"The evidence is clear the National Board Certification distinguishes more effective teachers from less effective teachers with respect to student achievement."
Study after study has proven that the students of Board-certified teachers learn more -- and the impact is greater for minority and low-income students.
- In Washington state, a multiyear study found that “[Board-] certified teachers are more effective than non-certified teachers with similar experience.” Their findings suggest Board-certified teachers produce gains of up to 1.5 months of additional learning. (Goldhaber and Cowen, 2015).
- Another study in Chicago and Kentucky found that "Board certification is an effective signal of teacher quality [based on student test scores]. This finding held across locales, test types, and subject areas. (CNA Corporation, 2015.)
- Harvard University’s Strategic Data Project reported that students of Board-certified teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District gained roughly the equivalent of two months of additional instruction in Math and one month in English Language Arts. Among math teachers, this contrasts with a lack of a significant impact by teachers who held only advanced degrees (Strategic Data Project, 2012). In a similar study in Gwinnett County, Georgia, Board-certified teachers outperformed their peers with the same levels of experience (Strategic Data Project, 2012a).
- In Hillsborough County (Tampa), Florida, students of Board-certified teachers scored higher than other students on subject-specific district exams based on value-added measures. Similar findings were reported by previous studies (Cavalluzzo, 2004; Vandevoort, Beardsley & Berliner, 2004; Clotfelter, Ladd & Vigdor, 2007; Goldhaber & Anthony, 2007; National Research Council, 2008; Chingos & Peterson, 2011).
- In a study by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Board-certified teachers were found to be “significantly more effective” than their peers in teaching Algebra II, Biology, Civics and Economics, Chemistry and Geometry, as measured by student scores on end-of-course tests (Salvador & Baxter, 2010).
- The positive impact of having a Board-certified teacher is even greater for minority and low-income students (Cavalluzzo, 2004; Goldhaber & Anthony, 2007).