Attracting and keeping good teachers

[ The University of Melbourne Voice Vol. 3, No. 1  14 April - 12 May 2008 ]

By Katherine Smith

The most effective teachers are attracted by opportunities for professional autonomy, school responsiveness to student needs, and the prospect of responsibility, according to new University of Melbourne research.

The research finds that the least effective teachers are averse to change and challenge. it also finds that effective teachers are driven by a sense of themselves as professional educators and value the chance to use and develop their skills.

Dr Suzanne Rice, a Research Fellow in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education’s Centre for Post-compulsory Education and Lifelong Learning, says the findings have implications for the role of innovation in disadvantaged schools, and could help systems attract and retain good teachers in the least-favoured schools.

“By understanding what drives effective teachers, we are better positioned to reward them and maintain their interest,” says Dr Rice.

“If we attach rewards and opportunities that matter to the professional lives of good teachers in the most disadvantaged schools, we have a better chance of attracting – and keeping – them in schools where they are most needed and where they are likely to have a strong impact on students’ learning.”