The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards was created in 1987 after the Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy’s Task Force on Teaching as a Profession released A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the 21st Century.

Five Core Propositions form the foundation and frame the rich amalgam of knowledge, skills, dispositions and beliefs that characterize National Board Certified Teachers.

They are:

1. Teachers are Committed to Students and Their Learning.
2. Teachers Know the Subjects They Teach and How to Teach Those Subjects to Students.
   
3. Teachers are Responsible for Managing and Monitoring Student Learning.
   
4. Teachers Think Systematically about Their Practice and Learn from Experience.
   
5. Teachers are Members of Learning Communities.