National Board Certified teachers, recovered from the rigors of the NB portfolio, stand ready to take on new challenges. To meet their demands, they will meet on November 9 at UCLA to form a National Board Network. All National Board teachers in our extended area as well as candidates who completed the 1999š2000 certification process through UCLA and are awaiting notification, are invited. We‰ll be discussing opportunities to network with other NBC teachers. There will be focus groups for those interested in teacher research, professional books, political action, writing classroom stories, continued professional growth, employment options, and issues we haven‰t thought of yet. When National Board teachers get together we have to stand back and allow their energy and ideas to develop.

This summer 149 pre-Kš12 teachers began the rigorous National Board process with a three-day institute at UCLA. They came from far corners of our community—Azusa, Whittier, Long Beach, and Ventura. They will continue to meet together through April 2001, studying applicable education research, reflecting on their classroom practice, and writing their professional stories. This summer we added a new 15-hour workshop, Writing the Professional Portfolio. It was a great favorite so we‰re offering it again beginning in October.

Adrienne Mack, director of the UCLA National Board Project, has accepted a position with the Los Angeles County Office of Education. She will continue to work with the UCLA candidates this year while she assists the county in developing support groups. Our collaboration will extend our resources as we continue to reach out to underrepresented teachers and teachers working in urban settings. This year's meetings are being held once again throughout the city to accommodate all participants.

Our own observations and records from NBC teachers‰ classrooms verify the success of these accomplished teachers. We are awaiting the official data from the first studies linking National Board teachers and student achievement. More districts are encouraging their teachers to attempt certification with financial incentives. The state pays a one-time bonus of $10,000 to each new NBC teacher. NBC teachers working in schools with the lowest API scores can earn an additional $20,000 over four years. District incentives vary from fixed stipends to 15 percent of base salary increases.

Even though the UCLA program is in its fourth year, and over 500 teachers have thus far attempted certification with us, we feel like we‰ve only begun to explore the possibilities. Working with candidates and NBC teachers continues to be challenging and invigorating.