About Mitchell 20

Inspired by one of their own, Daniela Robles, NBCT, twenty educators at Mitchell School stepped up to the challenge of the rigorous, self-directed professional development of National Board and Take One! Before Robles and a colleague at a neighboring school achieved Certification, the District only had one National Board Certified Teacher in its history.

Robles believed in her colleagues and in the National Board process. She wanted her fellow teachers at Mitchell to share in the empowerment she’d experienced. And, she wanted to disprove the notion that talented teachers work in wealthier, suburban school districts, and those who teach in the inner city and rural areas are there because they are less capable and less sought after.

Motivated by Robles’ vision of a cohort supporting one another to reach for excellence, her colleagues responded. They were even more impressed by the transformation they saw in Robles, who had gone into the National Board process as a good teacher and emerged as a true teacher leader. From Amy Coyle in her third year of teaching, to Billie Williams in her 22nd year, the Mitchell 20 formed a unique and remarkably diverse cohort all focused on a single goal—enhancing their classroom performance.

Recognizing what a powerful professional development opportunity this was, the school’s administration, the Isaac District Office and the Arizona K12 Center all rallied to support this exceptional endeavor. From this, the Mitchell 20 emerged!