Grattan Institute - Australian Teacher Evaluation Is A "fail"

Australian Teacher Evaluation is a "Fail"

"Australian teachers get less constructive evaluation of their performance than those in poor performing countries such as Bulgaria, Turkey and Brazil," Dr Ben Jensen said on the release of the second Grattan Institute Education Report entitled "What teachers want: better teacher management".

The Grattan Institute report analyses the work undertaken in the OECD's Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) of which Dr Jensen was co-author. It is the only comprehensive survey of individual teachers' views that benchmarks Australia with other countries. It shows that teacher management in Australian schools, both public and private, is dysfunctional.

"Australian teachers are concerned about how they are managed and believe their evaluation process is little more than a paper shuffling exercise.

The findings are an indictment on those responsible for managing teachers in Australia:

91% of Australian teachers report that in their school, the most effective
teachers do not receive the greatest recognition.

Only 8% of Australian teachers report they would receive any recognition if
they improve the quality of their teaching.

91% of Australian teachers report they will not receive any recognition for
innovative teaching.

93% of Australian teachers report that their school principal does not take
steps to address persistently underperforming teachers.


These numbers are staggering and indicate a deep malaise that is Australia wide," Dr Jensen added.

"Teachers want change. They want meaningful teacher evaluation measures with recognition for those who demonstrate superior performance and consequences for those who consistently fail their students."

"At present, teachers report substantial gaps in teacher development that need to be filled to reduce the number of ineffective classrooms and teacher practices. Teacher evaluation is at present a bureaucratic "tick a box" process that does not identify, address and put measures in place to address problems that teachers have said need to be addressed."

"The Grattan Report shows that an effective evaluative framework for teachers can improve what teachers do in the classroom and so the quality of teaching received by students. Improvement depends on effective evaluation that leads to constructive feedback and tangible consequences for good and poor classroom performance."

"Teachers account for the vast majority of expenditure in school education and have the greatest impact on student learning, far outweighing the impact of any other education program or policy. It is essential that teaching administrators listen to their concerns to improve the leaning outcomes of students", Dr Jensen concluded.

For further enquiries:
Dr Ben Jensen,
Program Director School Education
M. +61 (0)421 282 522 or +61 (0)3 9035 8117
E. [email protected]

SOURCE: Grattan Institute