A recent study done by researchers at William and Mary and focusing on teachers in North Carolina, found that there was little reason to believe that this expense program has any significant educational benefits. Most education writers have turned a blind eye to the study, but it is discussed in this story from a paper in Virginia.
I have long regarded the National Board certification program as a fraud. Just think about the opening of the story, with the teacher going over hours and hours of video tape of his teaching to find the ideal 20 minutes to submit. If I wanted to play in the US Amateur golf tournament, I could probably find good footage of several well-hit shots and send that in to the tournament people to prove that I’m a really fine golfer — except that they don’t do it that way. You need to have a very low handicap, compiled over many, many rounds of golf. Similarly, good teaching can’t be proven with one 20 minute film clip. It should be evidenced with lots of excellent results by students. Except that NBPTS doesn’t do it that way.
