Kathleen Wiebke

Champion for teacher excellence lands seat
on national education board

Kathleen Wiebke, one of Northern Arizona University's champions for teacher excellence, is gaining national notoriety.

Wiebke, the executive director for the Arizona K-12 Center in Phoenix, recently was elected to the 25-member board of directors for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards—the organization that sets and maintains the standards for teacher excellence.

"I look forward to working with other teachers not only in Arizona but across the country and sharing with them how the National Board Certification process helped me analyze my students' work, reflect on my practice and become a better teacher," Wiebke said.

In 1996, Wiebke was the first teacher in Arizona to become certified with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and received a Middle Childhood Generalist Certificate. Certificates are valid for ten years. Wiebke successfully renewed her certificate in 2006.

"While state licensing systems set basic teaching requirements, the national board certifies teachers through demonstrated advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices," she said.

Daniel Kain, dean of NAU's College of Education, said Wiebke's appointment as one of 25 people in the United States to serve on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards underscores her abilities and commitments.

"I am thrilled that Kathy Wiebke brings such a deep understanding of professionalism in teaching to her role as executive director of the Arizona K-12 Center," Kain said. "Her leadership of the Arizona K-12 Center through NAU opens fantastic opportunities for growth to Arizona's classroom teachers."

Wiebke has been directing Arizona's K-12 Center since 2005.

Wiebke taught elementary school for almost 20 years and was principal for Desert Trails Elementary School in Paradise Valley, Arizona. She also has served as deputy associate superintendent at the Arizona Department of Education. In 1998, she won the Disney American Teacher Award in the elementary category.

In the United States, there are currently 55,300 National Board Certified teachers, including almost 350 in Arizona. National Board Certification is a voluntary assessment program that enriches, recognizes and rewards great teachers.

Wiebke received her master's of elementary education from Northern Arizona University and her bachelor of arts in education from Arizona State University.