BOONE, N.C. — As a nationally recognized leader in teacher education, Appalachian State University remains the top alma mater for National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) for the 10th consecutive year.
The national certification — the top credential for working teachers — is based on a rigorous performance-based assessment that typically takes one to three years to complete and measures what accomplished teachers and counselors should know and be able to do.
Dr. Melba Spooner, dean of App State’s Reich College of Education, spoke at a celebration last spring honoring App State alumni who are National Board Certified Teachers. Photo by Chase Reynolds
App State topped the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards’ list of “Top 50 Alma Maters by Total Number of NBCTs” for 2025, with 2,461 alumni having earned the national credential to date.
“This remarkable, decade‑long distinction speaks volumes about the dedication, expertise and ongoing professional commitment of our graduates,” said Dr. Melba Spooner, dean of App State’s Reich College of Education (RCOE).
“Through our unwavering dedication to student success, service and academic innovation, App State continues to shape the future of education — one nationally certified educator at a time,” she added.
Watauga County School educators who are App State alumni and National Board Certified Teachers attended a celebration hosted by the Reich College of Education and the App State Office of Alumni Engagement in spring 2025. Photo submitted
Reich College of Education Dean Mebla Spooner, second from right in foreground, and Watauga County Schools Superintendent Dr. Leslie Alexander, second from left, speak with App State alumni educators at the spring 2025 celebration honoring National Board Certified Teacher alumni. Photo by Chase Reynolds
App State partners with alliance to help NC educators achieve certification
RCOE’s Office of Partnerships and Engagement collaborated with the state’s Northwest Regional Education Service Alliance (NWRESA) in 2020 to create NBCTApps (National Board Certified Teacher-Apps) — a joint professional development program to help North Carolina educators achieve their National Board Certification. The program provides professional development and mentoring sessions for NBCT candidates.
When Mandy Keziah ’06 ’09, a media coordinator at Westwood Elementary School in Ashe County Schools, began her NBCT journey, she was overwhelmed by the process, she shared.
“The NBCT sessions offered by App State provided me with the confidence to get started and guidance along the way,” she said.
At a celebration last spring, App State’s Reich College of Education (RCOE) honored two outstanding alumni and champions of education: Dr. James “Jim” Brooks ’85 ’97 ’11, a National Board Certified Teacher who has dedicated 40 years to education in Wilkes County Schools, second from left, and Anna Lankford ’88 ’09, curriculum director at the Northwest Regional Educational Service Alliance in North Wilkesboro, second from right. Their leadership and partnership with the college and university have been instrumental in supporting App State educators on their journeys to achieve National Board Certification. Pictured with Brooks and Lankford, from left to right, are App State’s Stephanie L. Billings ’92, associate vice chancellor of alumni engagement and annual giving, RCOE Dean Melba Spooner and Dr. Betsy Rosenbalm, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Media, Career Studies and Leadership Development and former director of partnerships and engagement in RCOE. Photo by Chase Reynolds
For alumna Jillian Baldwin ’14, a literacy specialist at Ashe County Schools’ Mountain View Elementary, the most impactful part of the support sessions was collaborating and learning from others who were certified in her area.
“The guidance from the App State NBCT mentors helped facilitate purposeful conversations that strengthened my work and ultimately led to more meaningful outcomes for my students,” said Baldwin.
App State’s Public School Partnership (PSP) and the NWRESA co-host National Board Support sessions at the App State Hickory campus (left) and Boone campus (right) to assist App State alumni and educators from the PSP in obtaining National Board Certification. Photo submitted
North Carolina continues to lead the nation in the number of teachers who possess the National Board Certification credential — since 1987, 25,847 educators have earned the certification. In 2025, 835 North Carolina teachers gained the endorsement. Nationally, 5,254 teachers earned certification in 2024–25, raising the total among all states to over 145,000. In addition, 3,477 teachers nationally achieved recertification, including 838 board-certified teachers in North Carolina.
North Carolina accounts for nearly one-fifth (18%) of all teachers nationally who are certified by the teaching standards organization.
App State was founded in 1899 as a teachers college and continues to have one of the largest teacher education programs in North Carolina. School systems in almost all 100 counties of the state employ at least one graduate of App State’s Reich College of Education.
Learn more about National Board Certification.
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About the Reich College of Education
Appalachian State University offers one of the largest undergraduate teacher preparation programs in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. The Reich College of Education enrolls more than 2,000 students in its bachelor’s, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degree programs, with offerings that span multiple fields — from teacher preparation, counseling, and therapy, to higher education, school and student affairs administration, library science, educational leadership and more. With over 10,000 alumni employed in North Carolina public schools, there is at least one Reich College graduate in every county in the state. Learn more at https://rcoe.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
