School News: Two Hundred Scholarships Available For Teachers Seeking National Board Certification

Students at Landmark academy at reunion celebrate first annual latin culture week

Landmark Academy at Reunion , a tuition-free public charter school, recently hosted their First Annual Latin Culture Week, a week focused on educating students on the various aspects of Latin culture, from music and art to sports and celebrities, through unique activities. During the week-long celebration, students were able to step into the lives of the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans with Latin culture lessons through piñata making, cultural crafts, songs, traditional foods and more. Students made maracas and learned a traditional Mexican Hat Dance; created Aztec suns working with metal tooling; and studied different countries in Mexico , Central America and South America . Aztec dancers from the Colorado Folk Arts Council also visited with students and educated them on the spiritual and traditional aspects of Aztec culture through dance. “We reside in a community with strong Latin and Hispanic roots,” said Matt Carlton, principal of Landmark Academy at Reunion . “Our community culture is important to us at Landmark. By providing unique ways for our students to learn the various backgrounds of our diverse community they are able to understand and appreciate different cultures.” For more information about Landmark Academy at Reunion , please visit www.landmarkacademy.org.

June 01, 2011

Two Hundred Scholarships Available For Teachers Seeking National Board Certification

The Colorado Department of Education’s Office of Educator Licensing today announced the limited availability of a new round of scholarships to support teachers applying for National Board Certification with the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.

Colorado teachers can apply for a federal scholarship of $1,250 provided by the U.S. Department of Education, as well as a Colorado scholarship of $750. The Colorado scholarships are being made available from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant funds that were allocated to district grant applicants, but not spent. Gov. John Hickenlooper’s office this week approved the use of remaining grant funds for the Colorado portion of the scholarship.

Scholarships are provided on a first-come, first-served basis, but Colorado also reserves the right to fund teachers in low-performing schools first.

The scholarship window is open through Dec. 1, 2011, or until funds are no longer available.

Interested teachers should begin by applying with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Candidates must check the box that allows their information to be released to funding agencies. After paying an application processing charge of $65 and initial fee of $500, teachers should complete the Federal Scholarship Application Form, a one-page essay discussed on the scholarship form and the Colorado Scholarship Application Form. Scholarship application forms, the essay and proof of payment of the $565 should be faxed to CDE at 303-866-6866.

Several school districts provide salary increases to teachers who obtain NBPTS certification, while other districts utilize certified teachers as teacher-mentors or teacher-leaders.

Certification cycles start now and candidates will work on their assessments until spring 2012. Candidates will find out if they achieved certification in November 2012. Currently, 210 Colorado candidates are working toward national board certification. The prior cycle resulted in the addition of 65 newly national board certified teachers and 16 teachers who renewed their certification for another 10 years.

For additional questions on the process of certification, visit http://www.nbpts.org/. To apply for scholarships, fax all required information to 303-866-6866 or contact Anne Marie Roberts in CDE’s Office of Professional Services at roberts_a@cde.state.co.us.

School districts interested in a presentation for local teachers about National Board Certification, should contact Nancy Shakowski, Colorado’s NBPTS regional director at nshakowski@nbpts.org.