City of Chicago, Board of Education President Sean Harden, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Pedro Martinez, CPS Chief Education Officer Bogdana Chkoumbova, and Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) Vice President Jackson Potter joined Tamara Dudley, Vice President of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and Dan Montgomery, President of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, for a District-wide celebration of educator excellence Thursday night at Marie Sklodowska Curie Metropolitan High School. The event honored more than 110 CPS educators who achieved the prestigious National Board Certification—the highest professional certification for educators in the United States. Of the honorees, 36 educators earned their National Board Certification for the first time, while 80 successfully renewed their certification within the past year. National Board Certification is a rigorous, performance-based process that identifies and celebrates accomplished teaching. CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union support candidates through the Nurturing Teacher Leadership (NTL) program, a nationally-recognized, CPS-CTU partnership that offers a comprehensive, two-year pathway to certification—at no cost to participants. National Board Certified Teachers are recognized as accomplished experts in their field, earning greater respect from colleagues and their communities.