Record national board certifications bumps total into triple digits

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Rodney Nelson, Executive Director Human Resource Services, 560-2353 Record national board certifications bumps total into triple digits DURHAM—Thirty-three Durham Public Schools teachers have been certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), the highest number ever to be certified in the district in one school year. This brings the total number of teachers certified while serving in Durham Public Schools to 127. The certification process is an extremely rigorous one in which teachers are asked to thoroughly assess their classroom performance. It includes submission of extensive portfolios, student work samples, and videotapes of applicant teachers’ classroom style. Exhaustive written exercises delving into the applicants’ knowledge of subject matter also are required, along with a final exam. Achieving NBPTS certification can pay off literally as well as figuratively. North Carolina teachers receive a 12 percent salary bonus from the state along with their certification. The 33 certified teachers will be honored at a dinner hosted by Superintendent Ann T. Denlinger and the Board of Education at the Washington Duke Inn in early 2004. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and non-governmental agency whose mission is to establish high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do; to develop and operate a national, voluntary certification system to assess and certify teachers who meet these standards; and, to advance related education reforms for the purpose of improving student learning in American schools. “Achieving national board certification is no small task, and it is indicative of the stellar levels of commitment displayed by our wonderful teachers,” said Dr. Denlinger. “We will continue to recruit and retain the highest quality of teachers available, and we will offer them the professional development support they need, as Durham Public Schools pursues its dual goals of having at least 95 percent of all third-graders reading at proficiency and closing the Achievement Gap by 2007.” ### Attached: 2003 Durham Public Schools National Board Certified Teachers2003 Durham Public Schools National Board Certified Teachers Erin Anderson, Jordan High School Mary Bailey, Riverside High School Devy Bell, Jordan High School Marilyn Bell-Hawley, E.K. Powe Elementary School Wanda Carter, Bethesda Elementary School Mary Casey, Hillandale Elementary School Amber Cline, Lowe's Grove Middle School Andrew Dabasinskas, Durham School of the Arts Sandra Davis, Jordan High School Robin Derr, Forest View Elementary School Lynne Dubay, Southwest Elementary School Serena Dye, Forest View Elementary School Stacy Elliott, Durham School of the Arts Tina Glaz-Martin, Holt Elementary School Ruth Griggs, Carrington Middle School David Guild, Shepard Magnet Middle School Kelly Hallmets, Eno Valley Elementary School Judy Hilliard, Easley Elementary School Lisa Kempf, Lowe's Grove Middle School Teresa Lioi, Durham School of the Arts Michelle Luckadoo, Durham School of the Arts Kira Martin, Forest View Elementary School Lisa Peel, Southwest Elementary School Mary Ray, Hope Valley Elementary School Sashi Rayasam, Rogers-Herr Middle School Joseph Rispole, Riverside High School Karen Rodenhizer, Hope Valley Elementary School Carroll Snead, Jr., Pearsontown Elementary School Betty Stephan, Little River Elementary School Linda Tugurian, Forest View Elementary School Carrie Ward, R.N. Harris Integrated Arts & Core Knowledge Elementary School Amanda Wayne, R. N. Harris Integrated Arts & Core Knowledge Elementary School Elizabeth Wintermute, Club Boulevard Humanities Magnet Elementary School