Master teachers

Utah has 50 percent more "master teachers" heading classrooms this school year than it did last.

But the cadre of educators certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards remains small.

Utah has 77.

North Carolina has nearly 8,300.

And the country boasts 40,200.

With research showing National Board Certified teachers give kids a big boost on standardized test scores, some leaders say it's in states' best interest to encourage teachers to go through the process.

But Utah is perpetually in the nation's cellar in terms of cash for schools. More money to offset $2,300 in certification fees could be hard to come by — let alone greenbacks to replace what in some areas amounts to a pat on the back with an actual pay raise.

Then again, the state is expected to rake in $370 million in new tax revenues that could be budgeted in the coming year.

"I would love to get money, or see a lump sum for 100 teachers to get in the program," said Kaye Chatterton, director of teaching and learning for the Utah Education Association. "But we're going to need a major sugar daddy."

National Board Certification is a rigorous, 200- to 300-hour process in which teachers reflect on, tear down and then rebuild their teaching methods. They have to create portfolios, videotape and critique themselves, take several tests and prove how they know their students are learning.

Certification fees amount to $2,300, according to the National Board Web site.

Just over half the candidates fail the first time around, the Utah National Board Commission reports. Test retakes are $300 a pop.

Teachers say it's all worth it.

"They become more an artist of teacher, rather than just a practitioner. It takes teaching to a higher level," said Becky Hatch, Granite District teacher quality specialist and National Board Certified teacher in social studies. "It's about the highest level of achievement a professional teacher can achieve."

Students of National Board Certified teachers have been shown to edge peers on standardized tests, according to research by Arizona State University and the University of Washington and Urban Institute posted at www.nbpts.org.