Dr. James Meadows, founding dean and director of the Washington Education Association Apprenticeship Residency in Teaching (WEA-ART) program and a University of Washington College of Education alumnus (PhD, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies), has received the 2026 James A. Kelly Award for Advancing Accomplished Teaching from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Named for the National Board's founding president and CEO, the award recognizes leaders whose vision, leadership and commitment have strengthened accomplished teaching and expanded opportunities for educators and students across the country. Dr. Meadows was honored for his decades of leadership advancing educator quality, expanding National Board Certification in Washington state, and founding WEA-ART, an educator-led teacher preparation program supporting future special education teachers.

Read the Q&A below to learn more about Dr. Meadows' career, the impact of this national recognition and what continues to inspire his work supporting educators and students.
 

Could you share a bit about your journey in education and what first drew you to this work?

Early in my career as a high school teacher in the 1990s in the Edmonds School District, I became interested in state-level education standards-based reform work. I was intrigued to learn more about policy, policymaking and the diverse interests who shape them. 

I entered the Educational Leadership & Policy Studies (EdLPS) program at the University of Washington in 1998 and was fortunate to have Dr. Michael S. Knapp assigned as my advisor and mentor.  He brought me on board as a research assistant in his newly formed Center for Teaching Policy (CTP), a multi-state, federally funded initiative seeking to examine and analyze the intersection of policy and actual classroom practice. CTP gave me a wealth of experiences studying the impact of policies on state agencies, school districts, schools and classrooms.

My eventual dissertation work focused on interest group agenda setting and influence on state education policy. My data collection connected me with education policy leaders from many organizations and roles, which included education advocacy groups. In the final year of my program — with all but my dissertation completed — I took my dream position with the Washington Education Association (WEA), the state affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA). 

I led WEA’s educator quality initiatives over two decades, supporting members earn National Board Certification and engaging them to bring their voices to shape policy. The past five years, I have led WEA’s Apprenticeship Residency in Teaching (WEA-ART) program, the first union-led teacher apprenticeship program in the nation. 

WEA-ART is a paid apprenticeship utilizing a clinical rounds classroom mentorship model akin to medical preparation. WEA-ART works with fourteen partner school districts to support paraeducators and others to earn a Washington state teaching certificate with an endorsement in special education. WEA-ART has completed two cohorts and currently has two others on track.

Throughout your career, you’ve championed educator quality and National Board Certification in Washington state. What has most inspired or sustained you in this work over the years? 

It was through the UW College of Education and the Center for Teaching Policy (CTP) that I became familiar with the work of a new organization focused on creating the first, voluntary, advanced national teaching certification for educators — the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). CTP studied policy initiatives, including National Board Certification, unfolding in four states:  California, New York, North Carolina and Washington. 

Of these, North Carolina was an early leader with board certification under the leadership of Governor Jim Hunt. Hunt helped established significant financial incentives for teachers to earn this prestigious certification and early outreach and support structures. At WEA, I partnered with talented leaders at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession (CSTP) to build Washington state’s National Board system. 

WEA’s most impactful contribution to the system was our National Board Jump Start Seminar — a 5-day pre-candidacy training led by NBCTs to support new candidates for their certification journey ahead. Thousands of WEA educators have attended Jump Start, which is now housed as a program with the National Education Association (NEA) and has been replicated in affiliates around the country.

What most inspired my in National Board work was engaging, organizing and activating NBCTs to lead, including with securing and stabilizing financial incentives for being board certified. NBCTs have advocated over the years, especially in tough economic sessions, to ensure the legislature maintains its financial commitment to accomplished teaching.

Currently, NBCTs in public schools earn over $6,000 per year, with an additional $5,000 per year if working in a designated high-needs school.  In 2002 there were under 50 National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs).  Today there are over 12,000 NBCTs, representing a significant percentage of our state’s teaching workforce.  I am so proud of our NBCTs who have become leaders to help make public education strong in Washington state.

What does receiving the James A. Kelly Award mean to you personally and professionally?

It is a career honor to receive the Kelly Award. I am humbled to have been selected and also see it as a recognition of the success of the National Board movement in Washington state and the contributions of fantastic partners from OSPI, CSTP and NEA I’ve had the privilege of working with. 

Professionally, this award matters to me because it shows the important role that unions can play in elevating the education professions. The timing of this award is profound for me as WEA establishes itself in a bold, new area — preparing future special educators through the WEA-ART program.

What gives you hope about the future of educator preparation and support for teachers?

These are challenging times for public education and the education professions. Scanning the national terrain, I feel hope for Washington state which has resisted efforts in other states to de-professionalize teaching as a profession. As a result of the McCleary Supreme Court Ruling, Washington state now has some of the most competitive teaching salaries in the state (NEA source).

The future of educator preparation is also at a crucial juncture with enrollments down in traditional teacher preparation programs. Alternate route programs, including residency models like WEA-ART and the Seattle Teacher Residency (STR) (which is housed at the UW College of Education) show great promise for removing barriers for talented individuals to pursue their dream of teacher certification.  

Collaboration among innovative program gives me hope for the ffuture, and WEA is so appreciative of the support and mentorship STR has offered with our new program.  I am also inspired to work with several national organizations that are helping envision new realities for teacher preparation, including the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), Deans for Impact (DFI) and the National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR).

Outside of your work in education, what brings you joy? 

I was born and raised in the Puget Sound and love what this area has to offer. I enjoy being outdoors, gardening, walking and exercising. My son is a college baseball player and I enjoy traveling to see his games within Washington state and beyond.