Programs to attract quality teachers must start somewhere, and funding and innovation should be at the top of the list.
East Tennessee State University educational psychology professor J.E. Stone said his study of a group of national board-certified teachers shows that their students' test scores aren't much different from those of students taught by teachers who lack the certification.
The professor's assessment is at odds with a two-year-old Education Week study and those conducted in several states. The professor's criticism joins that of S.C. lawmakers who say the program is too expensive.
The latest criticism comes on the heels of a two-month-old proposal by Gov. Mark Sanford to alter criteria for nationally certified teachers to receive their state stipend. The governor asked in October why the teachers who get a $7,500 bonus each year for the 10-year certification aren't required to work in poor or rural school districts. Just 11 months ago Sanford recommended closing entry into the program certified by National Board for Professional Teaching Standards by setting a December deadline for certification. Last year South Carolina had 3,225 nationally certified teachers at a cost of $24.2 million. An additional 637 teachers entered the program this year, bringing the total to 3,866, still third in the nation. Only North Carolina and Florida are ahead of South Carolina.
Finding a nationally board certified teacher to pan the program may be difficult, but many say the program does more than line their wallets.
An Arizona study completed this year shows that national certification for teachers has a positive effect on student achievement, according to the online journal Education Policy Analysis Archives. The study found that the students of national certified teachers saw greater test-score gains, on average, than did those of teachers without certification.
But Stone contends that national board certification is a weak predictor of teacher effectiveness. South Carolina students scoring 49th on the Act and 50th on the SAT may be ammunition in his corner.
He thinks states have less expensive ways to determine a teacher's performance level. Studying test scores from year to year would be one way. He also would award teacher raises on test performance.
The director of the Palmetto State Teachers Association disagrees, saying that the program is rigorous for teachers and that parents share some of the blame for poor student performance because many take no interest in a child's schoolwork.
This argument will be around forever, but if South Carolina's goal is to get highly qualified teachers into all classrooms, the national board certification is one way to do it. Less expensive ways may exist. More innovative ways may exist. But so far no one has stepped forward to discuss them.
In the meantime, South Carolina is working to improve the quality of teachers, but the state needs more teachers and more experienced teachers in schools that need help. The state's national board-certified teaches have shown personal and professional commitment by earning the designation. Lawmakers should demand an analysis of the program to make sure that money is being spent wisely. But the state's education needs are so great that no one can sit on laurels waiting for the analysis, the state must move forward.