Title: LEADERSHIP ROLES FOR NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SCHOOL DISTRICTS National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) are highly skilled in the latest research-based instruction and understand the importance of data-driven instruction and its impact on student learning. Because of their expertise, NBCTs have the potential to become leadership agents for producing high-performing schools. However, there is little to no evidence that NBCTs are being encouraged to use their expertise to improve school performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore NBCTs in leadership roles in southern Illinois schools. To accomplish this purpose, three areas were explored: the extent to which NBCTs participated in leadership roles in schools and the nature of those NBCT leadership roles, NBCTs' perceptions regarding their leadership role significance, and the enablers and barriers to NBCT leadership. Mixed methods were used to interpret, analyze, and draw conclusions from quantitative and qualitative data. The findings show that prior to November 2007, 150 NBCTs were actively teaching in Regional Areas V and VI in southern Illinois school districts. Sixty-two percent (n=93) of those NBCTs responded to the request that they participate in the survey. Of those responding to the survey, over one half (59%) of NBCTs were involved in leadership roles in schools. In addition to their regular teaching assignments, the majority of these NBCTs were involved in multiple leadership roles in the seven core areas of professional growth and staff development, mentoring, curriculum development, student achievement, grant writing, school improvement, and support groups. Forty-one percent (n=38) of NBCTs indicated not having a leadership role. To determine NBCTs' perceptions of leadership role significance, NBCTs ranked the significance of their leadership role(s). The findings show that NBCTs perceived their leadership role(s) to have the most significance when addressing the following areas: (a) improved classroom practices, (b) communicating and operating from strong ideals about teaching and learning, (c) coaching and facilitating teams of teachers in school wide professional and staff development, (d) disaggregating and analyzing test scores data to increase student learning, and (e) promoting shared goals and vision. NBCTs perceived less significance when their leadership role(s) were involved in collaborating with administrators in creating and sustaining internal conditions, acting as change agents to inspire peers, leading the recognition and celebration of school accomplishments, facilitating sessions on current theories and practices, and addressing and adapting to negative undercurrents within the organization. The enablers and barriers to NBCT leadership roles were explored. The findings show that factors associated with administrators, colleagues, and circumstances beyond one's control contributed to the enabling or barring of NBCT leadership in schools.

The purpose of the study was to determine if there is a difference in mathematics mean scale score growth on the MCT2 mathematics assessment between students taught by national board certified teachers (NBCTs) and those taught by non-NBCTs in a low socioeconomic, high minority, Title I school. For this study, a causal-comparative research design and a statistical analysis procedure of ANCOVA were used to answer two research questions: First, is there a statistically significant difference in mathematics mean scale score growth on the MCT2 mathematics assessment between fourth grade African American and Caucasian students taught by NBCTs and those taught by non-NBCTs, while controlling socioeconomic status and 3rd grade MCT2 mathematics scale scores? Second, is there a statistically significant difference in mathematics mean scale score growth on the MCT2 mathematics assessment between fourth grade students by socioeconomic status based on eligibility for free/reduced or full pay lunch taught by NBCTs and those taught by non-NBCTs, while controlling race and 3rd grade MCT2 mathematics scale scores? The results of the analysis for research question one indicated that there was not a statistically significant difference in mathematics mean score growth on the MCT2 mathematics assessment between students by race taught by NBCTs and those taught by non-NBCT. African American and Caucasian students taught by NBCTs had a comparable mathematics mean scale score growth with African American and Caucasian students taught by non-NBCTs. The results of the analysis for research question two indicated that there was a statistically significant difference in mathematics mean score growth on the MCT2 mathematics assessment between students by socioeconomic status based on eligibility for full pay lunch taught by NBCTs and those students taught by non-NBCTs. Students identified as full pay lunch taught by NBCTs had a higher mathematics mean scale score growth than those students identified as full pay lunch taught by non-NBCTs. Students identified as free/reduced lunch status taught by non-NBCTs had comparable mean scale score growth with those students identified as free/reduced lunch status taught by NBCTs, but not statistically significant.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a statistically significant difference between the MCT scores (reading, math, and language arts) of two groups of students (those taught by a NBCT and those who were not), and if there was a difference, how those differences can be explained based on selected teacher demographic data (endorsement area of certification, sex, age, race, highest degree received, years of experience, and National Board Certification status). Teachers? National Board Certification (NBC) status and age were identified as variables that contribute to the difference in the reading, language arts, and math Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT) scores. Students who were taught by National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) are more likely to have higher reading and language arts standardized test scores than students who were taught by non-NBCTs. While researchers have also concluded that teachers? years of experience, endorsement area (s), and highest degree received play a vital role in the differences found in students? achievement, this study did not confirm those findings. The results of this study, however, indicated that teachers whose ages ranged from 41-50 tend to have higher reading, language arts, and math MCT scores. The majority of teachers in this age group were NBCTs.

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of National Board Certified Teachers on student performance on Mississippi’s Subject Area Testing Program (SATP) English II assessment, an end-of-course exam that assesses 10th grade students in Mississippi school districts. The researcher sought to determine if there was a statistically significant difference between the SATP English II scores of two groups of students (those taught by National Board Certified Teachers and those who were not). If there was a difference, the researcher sought to determine how the difference could be explained based on selected teacher demographic data (sex, race, highest degree received, years of experience, and National Board Certification status) and selected student demographic data (sex; race; previous scores on the Mississippi Curriculum Test, Second Edition; and free- or reduced-lunch status). The results indicated that students who were taught by National Board Certified Teachers were more likely to have higher SATP English II scores than students who were taught by non-National Board Certified Teachers. Though previous researchers have concluded that teachers’ years of experience and highest degree received play a vital role in the difference in student achievement, this study did not confirm those findings. The results of this study, however, indicated that teacher and student demographic data were potentially important predictors of the language arts standardized test scores. Though these data can be used as predictors, the combined effect of teacher gender, teacher race, and years of experience, along with student race, student gender, student lunch status, and prior Mississippi Curriculum Test, Second Edition Language Arts scores were not found to be statistically significant in this study.

This study provides a descriptive analysis of the distribution of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in Virginia, which offers financial compensation to these educators regardless of teaching assignment. Most localities provide additional incentives to recruit and retain NBCTs, again, not targeted or structured in any way. Given the impact of high quality teachers on student learning and the well-documented disparities in access for subsets of the student population, it is important to obtain a baseline measure of NBCT distribution in Virginia upon which leaders might build a plan for reform. Three research questions were addressed: How are NBCTs distributed across Virginia with regards to divisions' ability to pay? In school divisions with a high concentration of NBCTs, what incentive structures do these divisions offer to either support teachers while they apply to NBPTS or to recruit and retain previously successful NBCTs? What are the characteristics of the schools in which NBCTs serve with regards to the race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status of their student populations? The researcher determined NBCTs were distributed unequally across Virginia's divisions and schools based on divisions' ability to pay and student demographics. Formal support structures were found in most high concentration divisions. / Ed. D.