US voluntary advanced teacher certification: towards the Dakar notion of EFA

ABSTRACT

In the year 2000, the World Education Forum developed the Dakar Framework, outlining strategies for the achievement of universal education. Among these strategies was to ‘Enhance the status, morale, and professionalism of teachers.’ Further, the 2014 Education for All (EFA) report indicated the necessity of ‘investing in teachers.’ The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, a US-developed program, seems to meet these expectations through voluntary advanced certification. Policymakers later established completion incentives for National Board Certification (NBC). The purpose of this study was to describe National Board Certified Teachers and determine critical incentives for completion of NBC. Regression analysis indicated salary incentives are predictive of completion, explaining 20% of the variance. Overall, these results indicated that salary incentives have potential to be a compelling extrinsic incentive for voluntary professional development programs. Further, these findings suggest that similar programs within other nation-states may have comparable success through these incentive types.

KEYWORDS:

• Professional development
• advanced certification
• Dakar framework
• UNESCO
• voluntary advanced certification

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jesse Lee Rhoades

Jesse Lee Rhoades is an associate professor at the University of North Dakota. His research examines complexity theory and its applications in physical education.

Amelia Mays Woods

Amelia Mays Woods is a full Professor and department chair at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Professor Woods’ area of interest is pedagogy. Her research interest centers upon teachers’ movement through their career cycles. Specifics include studies of the supports necessary to sustain innovative practices, factors contributing to teachers’ sense of efficacy, and the power of reflection in professional development.

John Fitzgerald

John Fitzgerald is an associate professor at the University of North Dakota. His research interests include the physiological factors influencing health and physical performance of athletes. John has conducted research with National Collegiate Athletic Association athletes across the US as well as elite hockey players across the globe.

Thomas N. Trendowski

Thomas N. Trendowski is an assistant professor at the University of Carolina Pembroke. Dr. Trendowski’s research deals with socialization in higher education

Douglas Ellison

Douglas Ellison is an assistant professor of Physical Education Teacher Education in the School of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum Studies at Kent State University. He previously earned National Board Certification while teaching physical education and health for 10 years in Charlotte, NC. Dr. Ellison obtained his PhD in Pedagogical Kinesiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.