National University Commits $100,000 in Teacher Subsidies; Funds Available to Candidates Pursuing NBCT Certification.

LA JOLLA, Calif. -- National University, California's second-largest private, nonprofit institution of higher learning, announced today that it has committed $100,000 to help offset the application fee for qualified students interested in pursuing certification through the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.

National University's program will be effective beginning July 1, 2006 and is designed to provide assistance to approximately 150 individuals. Up to $50,000 will be set aside to assist individuals pursuing NBCT certification exclusively, while an additional $50,000 will be set aside to assist individuals pursuing NBCT certification as part of their Master of Arts in Teaching at National University.

National Board Certification is recognized as an accepted mark of excellence in the teaching profession. Recent studies have shown that students of NBCT teachers outperformed students of non-certified teachers on the Stanford-9 Achievement Test, with learning gains equivalent on average to spending more than an extra month in school each year. In addition, students of NBCTs experienced year-end testing improvements that averaged seven percent to 15 percent more than students of non-certified teachers. Teachers earning the NBCT credential have the opportunity to not only achieve professional success, but they have the opportunity to enhance the educational experience for students currently struggling in lower-performing schools.

National is a strong supporter of NBCT certification. The University's NBCT program is a preferred option for many working teachers due to the one-course-per-month format and flexible curriculum. Courses are taught by National University's NBCT-certified professors, with the timing of the program aligned with both the school year and the NBCT credentialing body due dates. National University's NBCT Support and Leadership Center provides additional assistance to candidates as they prepare for their candidacy examination.

NBCT Certification is available in 15 discipline areas. There are currently 47,503 National Board Certified teachers in the United States. In the past year, 7,289 individuals earned their certification. California currently has 3,379 NBCT teachers, ranking fourth in the nation behind North Carolina, Florida and South Carolina.

For more information regarding National University's NBCT subsidy program, please contact David Neville at [phone] or visit www.nu.edu.

National University

National University is the second-largest, private, nonprofit institution of higher learning in California with the third largest graduate program in the country. Using its core values of quality, access, relevance, accelerated pace, affordability and community, National University continues to focus on making lifelong learning opportunities accessible, challenging and relevant to a diverse population of non-traditional students. Founded in 1971, National University is comprised of five schools: Business and Management; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and Media and Communications; and the College of Letters and Sciences. National University is headquartered in La Jolla, California.