Top teachers: sharing expertise to improve teaching

A Grattan Institute survey of 700 teachers and principals, conducted for this report, finds that top teachers are often given 'add-on' coaching roles, with inadequate time, training, or support to do the job properly. This report describes a new career path for top teachers that would make them responsible for leading professional learning and improving the teaching of the whole workforce. Over time it would transform school education, further professionalise teaching, and lead to students gaining about 18 months extra learning by age 15.

This report calls for two new roles for Australia's top teachers, giving them dedicated 'day jobs' to improve teaching across all schools. Both roles would focus on specific subjects such as maths, science, and English. '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.

Edited excerpts from publisher's website. Show less