Building a High-Quality Teaching Profession. Lessons from around the world

Abstract

Andreas Schleicher, Head of the Indicators and Analysis Division, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris, France. Email: andreas.schleicher@oecd.org
Address: 2, rue André Pascal, 75775 Paris Cedex 16, France.

These are the final chapters of the OECD report. International experience is used to describe possible methods to increase status of the teaching profession and the caliber of its recruits.

Successful reform of education system cannot wait for a new generation of teachers; it requires investment in the present teacher workforce, providing quality professional development, adequate career structures and diversification, and enlisting the commitment of teachers to reform. The analysis looks at how individual development of teachers can be improved and how greater collaboration among teachers can improve the quality of teaching. School systems should provide a careful coordination between training, evaluation and compensation of teachers.

Methods of successful staff management and criteria for teacher appraisal applied in different countries are described. Teacher evaluation is essential for improving the individual performance of teachers and the collective performance of education systems. Criteria for teacher appraisal need to be aligned with the objectives of the system and the schools. Improved appraisal and feedback can have beneficial effects on teachers, improving their job satisfaction and personal development as well as their effectiveness in implementing priorities for improvement. Moreover, appraisals can help teachers build confidence in themselves.

Teacher engagement in the development and implementation of educational reform is crucial. The paper describes how collaboration among teachers, politicians and ministry officials is achieved in different countries to make the reform happen.