Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/48237
AROUND AEA Scene from Mitchell20 of the 20 teachers at Mitchell Elementary who are featured in the documentary. The film is sponsored by the National Education Association with additional sup- port from the University of Phoenix. Through a partnership between Randy Murray Productions (randymurrayproductions.com) and the Arizona K12 Center (azk12.org), the promotion and dis- tribution of the Mitchell20 documentary is tied directly to advocacy for improving teaching in America, with half of the film's profits going to an NEA Foundation scholarship for teachers in impoverished schools across the country. ✒ National Board Certification A National Board certificate is a credential attesting to the fact its recipients have been assessed against national board standards by their peers and have been found to be highly accomplished, making sound professional judgments about student learning and acting effectively on those judgments. Established and overseen by the independent, non-prof- it, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), it is a voluntary process by which teachers seek advanced certifica- tion via a rigorous, six-month to three-year- long assessment of their performance and knowledge. To qualify for candidacy, educators must hold a bachelor's degree, possess a valid state teaching license, and have completed three full years of teaching or counseling experience. Interested candi- dates must submit their applications to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards by December 31, 2011. National Board Certification can offer license portability and can contribute to Continuing Education Units for educators across the state. In many areas, National Board Certification can also provide higher salary potential. Full or partial financial support is available for most candidates to help pay the costs. The AEA Teacher Development Fund offers scholarships to teaching professionals who pursue National Board Certification, the highest professional achievement in teaching. For more information, or to find a men- tor that can walk you through the candi- dacy process, visit www.nbpts.org or call 1-800-22TEACH. AEA Advocate ❘ Winter 2011/12 13