A focus on teacher quality…
The Government will continue to place priority on improving the quality of teaching across all school sectors. International research points to the quality of teaching as a critical factor in lifting student performance.
Pay dispersion in teaching is lower than in other occupations. On average, Australian teachers reach the top salary band within nine years of graduation and this has a negative effect on the attractiveness of a teaching career.
In addition to promoting quality teaching through the next schools funding agreement, the Government will provide additional funding of $77 million from 2008 for the practical component of teacher education to ensure students training to be teachers are provided with a minimum of 120 days of practical experience in schools for three and four-year degrees.
To complement this investment in teacher training, the Government will require national teacher training and registration standards to be developed.
The Government will also provide $102 million from 2008 to establish Summer Schools for teachers to undertake professional development to upgrade
and extend their skills in the areas of Literacy and Numeracy, Australian History, Maths, Science and English. Teachers will receive a $5,000 bonus on completion of the course from the Australian Government.
A particular focus will be given to attracting teachers to regional and remote schools with an additional five, ten and twenty per cent loading to non-government schools’ funding entitlement depending on their remoteness, at a cost of $121 million over four years. States and Territories will be asked to match this funding increase for regional and remote government schools under the next schools funding agreement.
The next schools funding agreement will tie funding to improving quality further through:
- providing performance-based remuneration to encourage and reward quality teaching
- providing greater autonomy to principals.
Pay dispersion: ratio of average pay at the 90th percentile
to the 10th percentile, 2003 (Leigh and Ryan 2006)
Realising Our Potential 11