Call for Proposals
The mission of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is to advance the quality of teaching and learning by:

• Maintaining high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do
• Providing a national voluntary system certifying teachers who meet these standards
• Advocating related education reforms to integrate National Board Certification in American education and to capitalize on the expertise of National Board Certified Teachers

Within the context of our mission and your own professional, research, leadership, or policymaking role and education perspective, we invite you to submit a proposal to present at the NBPTS Conference and Exposition taking place July 25-28, 2007, in Washington, D.C. We extend a special welcome and an invitation to National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs), administrators, and faculty who support NBCTs, as well as scholars who provide knowledge and expertise to advance and improve the National Board Certification process. We invite all not only to contribute expertise to the conference program, but also to join us in recognizing accomplished teachers throughout the nation and to commemorate the 20th anniversary of NBPTS.

With the theme, Making Connections-Linking Teaching and Leadership, the 2007 NBPTS Conference highlights standards- and assessment-based practices, research, and policies that promote high-caliber teaching practice, professional development, and education reform.

This call for proposals invites presentations that offer well-grounded research, knowledge, and practice on what we should know to enhance the teaching and learning environment. In addition, we at NBPTS have observed an increasing level of interest and collaboration among educators worldwide. We extend a special invitation to international educators to join us in offering new and different ideas on teaching and learning.

The 2007 NBPTS Conference Program consists of six strands:

• Teaching and Learning. While many widely recognized, evidenced-based teaching approaches impact student learning, there is no single, "cookie-cutter" method that defines good teaching practice. This strand invites presentations on a variety of teaching and learning approaches, curriculum design, various subject matter disciplines, and developmental levels-including contexts of teaching, teacher education, and professional development-especially practices that effectively meet the needs of students from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds and those with exceptional needs.
• Leadership. Many teachers are assuming new roles that extend their influence both within and beyond the classroom-for example, advancing student learning, mentoring, curriculum development, data-driven decision making, site-based management, and staff development. These teachers, many of them National Board Certified, are also serving as change agents for school-wide reform. This strand invites presenters to provide information that advances our understanding of teacher leadership and to identify the best methods to support teachers in their leadership roles.
• Standards and Assessment. NBPTS has helped to raise standards for teachers, strengthen their educational preparation through these standards, and create performance-based assessments to demonstrate the application of the standards. This strand invites presenters to highlight the roles that standards and a new generation of assessment processes play in teacher preparation, discipline areas, and educational settings-and provides examples of how their application has advanced the quality of teaching and learning.
• Recruitment, Retention and Support. Recruitment is only one phase of a teacher's professional journey; good preparation and support are critical to help teachers remain in the profession and thrive. Professional development in both content and pedagogical areas, as well as mentoring and other support strategies, are important. This strand invites presenters to highlight innovative strategies and recommend practices to prepare well-grounded education professionals for National Board Certification or advance practice-especially those who address the complex issue of establishing a culturally rich profession.
• Professional Development and Postsecondary Education. Postsecondary education plays a key role in supporting standards-based, quality teachers-not only through initial and advanced professional development, but also through collaboration with schools, districts, and communities. This strand invites discussion and examples of collaboration and shared commitment to advancing quality teaching and learning with a focus on the work of higher education and other professional development providers at local, district, and state levels.
• Schools that Work. Whole-school reform works only through collaborative strategies that align teachers, administrators, schools, districts, and policymakers. This strand invites presenters to explore the role of National Board Certification in school reform-showcasing how districts and schools are effectively using National Board Certification as a key process for raising student performance, strengthening teacher quality, and improving professional development in our most challenging educational environments.

Please Note

All presenters who plan to attend the conference events and activities must pay the registration fee in order to participate in the 2007 National Conference & Exposition For more information, visit the NBPTS Web site at http://www.nbpts.org/about_us/events/2007_national_conference.