HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – In a unique partnership between business and education, Huntsville-area leaders have raised $1 million to help 500 teachers earn National Board Certification – an effort state and national officials say could serve as a model for communities across the country.

The initiative, called Raise Your Hand, officially began in 2021 when the Committee of 100, a Huntsville-based network of more than 350 CEOs and business owners focused on economic growth and public education, set the million-dollar goal. But the idea had surfaced a couple of years earlier when the group asked how it could make a measurable difference in local schools.

The answer was to invest directly in teachers, CEO John Allen told the audience at a celebration on Thursday. He first learned about the National Board Certification process in 2019 after a local superintendent told him what a difference it could make for student learning.

“We learned about the return on investment. We learned about achievement gains in the classroom. We learned the impact that NBCTs (National Board Certified Teachers) have in the classroom as leaders,” Allen told attendees.

“We know that this is a generational impact for our students.”

The group set out to raise $200,000 in 2019 to fund the certification process for 100 local teachers. The scholarship would cover the $2,000 cost of the rigorous, multi-year process – a serious barrier for teachers who want to earn the certification.

Then the pandemic came and the group decided to do more to help schools and students.

After learning what it would take for Huntsville, Madison City and Madison County schools to have the highest percentage of NBCTs in the nation – 27% of their collective teaching force, Allen said – they set a new goal.

“For us, the answer was 500 new, National Board Certified Teachers – and that’s how we got to the million-dollar milestone,” Allen said.

National research shows students taught by NBCTs gain the equivalent of one to two additional months of learning each year. Beyond test scores, certified teachers are more likely to mentor peers and remain in the classroom, strengthening the profession overall.

The campaign has funded scholarships along the way, and the results are showing: The number of NBCTs in the three systems has increased from 156 in 2020, to 254 in 2024, with an additional 178 educators currently pursuing certification.

The Schools Foundation, already a partner in the earlier effort, manages the day-to-day work, identifying interested teachers and helping them with the paperwork.

The campaign’s 130 donors include major support from Redstone Federal Credit Union, which has long invested in education and workforce development and was a founding partner for the Raise Your Hand campaign.

“It all came back to education,” Joe Newberry, Redstone’s president and CEO, said. “When John came and talked about, ‘Hey, we’ve got proof that this investment works, that it helps the teachers – if they do this hard work, they get a raise, and it’s going to help future generations.’”

State Superintendent Eric Mackey called the campaign “a win-win all the way around.”

Peggy Brookins, president and CEO of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, which governs the NBCT process, attended the event and described the Huntsville effort as “extraordinary.”

“This is an investment in excellence and in the future of Alabama students and in the strength of a community that will last for generations,” Brookins said. “This community has shown the nation what is possible when business leaders and educators and civic partners join forces to elevate the teaching profession and ensure that every student has access to an accomplished teacher.”

There’s a financial incentive, too – $5,000 in additional pay each year for an NBCT. Teachers in high-needs schools or certified in hard-to-staff subjects can earn an additional $10,000 annually.

Brookins told Alabama Daily News that what struck her most about the effort was the collaboration behind it.

“It is not often that you bring the corporate world, the community and education and the state together with the same purpose and passion,” she said.

Huntsville City Schools Superintendent Clarence Sutton said the unity of the region made the effort possible.

“The beauty of Madison County and Huntsville is the unity of the vision to support our communities and especially the families who live here,” he said.

“When students are exposed to a highly qualified, passionate teacher, the growth is there. The data shows what we can do when we support our teachers.”

Jeanne Greer, executive director of The Schools Foundation, said the $1 million raised represents far more than a dollar figure.

“You raised your hand for our teachers,” she said, “and because of that, you’ve helped raise the bar of excellence across our classrooms.”