Winter 2007

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Teachers Matter

Jim World

In November of 2005, the Education Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) produced a study that merits some consideration by the teaching profession in our country. The 236 page document, entitled: Teachers Matter: Attracting, Developing, and Retaining Effective Teachers is the result of data collection done between 2002 and 2004. Twenty-five nations, primarily from Europe, but also including Japan, Korea, Chile, the U.S. and Canada (Quebec) participated in the data collection process.

According to the study, education has become a priority for many nations, and these nations have identified high quality teaching as the key element in raising the quality of student learning. Terms such as “effective teaching,” “quality teachers,” “teacher supply,” and “teacher policy” dominate the discussion. The study does recognize the presence of effective, high quality teaching in some countries, but also acknowledges that societal changes are giving rise to pressures that threaten both the creation and maintenance of that quality.
The first two sections of the study speak in general terms about the teaching profession and its importance in the social and economic development of society. The OECD believes that teachers have such a prominent role in society that policies need to be developed to address the issues of standards and supply. To their credit, the authors acknowledge that these policies must refer not only to teachers, but to the environment in which they work.

The main body of the report attends to the issues referred to in the title. The first of these is the importance of attracting high quality people to the profession. The report isn’t entirely successful in defining the term high quality, but the point is made that teaching has a great deal of competition when it comes to attracting potential candidates. Improving the perceived status of the profession, improving salaries and working conditions, and improving teacher education programs are cited as important components in enhancing attractiveness. The authors also stress the importance of developing an understanding of the intrinsic factors that motivate people to enter the profession. For example, studies from France and Australia indicate that a desire to teach and a wish to deal with children rank as the main reasons for entering a career in teaching, with salary appearing at the bottom of the list.

The development of teachers’ knowledge and skills is the next issue to be addressed. To prepare teachers for their roles and responsibilities, the study first looks at initial teacher education. There is discussion on course content (more emphasis on research skills) and on the efficacy of concurrent (B.Ed.) versus consecutive (post degree) programs. The issue of certification also arises in this section with consideration given to the use of some type of competitive exam as part of the certification process. Countries currently employing a competitive exam include France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, and Korea. Mentoring and professional development are also identified as important sources of knowledge and skill acquisition. The study is highly supportive of professional development, although it does express a concern about how effective some forms of Pro D are in improving student outcomes.

In the final section, the authors attend to the issues involved in employing and retaining the best qualified teachers. There is considerable discussion regarding the conditions of employment and of how those conditions should be determined. Most countries have collective agreements between unions and employers to define the terms of the contract, although in France, Germany, Japan and Korea teachers are hired into a general public service where there is no access to collective bargaining. A central point being argued in this section is that the criterion for employment be broadened so that less weight is given to seniority. Favour is also expressed for a probationary period for new teachers and for a re-certification process for those employed in permanent positions. Further, there is strong support for decentralization, so that schools, their administrators and staffs have more influence on the process of recruitment and hiring. The report then addresses the conditions that need to be created to keep the best teachers in the system. It acknowledges the importance of attractive salaries, but points out in a study done in England, that of all the issues threatening retention, heavy work loads, government initiatives and stress top the list. At this point the topic of evaluation once again enters the discussion. The argument is put forward that teachers who are recognized and rewarded for their excellence will be more likely to remain in the profession. It is further acknowledged that in the determination of that excellence some form of evaluation will have to be used. Examples from Israel, Chile and Switzerland are given to support this argument. One of the interesting ways that teachers in the US can certify their teaching excellence is through application to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The NBPTS is a privately run but largely government funded organization that invites teachers to test themselves against a set of standards set by the organization itself. Successful application and evaluation provides a teacher with certification of excellence and theoretically enhances their status and desire to remain in the profession.

The report concludes with a discussion of the requirements that need to be met to further the development and implementation of teacher policy. Paramount among these is the need for additional research. The authors point out that there are many critical gaps in the current research and that until these are filled, policy formation will continue to be based more on philosophy than fact. In addition, the report stresses the importance of a broad based consultative approach to ensure that all voices, especially those of teachers are included in the process of policy formation.

This report poses far more questions than it answers. Most notably, “What is effective teaching?” and, “How do you evaluate teacher quality and for what purpose?” There is no doubt that the OECD is going to pursue more research in an effort to answer these questions. Given that the public education system in Canada has demonstrated in the OECD’s own Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) that effective teaching by quality teachers is already taking place in our country, we might want to contribute to that research.

The results of this report are subject to interpretation, so we should not be surprised if those who operate out on the right of the political spectrum seize on certain aspects of the study to further their agenda. In response, we should prepare ourselves for debate and rebuttal by familiarizing ourselves with the content of this document. It can be ordered on line at www.oecd.org or through your local bookstore using ISBN 92-64-01802-6. $62.95.

Jim World is a retired teacher/counsellor. Email: jimworld@telus.net