National Board Certification and Teachers' Career Paths: Does NBPTS Certification Influence How Long Teachers Remain in the Profession and Where They Teach?

Abstract

Investment in the certification of teachers by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) represents a significant policy initiative for the nation's public school teachers. This article investigates the potential impact of NBPTS certification on teachers' career paths. Using a competing risks model on data from North Carolina public schools, we find evidence that those teachers who apply to NBPTS are more likely to be mobile than are nonapplicants, particularly after they have gone through the certification process. Regression discontinuity estimates suggest that National Board–certified teachers are more likely than unsuccessful applicants to leave the North Carolina public school system and that this appears to result from certified teachers exiting high-minority schools, particularly Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools.