AISV Welcomes Support for Promoting Quality Teaching

AISV, 17 August 2009

The Association of Independent Schools of Victoria (AISV) Chief Executive, Ms Michelle Green, says the Australian Government’s new research report is a welcome step towards supporting and promoting quality teaching.

Rewarding Quality Teaching, which investigates ways to maintain and improve the quality of teachers through recognition and reward, was released by the Education Minister, Ms Julia Gillard yesterday.

Ms Green says the Minister’s statement that ‘there is nothing more important to learning than the quality of the teacher standing in front of the classroom’, confirms the value of the AISV pilot research program being conducted by six of the state’s independent schools.

‘Our pilot aims to acknowledge and reward quality teachers who can demonstrate a direct impact on improving student learning.’

Professor John Hattie, an internationally recognised leader in educational research and Professor of Education at the University of Auckland, is working with AISV on the project.

He says the move to develop and implement methods to dependably identify and appropriately value high quality teachers is critical to raising the profile of excellent teachers.

‘It will encourage the best to consider careers as teachers and provide more meaning to the career paths of those already in the profession.’

Professor Hattie says the AISV program matches the findings of the government’s research that any teacher-reward system must be sustainable and accessible, meaningful to teachers, based on clearly established and valid criteria and evidence based.

‘At AISV, we are trialling the development of four key elements: professional standards, professional learning, learning and school communities and improvement in student learning. It promises to be a program that could be implemented in many school systems.’

 

 

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