Students of poverty, students of color and students whose first language is not English are statistically far more likely to find themselves in classrooms with the least prepared teachers. It is with this daunting challenge in mind that the Obama administration established “the equitable distribution of qualified teachers for all students, particularly students who are most in need” as a central tenet of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investments in public education. Closing the achievement gap is Job #1 for America.

Our country is home to more than 91,000 National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs). However, they remain a largely untapped resource despite their critical mass. These accomplished teachers can provide tremendous leadership to their peers in high-needs schools as well as the overall profession, which is why CTQ launched its NBCT Leadership initiative. Motivated by our understanding of how important teaching effectiveness is for today’s 21st century learners, CTQ began working with NBCTs in 2005 to help spread their expertise. In a 2009 paper, commissioned by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Barnett Berry wrote a hard hitting paper on effects of NBCTs on student achievement – and what the National Board must do to evolve its assessment process and leverage teacher effectiveness and leadership for 21st century schools.

Today, our Implementing Common Core Standards and Return on Investment projects represent two prime examples for utilizing NBCT Leadership to advance – in virtual communities – the pedagogical and policy expertise of some of the nation’s most accomplished practitioners.