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American Board Teams with PoliteChild® to Develop Online Program

WASHINGTON , DC (April 20, 2005) — Individuals pursuing their Passport to Teaching SM certification will soon have another resource available to help them prepare for their teaching careers. The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence today announced that it will work with The PoliteChild, Inc. to create an online program to prepare potential teachers for the classroom by helping them develop effective classroom management skills.

"Classroom management is often one of the most challenging aspects of teaching," said Dave Saba, American Board Vice President of Product Development and Evaluation. "The purpose of this program is to provide American Board teachers with the necessary skills to effectively manage their classrooms."

Saba said the preparation program should be available in August 2005.

The PoliteChild is the leading educational program dedicated to developing excellent social skills in children of all ages. The PoliteChild seeks to help educators develop young people who have strong self-esteem and confidence and are comfortable handling all kinds of social interactions and situations.

"We look forward to working with the American Board to develop this program," said Corinne A. Gregory, president and founder of The PoliteChild. "Effective classroom management is essential to developing students’ social skills and to helping them achieve great things." Passport to Teaching SM is a respected, time-efficient and cost-effective certification process recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Candidates who pursue the five-step Passport to Teaching SM certification must complete two rigorous qualifying exams, one to demonstrate subject matter expertise and the other to prove their professional teaching knowledge. Passport to Teaching SM certifications are available in mathematics, elementary education, English, general science, and biology.

About The PoliteChild, Inc. The PoliteChild is the leading program dedicated to developing excellent social skills in children of all ages – from toddlers to teens – by building solid foundations for learning and using proper social behavior, developing good moral character, manners and etiquette through its licensed curricula and managed classes. The goal of The PoliteChild is to help parents, educators, and others develop young people with strong self-esteem and confidence, and that are socially comfortable and proficient in handling a large variety of social interactions and situations. The company is headquartered in Woodinville , WA , with a second main office in Palm Desert , CA . For more about The PoliteChild, visit the company website at www.politechild.com.

For more information, please contact: Andrew Campanella, Director of Communications Phone: 202-261-2634, Mobile: 202-246-2155 E-mail: acampanella@abcte.org.

The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (www.abcte.org) was created in 2001 to address the need for a highly qualified teacher in every American classroom. The American Board offers the rigorous, five-step Passport to Teaching SM certification process for knowledgeable and passionate individuals entering the teaching field. Passport to Teaching SM offers individualized learning plans for teaching candidates to complement the knowledge and skills they have obtained through previous work experience.

The American Board is also developing a Master Teacher SM certification to recognize current teachers who significantly advance student achievement. Master Teacher SM should be available in 2006.

The American Board is recognized as approved provider of teacher certification in the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence 1225 19th Street NW Suite 400 · Washington, D.C. 20036 Toll Free: 1-877-NOW-ABCTE (1-877-669-2228) · Phone: 202-261-2620 · Fax: 202-261-2638 contact@abcte.org.  Passport to Teaching SM and Master Teacher SM are service marks of the American Board.