The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is a nonprofit teacher certification organization that offers certification programs for K-12 teachers. NBPTS certification is highly incentivized by many large public school teachers’ unions, most notably by the Chicago Teachers Union. ¹

Though the NBPTS is nominally nonpartisan, it pushes numerous left-of-center beliefs in its certification programs, including critical race theory and the idea that schools perpetuate “white privilege” and systemic racism. ^{2 3} It has also been accused of wasting taxpayer dollars on lackluster certification requirements. ⁴

Founding and History

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards was founded in 1987 by former Democratic Governor of North Carolina, James B. Hunt Jr. The first president of the NBPTS was James A. Kelly, a former senior program officer at the Ford Foundation, a major supporter of left-of-center organizations. Kelly served as president of the NBTPS until 1999, and under his leadership, the NBPTS’ National Board Certification program was instated. ⁵

Even in its early days, the NBPTS received pushback from teachers concerned over the supposed quality of the group’s certification program. Teachers argued that the hundreds of millions spent by local districts to certify teachers was not worth what they saw as merely entry-level training, filled mostly with “high school” level knowledge. ⁶

Activities

Because of pressure from local teachers’ unions, more than half of all states offer free support for its teachers to take the NBPTS’ National Board Certification program. ⁷ Upon certification, teachers are often automatically eligible for salary increases of several thousand dollars and, depending on their district’s union, even more benefits. ⁸ The Chicago Teachers Union’s contract, for example, gives certified teachers a pensionable stipend of $2,295, advancement on their salary scale, credits towards a master’s degree, and a full scholarship of any NBPTS fees. ⁹

A major component of the NBPTS’ National Board Certification program is adherence to the left-wing ideology of critical race theory. Visitors to the NBPTS’ website are immediately met with a declaration that “The National Board is an anti-racist and inclusive organization.” ¹⁰ NBPTS Bias Training condemns “racist American society” and encourages its teachers to examine “white privilege” and supremacy in what it sees as the systemically racist educational system. ^{11 12} In an EdWeek article shared by the NBPTS, a National Board Certified teacher called for the “abolition” of “centuries-old, racist institutions” and a world “without police.” ^{13 14}

Finances

The NBPTS’ most recent publicly available financial filings from 2019 show total revenues of $24,213,880 and total expenses of $24,429,710. ¹⁵ The overwhelming majority of its revenue comes from its certification fees, which are largely covered by school districts and their respective taxpayers. $14,617,692 of its expenses were due to a “Pearson Fee Share,” which indicates that Pearson Education assisted in developing and maintaining the NBPTS’s program.

Leadership

The president of the NBPTS is Peggy Brookins. Brookins, a former teacher, was named a member of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans. ¹⁶ She receives an annual salary of $378,832.

1. “Want to Take the Journey to National Board Certification?” Chicago Teachers Union, November 12, 2020. https://www.ctulocal1.org/chicago-union-teacher/2020/11/journey-national-board-certification/.
2. Flanagan, Nancy. “What Feeds Bias in the Education World? (Opinion).” Education Week, April 23, 2018. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-what-feeds-bias-in-the-education-world/2018/04.
3. Downey, Maureen. “Opinion: Ugly Reality of Racism Plays out in Our Classrooms.” ajc. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 20, 2021. https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/opinion-ugly-reality-of-racism-plays-out-in-our-classrooms/WZMHILHDYZD5LJEFAWHLMBO2RI/.
4. Clowes, George A. “National Teacher Certification Labeled a ‘Hoax’.” The Heartland Institute, April 1, 2004. https://www.heartland.org/news-opinion/news/national-teacher-certification-labeled-a-hoax?source=policybot.
5.  “James Kelly.” National Academy of Education, September 17, 2019. https://naeducation.org/our-members/james-kelly/.
6. Clowes, George A. “National Teacher Certification Labeled a ‘Hoax’.” The Heartland Institute, April 1, 2004. https://www.heartland.org/news-opinion/news/national-teacher-certification-labeled-a-hoax?source=policybot.
7. “Why Certify?” NBPTS. Accessed October 18, 2021. https://www.nbpts.org/national-board-certification/why-certify/.
8.  “State Incentive Chart .” Accessed October 18, 2021. https://www.nbpts.org/wp-content/uploads/state_incentive_chart.pdf.
9. “Want to Take the Journey to National Board Certification?” Chicago Teachers Union, November 12, 2020. https://www.ctulocal1.org/chicago-union-teacher/2020/11/journey-national-board-certification/.
10. NBPTS. Accessed October 18, 2021. https://www.nbpts.org/.
11. Flanagan, Nancy. “What Feeds Bias in the Education World? (Opinion).” Education Week, April 23, 2018. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-what-feeds-bias-in-the-education-world/2018/04.
12. “Racism, Privilege and Implicit Bias: One Teacher’s Journey, Part 2.” NBPTS Shaping the profession that shapes Americas future Racism Privilege and Implicit Bias One Teachers Journey Part 2 Comments. Accessed October 18, 2021. https://www.nbpts.org/racism-privilege-and-implicit-bias-one-teachers-journey-part-2/.
13. Love, Bettina L. “How to Make Anti-Racism More than a Performance (Opinion).” Education Week. Education Week, June 29, 2021. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-empty-promises-of-equity/2021/01?utm_content=151547606&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&hss_channel=tw-16546457.
14. Board, National. “How to Make Anti-Racism More than a Performance (Opinion) Https://T.co/dayqrzo56z.” Twitter. Twitter, January 14, 2021. https://twitter.com/nbpts/status/1349837296732938240.
15. “National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Inc.” ProPublica, May 9, 2013. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/521512323/02_2021_prefixes_47-52%2F521512323_201912_990_2021022417750521.
16. “Peggy Brookins, NBCT.” NBPTS. Accessed October 18, 2021. https://www.nbpts.org/staff/peggy-brookins/.