Contact: Camille Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State, ranked 15th nationally in producing National Board Certified Teachers, is celebrating 12 teachers achieving the prestigious certification this year.

MSU recruits and supports teachers seeking NBCT status through its World Class Teaching Program and currently boasts 1,073 certified alumni who’ve completed the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards process. The state of Mississippi ranks seventh in the nation among states self-reporting certified-teacher data to the NBCT and currently accounts for a total of 4,456.

Established in 1996, the World Class Teaching Program helps guide and mentor teachers as they seek this advanced certification. The NBPTS sets uniform standards nationwide and offers professional and personal growth for those wanting to positively impact student learning. Teachers who earn board certification exemplify teaching excellence in their respective subjects.

Teachers certifying through MSU’s World Class Teaching Program this year (by school district) include:

Choctaw Tribal Schools—Cheryl Brent-Thomas, certified in exceptional needs specialist/early childhood through young adulthood; Casey Donald, certified in generalist/early childhood; and Anna Morrow, certified in career and technical education/early adolescence through young adulthood

Houston School District—Cheryl Doss, certified in mathematics/early adolescence

Lauderdale County School District—Lisa Bane, certified in literacy: reading-language arts/early and middle childhood

Louisville Municipal School District—Carolyn Flake-Butler, certified in literacy: reading-language arts/early and middle childhood; and LaToya Triplett, certified in literacy: reading-language arts/early and middle childhood

Lowndes County School District—Elizabeth “Libby” White, certified in exceptional needs specialist/early childhood through young adulthood

Neshoba County School District—Megan Alexander, certified in literacy: reading-language arts/early and middle childhood

Newton County School District—Christina Whittle, certified in exceptional needs specialist/early childhood through young adulthood

Starkville Oktibbeha School District—Erin Landrum, certified in exceptional needs specialist/early childhood through young adulthood

Winona-Montgomery Consolidated School District—Joy Day, certified in literacy: reading-language arts/early and middle childhood

Established in 1903, MSU’s College of Education is home to six academic departments, one research unit and numerous service units. For more about the college, visit www.educ.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.