The Fulton

County School System celebrates the latest in a long string of good news.

We have just

learned that 37 of our teachers have received prestigious National Board

certification.

These 37 are

in addition to seven teachers previously certified, bringing Fulton's

overall total to 44. No other school system in Georgia can make such a

proud statement.

National Board

certification is a symbol of professional teaching excellence. A voluntary

process established by the National Board for professional teacher standards,

this process is achieved through a rigorous performance-based assessment

that takes nearly a year to complete.

Through the

assessment process, teachers document their subject matter knowledge,

provide evidence that they know how to most effectively teach their subjects

to students, and demonstrate their ability to manage and measure student

progress. A National Board certificate attests that a teacher was judged

judgments about students' best interests, and acts effectively on those

judgments.

The large number

of Fulton teachers obtaining National Board certification reflects positively

on the benefits of strategic planning. The Fulton County Board of Education,

as part of its planning process, identified five key goal areas: student

achievement, stake holder involvement and satisfaction, instructional

and administrative processes, staff learning and growth, and financial

performance.

Within each

goal area, objectives and performance measures were established. One performance

measure under staff learning and growth concerned national certification.

The board set

a realistic goal of having 15 teachers certified by the end of 2001. To

help reach that goal, the board committed financial and staff development

resources.

The efforts

reaped enormous rewards. Having 44 National Board certified teachers far

surpasses anyone's expectations and is a true testament to the quality

of staff in the Fulton County School System. We commend the board for

having the vision, and we commend our staff for rising to the expectations.

National Board

certification is just one of the many reasons to celebrate in the Fulton

County School System. Our staff, students and schools continue to earn

state and national recognition, and our reputation as a premiere school

system continues to grow.

As we stop

during this holiday season and reflect on what we have accomplished, we

extend an enormous thank you to the parents, business leaders, employees

and community leaders who have worked with us to bring our system to where

we are today.

As we tell

our students, however, this is only the beginning. Continual improvement

is our expectation. While we are pleased with what we have done, we anticipate

even greater things in the future.

To learn more

about the award-winning Fulton County School System, visit our Web site

at www.fulton.k12.ga.us , or call our community relations department

at 404-763-6830.