School of Education Doctoral Candidate Featured on National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Blog and Podcast
January 26, 2022
BATON ROUGE, LA - School of Education doctoral candidate, Megan Jenny, was recently featured on The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards blog and podcast on January 19, 2022. Ms. Jenny is a 15-year veteran teacher, and current National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) in the area of Literacy: Reading-Language Arts/Early and Middle Childhood. She is completing her PhD in Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis in literacy; her proposed dissertation study is an investigation of preservice teachers’ theoretical orientation towards teaching reading in the primary grades. Jenny most recently worked as a second grade teacher at University Laboratory School, the pre-college arm of the College of Human Sciences & Education, which was established in 1915.
Ms. Jenny explained, “It’s invigorating to be among so many accomplished and recognized teachers. My village—my Lab School and School of Education colleagues—inspired me to strive for more and achieve my National Board Certification.”
Ms. Jenny’s major professor and doctoral advisor, Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell, PhD, who has been certified as an NBCT in the certificate area of Early Adolescence: English-Language Arts since 1995, and is recognized as one of the pioneers in the process, provided the following, “Megan Jenny epitomizes a NBCT; she is a stellar educator and was selected as an NBCT to highlight because of her highly-developed collaborative skills, her grounding in teaching and learning, and her experience as a teacher. Megan is an excellent example of the quality doctoral candidates in the School of Education.”
Achieving National Board Certification is a rigorous and often arduous process. Highly self-reflective teachers who attempt National Board Certification critically examine their practice, select a sample of their teaching, and record that sample teaching lesson for analysis. Certification applications are submitted and reviewed by individuals with teaching and learning expertise in the specific area of certification being sought.
The School of Education has a rich history with NBCTS and enjoys the distinction of being the preparation provider program in the state of Louisiana having the highest number of NBCTs with LSU degrees, a nod to the caliber of the School of Education’s teacher certification programs, but also to teacher education faculty. As of 2022, the state of Louisiana had 1,894 NBCTs. According to Neil Mathews, PhD, director of the School of Education, “approximately 500 of those teachers were also trained in LSU School of Education programs, an indication of the quality of our applicants, our programs, and the experiences we provide in teacher education.”
Being National Board Certified matters – quality teaching matters – and Megan Jenny exemplifies that quality. Monday, January 24 through Friday, January 28 – is #TeamNBCT week – a designated week and time to recognize and celebrate all 130,000+ National Board Certified Teachers across the country. The School of Education salutes and honors those teachers, especially those from Louisiana who have earned degrees from LSU.