VET News

Calls for ‘Dedicated Day Jobs’ for Top Teachers

A Grattan Institute survey of 700 teachers and principals finds that top teachers are often given ‘add-on’ coaching roles, with inadequate time, training, or support to do the job properly. And some teachers believe those promoted to instructional leadership roles are mates of the principal rather than the best people for the job.

As the performance of Australian students is falling in international tests in reading, science and especially maths, the report calls for two new roles for Australia’s top teachers, giving them dedicated ‘day jobs’ to improve teaching across all schools.

‘Master Teachers’ (the top 1 per cent of the profession) would have no formal classroom load but would be the overall pedagogical leaders in their subjects, working across a network of schools in their region. They would help identify teacher needs and coordinate training. They would guide ‘Instructional Specialists’ (limited to 8 per cent of the workforce), who would split their time between classroom teaching and instructional leadership. Instructional Specialists would work in their own schools to support and guide other teachers.

The roles would be prestigious and well paid. Master Teachers would receive salaries of about $180,000 a year ($80,000 more than the highest standard pay rate for teachers), and Instructional Specialists up to $140,000.

For more information, you can view the Grattan report.

Date posted Feb 13, 2020