New Zealand School Trustees Association

Memorandum to Boards : 2010/8

School :

Chair :     

Principal :     

From : Colin Davies(Manager, Service Delivery NZSTA cdavies@nzsta.org.nz)

Date : 13 June 2010

Subject: Attracting, training and retaining high quality teachers

Purpose : Education Minister Anne Tolley has released a discussion document after receiving an independent report on how to attract, train and retain high quality teachers.   The Advisory Group has produced a report, A Vision for the Teaching Profession, which identifies key issues facing the sector alongside recommendations of how improvements could be made.

These focus on teacher training, leadership within the profession, and career pathways for excellent teachers. A copy of the report and the discussion paper are being sent to all schools (see online links later in memo). The proposals are:

Proposals to improve initial teacher education and the quality of graduates:

1.      moving toward initial teacher education being provided only at postgraduate level (so that entry into teaching is dependent on holding a postgraduate qualification)

2.      addressing the balance between the number of teachers being trained and the number of appropriate placements available for trainee and beginning teachers

3.      ensuring that trainee teachers are accepted into initial teacher education programmes only after being assessed with a “disposition to teach” through a formal selection process

4.      changing how initial teacher education is delivered to strengthen links between trainee and beginning teachers, and teacher education providers and schools.

Proposals to improve reward, recognition and progression include focusing on:

1.      providing career development opportunities to support effective teaching and progression through the profession

2.      creating greater flexibility for principals to use resources at their disposal, such as salary units and non contact time, to provide opportunities for teachers to upskill and to reward their increased skill and capability

3.      setting clear standards so that effective, transparent and robust judgements of teacher capability and performance can be made.

Proposals to strengthen professional leadership within schools include:

1.      establishing compulsory training and development for aspiring and new principals and focusing more support on growing distributive leadership within schools

2.      introducing a system of professional mentoring for all principals to support professional discussions/development

and that there needs to be greater focus on:

3.      supporting educational leadership rather than administrative management

4.      introducing secondments across schools for teachers aspiring to become principals

5.      introducing a system of professional mentoring for all principals to support

6.      providing flexibility for principals to support, recognise and reward teaching excellence and distributed leadership.

Proposals to strengthen professional leadership for the teaching profession include:

1.      refocusing the role of NZTC with responsibility for setting clear requirements for:

(a)   entry to the profession

(b)   continuing professional development within the profession

(c)   ethical accountability of teachers.

Copy of report and feedback document

The Workforce Advisory Group’s report (pdf, 252 Kb)

The discussion document (pdf, 147 Kb)

The period for feedback closes on 6 August 2010.  

In preparation for the NZSTA submission we would appreciate hearing from a board perspective your views (you can make you views known to us direct using our online survey). Or send us a copy of your submissions (fax to 04 473 4706).

Colin Davies