The teacher workforce represents one of Australia’s largest professional groups. It is recognised that a key part of enhancing school education in Australia is ensuring students are taught by teachers of the highest quality. The following areas explore key issues relating to the demand for teachers and organisational and demographic factors affecting the profession.
Teacher attraction and retention is recognised as a key factor impacting on a quality teacher workforce. The following publications relate to the teacher workforce.
| Quality Teachers, Collaborative Communities, Effective Learning |
| The 2006 Highlights Publication of the Australian Government Quality Teacher Program (AGQTP). The highlights describe successful and effective AGQTP teacher professional learning activities undertaken in 2006, with the aim of sharing good practice in teacher professional learning. For more information visit the Quality Teachers, Collaborative Communities, Effective Learning webpage. |
| Teacher Education: Students’ Views About Their Intentions to Teach: A Review of Teaching and Teacher Education |
| This publication looks at the views of students about teaching as a career choice. It examines this matter from the perspectives of both mature-aged students beginning a teacher education course after leaving previous work and other teacher education students. For more information visit the Teacher education: students’ views about their intentions to teach: a review of teaching and teacher education webpage. |
| Discussion paper: strategies to attract and retain teachers of science, technology and mathematics |
| This paper focuses on the first phase of the Review of Teaching and Teacher Education being conducted in consultation with state and territory governments, with a particular emphasis on science, technology and mathematics. This paper aims to identify the skills and support needed by teachers to build a culture of continuous innovation at all levels of schooling in Australia. For more information visit the Discussion paper: strategies to attract and retain teachers of science, technology and mathematics webpage. |
| Staff in Australia’s Schools 2007 |
| The SiAS project, undertaken by the Australian Council for Educational Research in collaboration with the Australia College of Educators, gathered information from over 13,000 secondary and primary school teachers and leaders across the country. It aimed to address key gaps in the data available to characterise the teaching profession to support workforce planning. The project's findings and recommendations are presented in two components: the Staff in Australia's Schools data survey; and a report on Teacher Workforce Data and Planning Processes in Australia. For more information visit the Staff in Australia's Schools 2007 webpage. |
The Australian Government recognises it is critical to Australia’s future economic productivity to attract and retain highly qualified, quality teachers, particularly in areas of high demand. The following publications relate to teacher shortages.
| Australia's Teachers, Australia's Future: advancing innovation, science, technology and mathematics |
| This report presents the reasoning and argument, based on evidence, in the Committee for the Review of Teaching and Teacher Education's main findings and conclusions of actions needed to be taken to attract teachers particularly in the fields of science, technology and mathematics. For more information visit the Australia's teachers, Australia's future: advancing innovation, science, technology and mathematics webpage. |
| The status and quality of teaching and learning of science in Australian schools |
| This report develops and compares the ideal picture of quality teaching and learning in science, with a real picture of what is happening. The report provides recommendations to help move science education from the actual to the ideal picture. For more information visit The status and quality of teaching and learning of science in Australian schools webpage. |
Australia, like many industrialised countries is facing challenges attracting quality teachers into areas of high demand, both subject and region. The following publications explore incentive and reward schemes to attract teachers into areas of high demand.
| Research on performance pay for teachers |
| The report, commissioned by DEST and undertaken by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) provides an overview of the current pay arrangements for teachers in Australian schools, particularly in relation to performance-based pay; attitudes to performance-based pay for teachers; and the results of the introduction of performance-based pay arrangements for teachers both in Australia (if applicable) and internationally. For more information visit the Research on performance pay for teachers webpage. |
| Performance-based rewards for teachers |
| This report was prepared to guide the Department’s consideration of a broad range of issues relating to performance pay for teachers. It provides a synthesis of selected research on performance pay for teachers and a summary of different types of performance-based pay schemes that have been trialled or implemented. For more information visit the Performance-based rewards for teachers webpage. |
The following publications examine further areas of research relating to teacher workforce issues.
| OECD Improving School Leadership Activity: Australian Country Background Report |
| Prepared in 2006, The Australian Country Background Report for the OECD's Improving School Leadership Activity Report provides information on school leadership in Australia, including school governance. The report examines the links between leadership and learning outcomes, the attractiveness of the leadership role, and training and professional development for school leaders. For more information visit the OECD Improving School Leadership Activity: Australian Country Background Report webpage. |
| Parents' Attitudes to Schooling |
| The Parents’ Attitudes to Schooling survey report discusses the results of a national telephone survey on parents’ attitudes to schooling conducted by DEST during January and February 2007. The survey was conducted to ascertain parents’ views on a range of issues including schooling choices, compulsory content, school reports, bullying and manners, improvements that could be made to schools, traditional apprenticeships, core skills, and post-school priorities. For more information visit Parents' Attitudes to Schooling webpage. |