Breaking the Cycle by Teach For Australia

BREAKING THE CYCLE A SNAPSHOT OF EDUCATIONAL DISADVANTAGE IN AUSTRALIA

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Photography by © Kelly Gardner Photography and © David Dare Parker

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As a nation, Australians aspire to a fair society in which every student can realise their potential. Through education, we desire to see students achieve significant academic growth; experience increased access to opportunities; develop positive attitudes about themselves and their learning; and develop aspirations, interests and excitement that propel them forward. Combined, these factors support students to build a future of their choosing.

As it stands, not every student is receiving the educational opportunities that they need to reach their potential. Breaking the Cycle provides a snapshot of educational disadvantage in Australia, in four sections: •

the facts about educational disadvantage;

•

how schools can support students in the face of challenges;

•

the importance of quality teaching and school leadership; and

•

that addressing educational disadvantage is a shared responsibility.

Australian students are falling behind. A look at Australian educational outcomes reveals that academic achievement has declined over the past decade. Across reading and mathematics, the proportion of top performing Australian students is declining while the proportion of low performing students is growing. While many other nations have experienced improvements in educational outcomes, Australian students are falling behind (Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), 2016).

Demography is too often destiny. Of particular concern is the inequity between the educational outcomes of students from different backgrounds. Students from schools serving disadvantaged communities are significantly more likely to be behind their advantaged peers in achieving education milestones (Mitchell Institute, 2015a). Students from low socioeconomic households, who are Indigenous Australians, from rural or remote communities or from a refugee or asylum seeker background are more likely to experience educational disadvantage. For example: •

by age 15, students from the lowest socioeconomic households are, on average, almost three years behind students from the highest income households (ACER, 2016);

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•

Indigenous Australian students are, on average, six times more likely to be below the national minimum standard for literacy and numeracy than non-Indigenous Australian students across all year levels (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), 2016);

•

students from rural or remote communities show higher absenteeism rates from school compared to their metropolitan peers and are less likely to attend university (Mitchell Institute, 2015a); and

•

students from a refugee or asylum seeker background are often placed in a grade level based on their chronological age rather than their educational attainment level (Refugee Council of Australia, 2016), resulting in many students leaving school without the basic literacy skills required to realise their potential as an adult in society (Woods, 2009).

Without addressing the inequity in academic achievement of students from these backgrounds, the education gap grows over time. If carried on to the next generation of students, a cycle of disadvantage is created.

Quality teaching and school leadership is vital. Despite the barriers that students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds face, it is possible for students who have missed educational milestones to catch up. Quality teaching and school leadership are vital contributors to breaking the cycle of disadvantage and achieving excellence and equity in Australia’s education system. Improving teacher quality offers the greatest policy strategy to positively impact the educational outcomes of students (Hattie, 2003). Raising students’ achievement and driving equity into the education system depends on the effectiveness of teachers (Pearson, 2016). School leadership is second only to teaching among all school-related factors that contribute to student learning (Leithwood et al., 2004). School leaders are best placed to develop whole-school strategies to address the unique and diverse challenges that their students face, creating opportunities for them to succeed.

There is much to gain.

Through quality teaching and school leadership, we can help shift the life trajectory of Australian students – empowering them with positive attitudes, aspirations and access to opportunities that enable them to achieve significant academic growth and realise their potential. In return, the Australian economy would prosper. If Australia were to achieve a 25 point increase in the scores from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) flagship standardised test (Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)) by 2030, gross domestic product (GDP) would be 29 per cent higher by 2095. This feat has been achieved by 28 countries over the last 15 years and would add US$3.9 trillion (present value terms) to the Australian economy. Further, if all Australian students met basic skill levels then GDP would rise by 11 per cent by 2095, adding US$1.5 trillion (present value terms) to the economy (OECD, 2015).

Addressing educational disadvantage is a shared responsibility. Every day, people dedicate their professional lives to this cause or donate time, resources or funds to schools and education-based organisations that work to confront educational disadvantage. Still, too many children are not able to reach their potential at school. There is more to be done. Addressing educational disadvantage is a shared responsibility and everyone can play a role.

At Teach For Australia, our vision is for an Australia where all children, regardless of background, attain an excellent education.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Teach For Australia expresses gratitude to the following people for the contribution that they made to this document. • • • • • • •

David Reynolds, Principal at Melton Secondary College Everal Miocevich, Principal at Southern River College Maisie Floyd, Principal at Tennant Creek High School Megan O’Connell, Policy Program Director at Mitchell Institute Peter Goss, School Education Program Director at Grattan Institute Rosemary Conn, Chief Executive Officer at Schools Plus Sue Cridge, Education Director at Bright Spots Schools Connection

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EDUCATIONAL DISADVANTAGE IN AUSTRALIA

“The broader goal of education is to give all students the opportunity to choose a life that they can succeed in. At the moment, not all students have this choice.” Mitchell Institute, 2015a

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Student achievement in Australia has declined over the past decade. The latest results from international testing performed by the OECD show that for reading and mathematical literacy, the proportion of top performing Australian students is declining while the proportion of low performing students is growing. This trend has begun to show for scientific literacy too (ACER, 2016). While many other nations have experienced improvements in educational outcomes, Australian students are falling behind in educational achievement (ACER, 2016).

Of particular concern is the inequity between educational outcomes of students from different backgrounds. Students from low socioeconomic households, who are Indigenous Australians, from rural or remote communities or from a refugee or asylum seeker background are more likely than others to experience inequity in our education system. All students have the capacity to succeed in their educational pursuits. Yet various external factors can collectively manifest as educational disadvantage, creating barriers affecting students receiving a quality education. It is important to note that the term ‘disadvantaged’ is used not to describe an inherent characteristic of the individual student or school, but rather as recognition of their surrounding and historical circumstances.

Equipping students with a quality education is an enabling factor that allows them to choose the trajectory of their adult life, contributing to a society where your background does not define your future.

Students from the lowest SES households are twice as likely to be developmentally unready for school compared to those from the highest SES households.

Only one quarter of students from low SES households attend university by their mid 20s, compared to two-thirds of young people from the highest SES households.

STUDENTS FROM LOW SOCIOECONOMIC HOUSEHOLDS The Mitchell Institute constructed an index of opportunity that captures the proportion of students who are achieving and those who are missing out across four educational milestones. At all of these milestones, the socioeconomic status1 (SES) of a students’ household is seen as a significant contributing factor to academic achievement, as evidenced by the statistics below (Mitchell Institute, 2015a). “Australia’s education system is simply not working for a substantial number of young Australians and unlike other comparable countries, like Canada and New Zealand, our current education model is actually compounding educational disadvantage, instead of addressing it. As a nation, we are failing to realise the potential and talents of too many young people. Many parents and teachers know this, and they know that the education and training system has to change to develop capable, adaptable and confident young people (Mitchell Institute, 2015b).”

Without intervention, the gap in educational outcomes grows over time. A review of Year 3 National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) test results reveals that students of parents with a lower level of education attainment are 10 months behind students whose parents have a degree. This gap triples to two and a half years by Year 9 (Figure 1) (Grattan Institute, 2016).

4X YR12

Students whose parents did not complete Year 12 are almost four-times more likely to be below Year 7 international academic benchmarks compared to children with at least one university-educated parent (a proxy for SES). Approximately 40% of young people from the lowest SES households do not reach the milestone of Year 12 completion (or equivalent) by age 19 compared to only 10% of young people from the highest SES households.

Socioeconomic status refers to an individual’s access to material and social resources and their ability to participate in society (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2011).

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12 Degree or above

2y 6m

+6y 1m

6 4 Figure 1: Progression of student learning in NAPLAN 2009-15 by parental education (Grattan Institute, 2016).

Diploma

+7y 2m

Below diploma +5y 7m 10m

2 Figure 2: Australian students’ mathematical literacy in

PISA Year 2013-2015 by socioeconomic quartile (ACER, 2016). 3 Year 5 Year 7 Year 9

12 Degree or above

10 Progression of Learning

2y 6m

572

Diploma

+7y 2m

600

537 +6y 1m

500

Below diploma +5y 7m

561

531

530

513

511

479

483

550

Year 3

Year 5

Year 7

400

Year 9

Year Level

Lowest quartile

The OCED’s Programme for International Student Assessment

600 (PISA) test shows that by age 15, students from the lowest

socioeconomic quartile are, on average, almost three years 572 behind students from the highest socioeconomic quartile 561 561 (ACER, 2016) (Figure 2). The difference in educational outcomes 550 between each socioeconomic quartile is significant, equivalent 541 537 531year of schooling. 530 to approximately one 521 1 year 513

511

507

483

482

The extent of the education gap is503 not always apparent. 500 492

479on international testing tends to focus on the Reporting 471 463 decline of Australia’s overall performance, rather than the 455 sustained gap in academic achievement between students from households of differing SES.

492

471

2003 2006 2009 2012 2015 Peter Goss, School Education Program Director at Grattan Lowest quartile Second quartile Third quartile Highest quartile Institute, says, “Evidence about the academic achievement gap is confusing, contested, and rarely presented in a clear and compelling way. In addition, Australia lacks the tools to measure and report progress gaps among students. Instead, the focus tends to be on where students sit relative to a minimum standard, which is set too low.” While academic achievement is the most apparent indicator that students from high and low SES households have different educational outcomes, educational disadvantage also impacts a student’s non-academic experience. Students from low SES households show lower levels of cognitive, behavioural and emotional engagement in school compared to students from high SES households.

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2006 Second quartile

2009

482

463

455

2012

Third quartile

1 year 1 year

2015

Highest quartile

This means that there is a gap between students from high and low SES households in regard to traits such as attempts to master new skills, application to school work and feeling happy at school. Students from low SES households also report lower levels of feeling like they belong at school (Mitchell Institute, 2015a).

It is often the case that students experience more than one factor of disadvantage. For example, Indigenous Australian students, students 1 year from rural or remote communities or students from a refugee or asylum seeker background are often from low socioeconomic 1 year households. This causes the challenges that students face to be compounded.

400

2003

1 year 507

503

10m

541

521

STUDENTS WHO ARE INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS Many Indigenous Australian students in-country begin school with little or no English. Accessing the national curriculum can be extremely difficult for these students, which widens the education gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian students over time. For some schools, the proportion of students who cannot speak English can near 100 per cent (Wilson, 2014). Despite some gains for Indigenous Australian students in NAPLAN testing since 2008, across all year levels they are on average six times more likely to be below the national minimum standard for literacy and numeracy than non-Indigenous Australian students (ACARA, 2016).

In higher education, Indigenous Australians make up only one per cent of the student population and less than half of these students will complete their degree (ACER, 2015).

“Some learners are more likely to be vulnerable upon entry to school. These students are more likely to start behind, fall behind or stay behind. Their educational disadvantage sees them less able to take advantage of educational opportunities than other students. Throughout schooling, children continue to miss out on education opportunities – some catch up but a core group remain behind their peers. We’ve found that the system is not working for around one in four young Australians.” Megan O’Connell, Policy Program Director at Mitchell Institute

STUDENTS FROM RURAL OR REMOTE COMMUNITIES

STUDENTS FROM A REFUGEE OR ASYLUM SEEKER BACKGROUND

Where students live is linked to their outcomes at all stages of education. Students from rural or remote communities tend to show poorer educational outcomes than those from metropolitan communities. They attend school less regularly, are less likely to go to university and, if they do enrol, are more likely to drop out (Mitchell Institute, 2015a).

On top of the challenge for many of learning English on arrival to Australia, school-aged students from a refugee or asylum seeker background experience various barriers in engaging in education. These challenges can include:

Students from remote communities self-report lower levels of belonging, self-confidence and perseverance (Mitchell Institute, 2015a). These mindsets are enabling factors for students to be given the strongest chance of school success. In addition to the diverse challenges that these students face, schools in rural or remote communities are not always able to offer the learning environment students need to reach their full potential, based on difficulties involving: •

attracting and retaining qualified teaching and leadership staff, including specialist staff such as a numeracy specialist;

•

the expense of running a school due to fewer economies of scale, such as a principal being more expensive per student at a small school versus a large school; and

•

the breadth of available subject options, particularly for students in their senior levels of schooling (Lamb et al., 2014).

•

a lack of specialised educational strategies available to schools that are aimed to support educational success, acculturation and integration (Jackson, 2014);

•

adjusting to formal education when the child has not experienced this type of setting in their home country; and

•

being placed in a grade level based on chronological age that does not match their educational attainment level (Refugee Council of Australia, 2016).

Many students from a refugee or asylum seeker background leave school after experiencing years of teaching pitched considerably beyond their ability level. This misalignment of what these students are ready to learn versus what they are taught can result in a lack of basic literacy skills necessary for students to realise their potential as an adult in our society (Woods, 2009).

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HOW SCHOOLS CAN SUPPORT STUDENTS IN THE FACE OF CHALLENGES

As it currently stands, students from particular demographic groups are not receiving the educational opportunities they require to reach their full potential.

Here, we share the story of three schools across the country to demonstrate the diverse challenges schools face and the great opportunities that they can create for their students2. These schools illustrate the dedication of leaders and teachers working to improve the educational outcomes for students.

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TENNANT CREEK HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL LOCATION:

TEACHING STAFF:

STUDENT ENROLMENTS:

SCHOOL ICSEA VALUE 3:

REMOTE

250

730

ENROLMENT GROWTH OVER LAST FIVE YEARS:

DISTRIBUTION OF STUDENTS:

INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS:

STUDENTS WITH LANGUAGE BACKGROUND OTHER THAN ENGLISH:

STABLE

73% IN BOTTOM QUARTILE

85%

70%

“It’s about helping students believe they can do something, that they can be something. We’re not here to determine what that is, but to help students believe that they can do something if they choose to. The biggest issue is that some students don’t know they have choices.” Maisie Floyd, Principal at Tennant Creek High School

Maisie Floyd is the principal of Tennant Creek High School, a school that aims to provide inclusive education for students from very diverse backgrounds by focusing on attendance, participation, literacy and numeracy. Tennant Creek High School is a remote school located 500 kilometres north of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For teachers who move to work in remote communities like Tennant Creek, a personal and professional adjustment is required. “Coming here is a whole new experience. Each job generally has a personal and professional element, but here it’s a complete change and a potentially overwhelming experience. That’s why having supportive staff and being accessible is important,” says Maisie.

Maisie recognises that of all the different approaches to improving student attendance rates, the most effective – yet most complicated – solution comes from how students see their own potential. “It’s the challenge of how you get people to believe in themselves.” Above all, Maisie envisages that her school will enable students to exercise choice over the path that their life will take. To set up a school environment that truly empowers students’ to have choice over the trajectory of their life, Maisie reflects, “Without wellbeing, you’ve got nothing. We need to have academic opportunity, but it has to be around wellbeing.” Tennant Creek High School has been a Teach For Australia partner school since 2012, hosting 8 Associates to date.

Along with many other schools in the Top End, student absenteeism is a significant barrier to learning at Tennant Creek High School.

All statistics and school strategies cited in this section were sourced from the featured schools. The Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) is a scale of socio-educational advantage that is calculated for all Australian schools. It allows comparisons to be made between schools based on the level of educational advantage or disadvantage that students bring to their academic studies. ICSEA values typically range from approximately 500 — representing schools with students with very educationally disadvantaged backgrounds — to about 1300 — representing schools with students with very educationally advantaged backgrounds (ACARA, 2014). 2 3

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SOUTHERN RIVER COLLEGE SCHOOL LOCATION:

TEACHING STAFF:

STUDENT ENROLMENTS:

SCHOOL ICSEA VALUE:

METROPOLITAN

950

937

ENROLMENT GROWTH OVER LAST FIVE YEARS:

DISTRIBUTION OF STUDENTS:

INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS:

STUDENTS WITH LANGUAGE BACKGROUND OTHER THAN ENGLISH:

DOUBLED

52% IN BOTTOM QUARTILE

20%

“Highly effective schools have teachers who have a deep understanding of how students learn. We want all our students to be successful students. Our curriculum targets the diversity of our students and our ability to inspire them to reach their potential.” Everal Miocevich, Principal at Southern River College

Everal Miocevich, principal at Southern River College in Perth and former student of the school, recognises that relationships are the currency of change in schools. Southern River College is in the working class suburb of Gosnells and like other schools in similar communities, it faces obstacles that can impact educational outcomes. Everal believes that positive student-staff relationships and meaningful curriculum that targets students’ needs are the necessary foundation to drive towards student success.

The school motto, ‘Inspire’, extends beyond the students. Everal is committed to a school environment where everyone can learn and be inspired by one another, including the college’s staff. To this end, the school staff room is being converted into a learning space to provide an environment for teachers to share and learn from each other. Teachers work together to engage multi-faceted programs for the varying needs of the students, from those that are highly academic to those still learning to read and write. “One of our biggest challenges is the literacy rates of our new Year 7 cohort each year – at least 40 per cent are reading at well below Year 7 level,” says Everal. To support the learning of all students, the school focuses on differentiating learning for students. This involves tailoring classroom content so that it can be accessed by all learners while maintaining high student expectations.

Felicity Stark, 2016 Teaching and Leadership Adviser for Teach For Australia Associates at Southern River College, reflects, “Differentiating lesson programming to meet the wide range of abilities in the classroom, ensuring every student is supported to reach their potential, can be challenging for early career teachers.” Despite this, Felicity has observed that teachers who show a strong ability to reflect and grow are always on a path towards continuous improvement.

Enrolments at Southern River College have almost doubled in the last six years. Everal reflects that this enrolment jump is due to the strategic direction of the school in offering a range of learning opportunities to cater to the needs and complexities of all students. Meeting the needs of students supports them to engage with learning and develop long-term aspirations. The school has also seen an increase in the number of students for whom English is a second language. Felicity believes that “fostering an environment of respect for all cultures and backgrounds needs to go beyond tolerance and acceptance so that students appreciate and see their diversity as a strength”. To ensure that the school is focusing on what matters most for the changing demographics of the student population, Southern River College has formed various partnerships with community-based organisations, such as The Fogarty Foundation, The Smith Family, Beacon Australia, Engineers Australia, Chamber of Minerals and Energy (CME), Civil Construction Federation (CCF), TOLL Australia, The University of Western Australia, Curtin University, Southern River Community Garden and Polytechnics West. Southern River College has been a Teach For Australia partner school since 2015, hosting 12 Associates to date.

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MELTON SECONDARY COLLEGE SCHOOL LOCATION:

TEACHING STAFF:

STUDENT ENROLMENTS:

SCHOOL ICSEA VALUE:

METROPOLITAN

1036

930

ENROLMENT GROWTH OVER LAST FIVE YEARS:

DISTRIBUTION OF STUDENTS:

INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS:

STUDENTS WITH LANGUAGE BACKGROUND OTHER THAN ENGLISH:

30%

57% IN BOTTOM QUARTILE

30%

“Teaching is the connection between relationships and content. We need to shape the content in a way that engages the kids, but this only works if relationships have been built between teacher and student. Strong, positive teacher-student relationships provide the basis for high expectations that every student will engage with the content, work hard and produce their best effort.” David Reynolds, Principal at Melton Secondary College

Principal David Reynolds recognises that implementing a range of specialised programs to support the learning of a growing and increasingly diverse student cohort, coupled with high quality professional practice, is critical to the school’s success. Melton Secondary College lies in the outer west of the greater metropolitan Melbourne area. The school has grown significantly over the past few years and this growth is expected to continue – the current population of just over 1,000 is projected to almost double by 2020. The school reflects the increasing diversity of the community, with over 25 languages spoken by students. The school’s vision is for all students to learn at the highest level possible within a community of learning that fosters the growth and development of the whole person. The school focuses on a curriculum that ensures students flourish into adults, citizens and employees with the intellectual, social and emotional skills necessary for success in the 21st century. Seventy per cent of students entering Year 7 are below the expected levels of achievement in literacy and numeracy, but performance measures are showing improvements with NAPLAN and senior secondary results moving in an upward trend.

The school believes that positive wellbeing is the foundation of academic achievement. Many students at the school have experienced trauma. According to David, “Students bring not just the standard adolescent issues, but for many, they have been betrayed by adults. Not all the kids have received unconditional care and love and we need to understand what that means for their education journey.”

Experienced teacher Michelle Clark, a mentor to early career teachers at the school, explains, “When students have experienced trauma, this can dictate their behaviour in class. Getting to know the backgrounds of the students is important, as it can help you to understand their triggers. Doing so allows you to help students be successful.”

David agrees that connecting with the students is key towards ensuring that they are on the right path to lead to positive educational outcomes. In addition to the school’s focus on positive relationships, Melton Secondary College offers support to all early career teachers through its mentor-mentee program, in which all first-year teaching staff are paired with an experienced teacher who teaches the same subject. The support provided through this pairing includes structured fortnightly meetings to discuss teaching strategies and adjust to the routines of the school. Janelle Mace, another mentor at the school, reflects on how this process has also been beneficial to her own practice. “Mentoring someone has been good for me to reflect on my teaching, too; to look back and think about the things I now do automatically. I’ve learnt a lot from my mentee as well.” Melton Secondary College has been a Teach For Australia partner school since 2012, hosting 13 Associates to date.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY TEACHING AND SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we learn from the patterns is that young people who are missing out can recover and gain ground. Being behind at any point need not be a life sentence, even for the disadvantaged, though even here the chances of recovery and of gaining ground are still in favour of students from more advantaged backgrounds. The most advantaged learners are not only less likely to fall below expected standards in the first place but more likely to catch up again if they do.â&#x20AC;? (Mitchell Institute, 2015a) 14

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“To attract the highest-quality entrants, we also need to hold teachers in high esteem. Teaching is arguably the most challenging profession of all, yet unlike Finland – where teachers accrue similar respect to doctors – we don’t recognise that teaching deserves the same respect and trust as the medical profession.” Rickards, 2016

Despite the barriers that students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds face, it is possible for students who have missed educational milestones to catch up (Mitchell Institute, 2015a). Quality teaching and school leadership is key. “Recognising, valuing and enhancing the teachers and school leaders with high levels of expertise makes the difference. It’s what works best (Hattie, 2015).”

THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY TEACHING Improving teacher quality offers the greatest policy strategy to positively impact the educational outcomes of students (Hattie, 2003). In Australia, students taught by high performing teachers (those in the top decile of all teachers) have been found to learn as much in six months as what teachers in the bottom decile accomplish in a full year (Leigh, 2010). The ability of a high quality teacher to promote learning is even more pronounced for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. For example, the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian students could be closed in five years by giving all Indigenous Australian students teachers at the top quartile of teacher performance (Leigh, 2010).

THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY SCHOOL LEADERSHIP School leadership is second only to classroom instruction among all school-related factors that contribute to student learning (Leithwood et al., 2004). The quality of teaching varies greatly both between schools and between classrooms within the same schools (Hattie, 2015). The impact of a high quality teacher on educational outcomes can fade when the student moves on to another teacher, if the new teacher is not as equally effective (New Leaders for New Schools, 2009).

Responsibility to foster an environment where all students receive high quality learning each and every year lies at the whole-school level (New Leaders for New Schools, 2009). Experts in school leadership have concluded that “as far as we are aware, there is not a single documented case of a school successfully turning around its pupil achievement trajectory in the absence of talented leadership (Leithwood et al., 2006).” High quality principals have been found to raise student achievement across the school at the same level as effective teachers of an individual class (Helal & Coelli, 2016).

Teacher quality involves more than subject specialist knowledge and behaviour management skills.

To support more quality teachers and leaders to teach the students that need them the most, we need to:

A recent survey undertaken by various education stakeholders across Australia found that a teacher’s ability to form trusting relationships with students is the most valued quality of an effective teacher as perceived by parents, teachers and principals (Pearson, 2016).

> value teaching as a profession; > ensure supportive environments for new teachers to thrive; > support student learning using evidence-based teaching strategies; and > develop teachers as leaders.

Less than half of Australian school entrants into teaching were in the top 30% of school leavers in 2015 (Masters, 2015).

The gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian students could be closed in five years by giving all Indigenous Australian students teachers at the top quartile of teacher performance (Leigh, 2010).

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VALUE TEACHING AS A PROFESSION

ENSURE SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENTS FOR NEW TEACHERS TO THRIVE

The world’s highest achieving school systems make great teaching a priority, through strategies to develop, reward and retain great teachers and recruit new top talent into teaching (McKinsey & Company, 2010).

Beginning teachers can face ‘transition shock’ upon entering the classroom: “the class is buzzing, busy and decision-laden, and most new teachers say they were not well prepared for the harsh reality of the classroom (Hattie, 2015).”

High performing education systems like Singapore, Finland and South Korea recruit teachers from the top third of the academic cohort. Teachers are screened for additional qualities considered important for a teacher to be highly effective (McKinsey & Company, 2010).

There can be a mismatch between early career teachers’ idealistic motivations to teach and the daily realities of classroom practice (Le Cornu, 2013). This contributes to up to 50 per cent of teachers leaving the profession within five years (Gallant & Riley, 2014).

Geoff Masters, Chief Executive of ACER, argues that “one of the biggest challenges we face in school education is to raise the status of teaching as a career choice, to attract more able-people into teaching and to develop teaching as a knowledge-based profession (Masters, 2015).”

Teachers working in schools serving disadvantaged communities can face additional challenges.

In Australia, only 40 per cent of teachers believe that teaching is valued by society (ACER, 2014). Less than half of Australian school entrants into teaching were in the top 30 per cent of school leavers in 2015 (Masters, 2015). “Part of the long term solution is to increase the capacity of the Australian teaching workforce. High performing countries have been remarkably successful in raising the status of teaching and attracting highly able people into teaching. At present, Australia is heading in the opposite direction; fewer of our most capable school leavers are choosing teaching as a career and this is further lowering the status of teaching (Masters, 2016).”

In Australia, there is currently a shortage of trained maths and science teachers.

Initiatives aimed to appropriately train and support early career teachers working in these contexts are essential (Social Ventures Australia (SVA), 2013). Effective practices to provide early career teachers with the training necessary to best prepare them to work in disadvantaged contexts involve: •

early exposure to the classroom environment;

•

developing their ability to track and evaluate student progress; and

•

teacher-led professional development (SVA, 2014).

Once in schools, early career teachers benefit from support models that include in-school mentoring and specialist coaching involving observation, appraisal and feedback to embed evidence-based practice into their classrooms (SVA, 2014).

Attracting high achieving graduates and professionals with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) qualifications is particularly crucial to raise the capacity of the Australian teaching workforce. Given that most of the fastest-growing industries and jobs require STEM proficiency, increasing the number of high quality teachers with STEM qualifications will assist in building an Australia that is able to capitalise on the innovation trend of the 21st century.

26% of Years 7 to 10 and 14% of Years 11 and 12 maths classes are taught by non-maths teachers

Only half of Year 12 students now study science, compared to nine out of 10 in the early 1990s

(Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute, 2016).

(Australian Academy of Science, 2011).

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“School leaders need to have an absolute commitment driven by a moral purpose. They need to be passionate, resilient, emotionally attuned, creative and thoroughly professional. We should never overlook the value of leadership. Strong leadership creates the enabling conditions necessary for great teaching and learning.” Sue Cridge, Education Director at Bright Spots Schools Connection

SUPPORT STUDENT LEARNING USING EVIDENCE-BASED TEACHING STRATEGIES Highly effective teachers: •

have a deep understanding of the subjects that they teach;

•

identify the level of each student’s learning and direct their teaching to the individual needs and readiness of each student;

•

provide continuous feedback to all students about their learning; and

•

reflect on their own practice, striving for continuous improvement (Productivity Commission, 2012).

There are numerous studies dedicated to describing various teacher strategies. Hattie (2009) synthesises many of these to quantitatively show that some strategies have greater impact than others. The range of literature on evidence-based teaching strategies extends further than perceptible teacher tactics. Teachers’ perceptions of their students’ abilities have been evidenced to also contribute towards educational outcomes (Rubie-Davies, 2015).

DEVELOP TEACHERS AS LEADERS A high proportion of early career teachers see themselves as future leaders. This trend does not necessarily translate to a high number of teachers applying for school leadership positions (Gronn, 2007). To turn ambition into reality, young teachers with leadership aspirations need to receive professional development and tailored career counselling that allows them to make a confident move into leadership roles. Leaders need to be identified early in their career, as recognised by high performing education systems. Doing so enables future leaders to enhance their leadership capabilities through gaining experience in leadership roles and undertaking meaningful professional development (McKinsey & Company, 2010).

A teacher’s progression from classroom practitioner to school leader can be bolstered through purposeful training that is both preparatory as teachers consider taking on leadership roles and supportive once teachers become school leaders.

It’s not just what the teacher does with students, but also how they think towards them that influences educational outcomes. Students of teachers with high expectations for all members of their class tend to meet these high expectations, just as the students of teachers with low expectations tend to conform to low expectations. This is particularly true for students from low SES backgrounds (Rubie-Davies, 2015).

OVER

35%

of Australian principals report that they received no preparation for the role. (OECD, 2014).

the leadership training was deemed to be ONLY ofundertaken adequate in relevance and quality

50%

(OECD, 2014).

BREAKING THE CYCLE | Teach For Australia

ADDRESSING EDUCATIONAL DISADVANTAGE IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY

We have so much to gain as a society from innovation in education and everyone can play a role in addressing educational disadvantage.

BREAKING THE CYCLE | Teach For Australia

“Governments are never going to be in a position to address the entirety of disadvantage in schools. There needs to be more opportunities for the community to be more involved, particularly in disadvantaged schools, to provide wrap-around support for the non-academic elements.” Rosemary Conn, Chief Executive Officer at Schools Plus

The current state of educational disadvantage in our country can be addressed. Through quality teaching and leadership we can bridge the education gap to provide equity in access to opportunities, academic achievement and personal and professional aspirations for all Australian students, regardless of background.

THE RETURN WOULD BE SIGNIFICANT Addressing educational disadvantage will have flow on benefits. If Australia could reduce or eliminate the gap in educational outcomes between students from low SES and high SES households, the susceptibility for social disadvantage to be passed down the generations would decline by up to 40 per cent (Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation, 2016). In return, the Australian economy would prosper. “Improving teacher effectiveness would have a greater impact on economic growth than any other reform before Australian governments (Grattan Institute, 2010).”

• If all Australian students met basic skill levels, GDP would rise by 11 per cent by the end of this century, adding US$1.5 trillion (present value terms) to the economy (OECD, 2015). • If the overall decline in Australian student achievement could be reversed by 2030, GDP would increase by almost 30 per cent before the end of this century, which would add US$3.9 trillion (present value terms) to the economy (OECD, 2015).

EVERYONE CAN PLAY A ROLE While governments take the lead in supporting teachers and school leaders to help students succeed, addressing educational disadvantage is a shared responsibility. Families, community organisations and corporate and philanthropic institutions add value to the work of teachers and school leaders by creating ideal learning environments both inside and outside of school. Every day, people dedicate their professional lives to this cause or donate time, resources or funds to schools and education-based organisations that work to confront educational disadvantage. Still, too many children are not able to reach their potential at school. By working together to support teachers, schools and governments, we can create an equitable and excellent education system that enables students to build a future that they choose.

You can contribute to an Australia where all children, regardless of background, can attain an excellent education.

RECOGNISE THE IMPORTANCE OF TEACHERS •

Acknowledge the contribution made by the teachers and schools leaders in your life that strive towards educational excellence and equity.

•

Use public forums such as social media to recognise the dedication of teachers across Australia.

•

Encourage people you think would make great teachers to enter the profession.

• If teacher effectiveness in Australia increased by 10 per cent, educational outcomes would improve to match the world’s top performing education systems. This would cause economic growth to increase by AU$90 billion by 2050 (Grattan Institute, 2010).

BREAKING THE CYCLE | Teach For Australia

STAY INFORMED •

Watch Testing Teachers, a SBS documentary that follows early career teachers working in schools serving disadvantaged communities.

•

Read these reports for a deeper look at the education landscape in Australia and the world (full citation can be found in reference list). •

PISA 2015: a first look at Australian student’s performance (Australian Council for Educational Research, 2016)

•

Engaging students: creating classrooms that improve learning (Grattan Institute, 2017)

•

Dropping off the Edge 2015 (Jesuit Social Services and Catholic Social Services Australia, 2015)

•

Educational opportunity in Australia: who succeeds and who misses out (Mitchell Institute, 2015a)

•

Improving the educational outcomes of disadvantaged young Australians: the Learning for Life program (The Smith Family, 2016)

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Familiarise yourself with education policy platforms and announcements of political parties at state, territory and federal government levels.

•

Engage in conversation with teachers and principals of the local schools in your area to learn more about how schools support students to succeed and confront challenges.

•

Subscribe to Teach For Australia’s newsletter at teachforaustralia.org.

GET INVOLVED •

Our promise: tackling educational disadvantage (Teach For Australia, 2016)

Remain up to date with the work of various organisations helping to improve excellence and equity in Australia’s education system.

•

Australian Council for Educational Research: acer.org

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Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership: aitsl.edu.au

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Brotherhood of St. Lawrence: bsl.org.au

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The Centre for Independent Studies: cis.org.au/research/education

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Education Changemakers: educationchangemakers.com

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The Fogarty Foundation: fogartyfoundation.org.au

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Grattan Institute: grattan.edu.au/home/school-education

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Learning First: learningfirst.com

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Mitchell Institute: mitchellinstitute.org.au

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Schools Plus: schoolsplus.org.au

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The Smith Family: thesmithfamily.com.au/

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Social Ventures Australia: socialventures.com.au/ work/#filter=.education

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Teach For Australia: teachforaustralia.org BREAKING THE CYCLE | Teach For Australia

Support a local school in your area: •

If you’re a parent of a school student, enquire at their school about volunteering opportunities.

•

If you have children but they’re not yet old enough for school, explore volunteering activities at the schools you are considering sending them to.

•

If you don’t have children, this isn’t a barrier to being involved – ask at local schools in your area to find out about upcoming events and volunteering possibilities.

•

If you’re a private business owner, enquire at your local schools about in kind partnerships.

•

Write a letter or email to your government representatives about education related matters that you believe are crucial to drive an education system of excellence and equity.

•

If you’re a school leader, enquire with Teach For Australia about becoming a school partner to add highly effective and dedicated new teachers to your staff.

•

If you’ve thought about becoming a teacher, apply for the Teach For Australia program.

FIND OUT MORE: teachforaustralia.org

We have so much to gain as a society from innovation in education and everyone can play a role in addressing educational disadvantage. BREAKING THE CYCLE | Teach For Australia

REFERENCES

Australian Academy of Science (authors Goodrum, D., Druhan, A. & Abbs, J.). (2011). The Status and Quality of Year 11 and 12 Science in Australian Schools. Canberra, Australia: Australian Academy of Science. Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2011). Perspectives on education and training: social inclusion, 2009. Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/ Lookup/4250.0.55.001Main+Features32009 Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) (authors Thomson, S., De Bortoli, L. & Underwood, C.). (2016). Programme for International Student Assessment 2015: a first look at Australia’s results. Melbourne, Australia: ACER. Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) (authors Edwards, D. & McMillan, J.). (2015). Completing university in a growing sector: is equity an issue? Melbourne, Australia: ACER. Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) (authors Freeman, C., O’Malley, K. & Eveleigh, F.). (2014). Australian teachers and the learning environment: an analysis of teacher response to TALIS 2013. Melbourne, Australia: ACER. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2016). National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) national report for 2016. Sydney, Australia: ACARA. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2014). Guide to understanding 2013 Index of Community Socio-educational Advantage (ICSEA) values. Retrieved from https://acaraweb.blob.core.windows.net/ resources/Guide_to_understanding_2013_ICSEA_values.pdf Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (author Wienk, M). (2016). Discipline profile of the mathematical sciences. Melbourne, Australia: The University of Melbourne. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation. (2016). Income mobility in Australia. Learning Curve, 12. Gallant, A. & Riley, P. (2014). Early career teacher attrition: new thoughts on an intractable problem. Teacher Development, 18(4), 562-580. Grattan Institute (authors Goss, P. & Sonnemann, J.). (2017). Engaging students: creating classrooms that improve learning. Melbourne, Australia: Grattan Institute.

BREAKING THE CYCLE | Teach For Australia

Grattan Institute (authors Goss, P., Sonnemann, J., Chisholm, C., and Nelson, L.). (2016). Widening gaps: what NAPLAN tells us about student progress. Melbourne, Australia: Grattan Institute. Grattan Institute (author Jensen, B.). (2010). Investing in Our Teachers, Investing in Our Economy. Melbourne, Australia: Grattan Institute. Gronn, P. (2007). Grooming next-generation school leaders. In N. Dempster (ed.). The treasure within: leadership and succession planning. Canberra, Australia: The Australian College of Educators. Hattie, J. (2015). What doesn’t work in education: the politics of distraction. London, England: Pearson. Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: a synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. Hoboken, NJ: Taylor and Francis. Hattie, J. (2003). Teachers make a difference: what is the research evidence? Paper presented at Australian Council for Educational Research Annual Conference on Building Teacher Quality: what does the research tell us? Helal, M. & Coelli, M. (2016). How principals affect schools. Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research working paper, No. 18/16. Jackson, D. (2014). Addressing educational disadvantage. Retrieved from https://rd.acer.edu.au/article/addressingeducational-disadvantage Jesuit Social Services and Catholic Social Services Australia (authors Vinson, T. & Rawsthorne, M.). (2015). Dropping off the Edge 2015. Melbourne/Canberra, Australia: Jesuit Social Services/Catholic Social Services Australia. Lamb, S., Glover, S., & Walstab, A. (2014). Session K: educational disadvantage and regional and rural schools. Paper presented at Australian Council for Educational Research Conference on Quality and Equality: what does research tell us? Le Cornu, R. (2013). Building early career teacher resilience: the role of relationships. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 38(4), 1-16.

Leigh, A. (2010). Estimating teacher effectiveness from two-year changes in students’ test scores. Economics of Education Review, 29, 480-488. Leithwood, K., Day, C., Sammons, P., Harris, A. & Hopkins, D. (2006). Successful school leadership: what it is and how it influences pupil learning. National College for School Leadership and Department for Education and Skills research report, No. 800. Leithwood, K., Seashore Louis, K., Anderson, S., & Wahlstrom, K. (2004). How leadership influences student learning: A review of research for the Learning from Leadership Project. New York, NY: The Wallace Foundation. McKinsey & Company (authors Barber, M., Whelan, F. & Clark, M.). (2010). Capturing the leadership premium: how the world’s top school systems are building leadership capacity for the future. Retrieved from http://mckinseyonsociety.com/ downloads/reports/Education/schoolleadership_final.pdf Masters, G. (2016). Reversing the PISA decline: national challenge requires national response. Retrieved from https:// rd.acer.edu.au/article/reversing-the-PISA-decline Masters, G. (2015). Raising the professional status of teaching. Retrieved from https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/geoffmasters/article/raising-the-professional-status-of-teaching Mitchell Institute (authors Lamb, S., Jackson, J., Walstab, A. & Huo, S.). (2015a). Educational opportunity in Australia 2015: who succeeds and who misses out. Centre for International Research on Education Systems, Victoria University, for the Mitchell Institute. Melbourne, Australia: Mitchell Institute. Mitchell Institute. (2015b). New study reveals large gaps in opportunity in Australia’s education system [Press release]. Retrieved from http://www. mitchellinstitute.org.au/mediareleases/new-study-reveals- large-gaps-in-opportunity-inaustralias-education-system/ New Leaders for New Schools. (2009). Principal effectiveness: a new principalship to drive student achievement, teacher effectiveness and school turnarounds. New York, NY: New Leaders for New Schools. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (authors Hanushek, E. & Woessmann, L.) (2015). Universal Basic Skills: what Countries Stand to Gain. Paris, France: OECD Publishing.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (authors Rutkowski, D., Rutkowski, L., Bélanger, J., Knoll, S., Weatherby, K. & Prusinski, E). (2014). Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2013 results: an international perspective on teaching and learning. Paris, France: OECD Publishing. Pearson (authors McKnight, K., Graybeal, J., Graybeal, L. & Yarbro, J.). (2016). Australia: what makes an effective teacher? Melbourne, Australia: Pearson. Productivity Commission. (2012). Schools Workforce: research report. Canberra, Australia: Australian Government Productivity Commission. Refugee Council of Australia. (2016). Education and training. Retrieved from http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/getfacts/ settlement/learninghere/education-and-training/ Rickards, F. (2016). What are the main challenges facing teacher education in Australia? Retrieved from https://theconversation. com/what-are-the-main-challenges-facingteacher-educationin-australia-63658 Rubie-Davies, C. (2015). Becoming a high expectation teacher: raising the bar. New York, NY: Routledge. The Smith Family. (2016). Improving the educational outcomes of disadvantaged young Australians: the Learning for Life program. Sydney, Australia: The Smith Family. Social Ventures Australia. (2014). Growing great teachers overview. Retrieved from http://socialventures.com.au/ assets/2014-SVA-Growing-Great-Teachers-Overview.pdf Social Ventures Australia (author Riddell, S.). (2013). Early career teaching in low SES schools. Retrieved from http://www.socialventures.com.au/blog/early-careerteaching-inlow-ses-schools/ Teach For Australia. (2016). Our promise: tackling educational disadvantage. Retrieved from http://www.teachforaustralia. org/2016/03/20/promise-tackling-educational-disadvantage/ Woods, A. (2009). Learning to be literate: issues of pedagogy for recently arrived refugee youth in Australia. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 6(1-2), 81-101. Wilson, B. (2014). A share in the future: review of Indigenous education in the Northern Territory. Darwin, Australia: Northern Territory Department of Education. BREAKING THE CYCLE | Teach For Australia

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BREAKING THE CYCLE | Teach For Australia The Australian Government Department of Education and Training is a major supporter of the Teach For Australia initiative.