Diversity and NBPTS Certification: Higher Education and State Initiatives
Department
Secondary and Middle Grades Education
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
2003
Abstract
In reponse to A Nation at Risk (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983), The Carnegie Task Force on Teaching (Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy, 1986) called for the establishment of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). The NBPTS certificate area tests were offered in 1993. Since then, the influence of the NBPTS on teaching has grown immensely. At the same time, concerns about the board's certification process and its impact on diverse candidates have begun to emerge. This chapter provides an overview of the adverse impact of the NBPTS certification process specifically on African American candidates. In addition, it examines statewide and higher education support initiatives for African American candidates.