The National Board Resource Center (NBRC) celebrates 176 new, Illinois National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) who achieved certification in 2019. These teachers join a growing community of Board-certified teachers—now more than 6,700 strong in Illinois and 126,000 strong across the 50 states. Each of these accomplished educators earned the profession’s highest mark of achievement through a rigorous, performance-based, peer-review process, which demonstrated their proven impact on student learning and achievement.

“Our work at the National Board is based on the belief that every child deserves to be taught by an accomplished teacher. When accomplished practice becomes the norm, the advantage will be significant, spreading beyond students and teachers to be felt by their communities, employers and society-at-large,” said Peggy Brookins, NBCT, president and CEO of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

In addition to the new NBCTs, more than 1,200 teachers are currently pursuing Board certification in Illinois and over 20,000 nationally. An increasing number of states and districts support growing the number of Board-certified teachers because of the impact they see on teachers and students.