Natalie Tran Oakland Montclair TK & Kindergarten Teacher Gets National Board Certification

Oakland – It is regarded as one of the highest professional standards a teacher can reach. And now, Montclair Elementary transitional kindergarten and kindergarten teacher, Natalie Tran can say she is National Board Certified. Attaining this certification takes as long as three years. To become a Board Certified teacher, candidates must demonstrate advanced knowledge, skills, and practice in their individual certificate area.

Tran has taught at Montclair since 2017, and she taught at Sankofa Academy for four years before that. While at OUSD, Tran has also served as a CBEST/CSET tutor/coach for other teachers, and she has served on her school’s School Site Council, Faculty Council, Safety Committee, and Staff Anti-Racist Group, among other things. Prior to joining OUSD, Tran volunteered at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont and the Special Needs Aquatic Program in Berkeley.

From the National Board website, “The National Board Standards represent a consensus among educators about what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. Board certification is available in 25 certificate areas spanning 16 disciplines from Pre-K through 12th grade… They must exhibit a deep understanding of their students, content knowledge, use of data and assessments and teaching practice.”

Tran’s Principal at Montclair, Maite Barloga says, “Natalie gets to know every student in her class as a whole person. She sees exactly what each child brings to the classroom community, and her whole teaching approach involves finding and using children’s unique strengths to help them overcome their struggles and develop a positive student identity. She has strong academic expectations and shows her students she believes they can succeed.”

Early this month, as part of the District’s Honoring Our Own employee recognition ceremony, Tran also won a Teaching Excellence Award.

About the Oakland Unified School District

In California’s most diverse city, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is dedicated to creating a learning environment where “Every Student Thrives!” More than half of our students speak a non-English language at home. And each of our 80 schools is staffed with talented individuals uniting around a common set of values: Students First, Equity, Excellence, Integrity, Cultural Responsiveness and Joy. We are committed to preparing all students for college, career and community success.

To learn more about OUSD’s Full Service Community District focused on academic achievement while serving the whole child in safe schools, please visit ousd.org and follow us @OUSDnews.

Post based on press release to ZENNIE62MEDIA, Inc., from OUSD.