24 Richland School District teachers have earned certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the highest credential in the teaching profession:

Tina Banning, Jason Lee Elementary School
Peggy Bergstrom, Enterprise Middle School
Nicole Blake, White Bluffs Elementary School
Denise Brimmer, River's Edge High School
Benita Brown, Sacajawea Elementary School
Deborah Burke, Chief Joseph Middle School
Stephanie Dahl, Jefferson Elementary School
Mary Dann, Chief Joseph Middle School
Erika Doyle, William Wiley Elementary School
Troy Fulton, Richland High School
Lara Gregorich-Bennett, Chief Joseph Middle School
Sheila Higby, William Wiley Elementary School
Jackie Ives, River's Edge High School
Kelly Lindsley, Chief Joseph Middle School
Karen Lipp, White Bluffs Elementary School
Deanna Lomax, Chief Joseph Middle School
Amy McLaughlin, White Bluffs Elementary School
Mary Moore, Lewis & Clark Elementary School
Kelley Muntean, Hanford High School
Cathy Stordeur, Hanford High School
Anne Walker, Wiley Elementary School
Tina Webb, Chief Joseph Middle School
Molly Wintrode, Badger Mountain Elementary School
Ann Wright-Mockler, Richland High School

The certification process requires teachers to complete a portfolio which includes:

• student work samples to show the teacher's impact on student learning
• a videotape of actual classroom teaching
• written demonstrations of a teacher's knowledge of a subject area, classroom practices and curriculum design.

"It takes a skilled, dedicated teacher to earn National Board Certification. Teachers must provide evidence that they meet the highest standards in the profession and carefully document the impact they make on student learning," said Terry Bergeson, Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction.

National board-certified teachers in Washington State earn a 10-year certificate and a $5,000 annual stipend appropriated by the state legislature. There are now 64,000 National Board Certified Teachers nationwide, with over 1700 in Washington State.

September 2004 research from Arizona State University showed that students of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) learn more than students of non-NBCTs, with average learning gains equivalent to spending more than an extra month in school each year. In March 2004, researchers from the University of Washington and The Urban Institute released a study showing that students of NBCTs experienced year-end testing improvements that averaged 7 percent to 15 percent more than students whose teachers were not NBCTs.