Page 1278 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 5 May 2015
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the best education we can provide, regardless of their background, location or school setting. We care about these things so that our future citizens can not only compete effectively on the world stage as economic contributors but also lead productive, socially engaged and fulfilling lives in a vibrant democratic society.
I am sure we can all agree that the central importance of teachers to our children’s educational achievements is undisputed, as is the importance of the quality of our teaching profession as a whole to the achievement of internationally competitive student outcomes. So what practical measures to improve teacher quality have resulted from all of this?
The principal focus has been on raising the bar for the professionalisation of teaching. The development of national standards for the teaching profession and establishing those standards as the basis for minimum qualifications for entry into the profession and for continued professional practice and development of teachers have provided sound foundations for continued improvements that can be measured.
All professions share a common set of characteristics. They bring together a committed group of people bound by common codes of ethics and professional practice, a shared and established body of knowledge and practice, and a commitment to sustain and develop that body of knowledge for the benefit of all. There is also recognition that community confidence in the role and effectiveness of teachers will be increased if teachers are seen to be more comparable to other professions in terms of entry qualifications, preparation for practice, and continuing professional learning and development throughout their career.
The influence that the quality of the teacher has on the outcomes of their students and what they are able to achieve has been demonstrated in countless research projects and in popular experience and belief for decades, if not centuries. So the emphasis that current Australian governments are giving to improving the quality of our teaching profession should be no surprise to anyone interested in the progressive development of our society.
Indeed, in the ACT we can be satisfied that we have played a leading role in implementing these measures. Since its establishment by this government in 2011, the ACT Teacher Quality Institute has set up a framework for the teaching profession that is focused on quality improvement rather than mere regulation. I am particularly proud as the minister for all schools and as Minister for Education and Training that we have worked with the teaching profession as a whole across all sectors—Catholic, independent and public.
While we must respect the differences between schools and between sectors, we are ensuring that the boundaries between those areas do not limit possibilities. The Australian professional standards for teachers have been incorporated formally into the TQI regulatory framework for the teaching profession here in the territory. The standards form the basis for the minimum qualifications of entrants to the profession and for the assessment of early entrants as proficient teachers. They underpin the mandatory professional learning and development expected of all teachers in the ACT.
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