Board Certification. The study reported that the initial plan devised by the Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy in the report, A Nation Prepared (1986) that National Board Certification was not implemented with fidelity in the Commonwealth of Virginia, according to the intended design when it pertained to both how to strategically use the skills of NBCTs and how to ensure NBCTs are working with the students most in need of help. As supported by the interview data, the study shows those interviewed value great teachers and are willing to support them with financial incentives.