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Ohio National Board Certified Teachers to Meet for First-Ever Education Policy Summit

Posted on: Monday, 2 October 2006, 15:00 CDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time ever, hundreds of the state's top teachers will join Ohio policymakers and educational leaders for a daylong policy summit to discuss the most critical issues facing educators today--closing achievement gaps and staffing high-needs schools.

"We're looking for concrete, workable recommendations that will foster the conditions for high-quality teaching and learning for all students," said OEA President Gary Allen. "Legislators need to hear what these accomplished teachers say about what is confronting teaching and learning in public schools. It is important that Ohio's National Board Certified Teachers step forward because their voices need to be heard."

The Ohio National Board Certified Teacher(R) (NBCT(R)) Policy Summit will be held on Thursday, November 16, 2006, at the Columbus Convention Center from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The summit will include in-depth discussions and recommendations that will be forwarded to state legislators, school boards and school administrators. Through exploration of critical teaching and learning issues with peers from across the state, participants will gain new information and build collegial networks beneficial to their practice and their school communities.

"This forum will serve as a platform for National Board Certified Teachers to make a difference for thousands of educators and the students and families they serve," said Allen. "There is nothing more important in our state than providing fresh and real solutions for Ohio's schools."

The Summit is being convened by the Ohio Education Association, in partnership with the National Education Association, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), the Center for Teaching Quality based in North Carolina, the Ohio Federation of Teachers, the Buckeye Association of School Administrators, the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators, the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators, the Ohio Coalition of Board Certified Teachers, the Ohio Educator Standards Board, the Ohio Department of Education, and the Ohio Board of Regents. Funding assistance is being provided by California Casualty, Horace Mann, NEA Member Benefits, and Saturn/UAW.

National Board Certification(R) is the highest credential in the teaching profession. A voluntary process established by NBPTS, certification is achieved through a rigorous, performance-based assessment that typically takes more than a year to complete and measures what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. This process requires teachers to demonstrate how their activities, both inside and outside of the classroom, improve student achievement.

"The composition of this summit makes a statement about the value we place on bringing members of the education, policy and foundation communities together to address the challenges we face in providing all of our children with a world-class education," said NBPTS President and CEO Joseph A. Aguerrebere.

Currently, there are nearly 50,000 NBCTs in the United States. With more than 2,500 NBCTs teaching in Ohio's schools, the state ranks fifth in the country in the number of teachers who have achieved National Board Certification.

For more information about the Summit visit the Ohio Education Association Web site at http://www.ohea.org/.

Registration is limited to NBCTs and invited guests.

Ohio Education Association

CONTACT: Michele Prater of Ohio Education Association, +1-614-227-3071

Web site: http://www.ohea.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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