Delivering national teacher training and registration standards
Students, families and school communities across Australia will benefit
from the introduction of national teacher training and registration
standards announced as part of the 2007-08 Budget today.
The Australian Government is providing $5 million over two years for the
Realising Our Potential – national teacher training and registration
standards initiative. The Australian Government will work with the
states and territories and other stakeholders in developing a national
framework to improve teacher education, and ensure more consistent, high
quality teaching across Australia.
"By introducing national teacher training and registration standards we
can ensure that all new teachers graduating from Australian universities are
equipped with the skills and knowledge to teach effectively when they enter
the classroom, particularly in the critical areas of literacy and numeracy,"
the Minister for Education, Science and Training, the Hon Julie Bishop MP
said.
State and territory teacher registration bodies, deans of education,
representatives of the teaching profession, including Teaching Australia,
and other stakeholders will be consulted to develop the national framework.
"We know that teacher quality is a critical factor in determining
educational outcomes for students. We also know that by developing
nationally consistent standards in teacher training and registration we can
vastly improve the quality of education delivered to school students across
Australia," Minister Bishop said.
"This initiative demonstrates the Australian Government’s commitment to
Australian families. It will ensure that all Australian teachers possess
high quality skills and knowledge, which will give parents greater
confidence that their children are receiving a high quality education,"
Minister Bishop said.
The adoption of the national teacher training and registration standards
will be a condition of Australian Government funding under the next schools
funding agreement.
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Media Contacts |
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| Minister Bishop’s Office: |
Tory Vidler |
0414 228 727 |
| Dept of Education, Science & Training: |
Virginia Cook |
0412 971 323 |
| Non-media queries: |
1300 363 079 |
Supporting Information
Why is this important?
The development of nationally consistent teacher training and
registration standards will assist in raising the overall quality of
education delivered to school students throughout Australia.
It will allow teacher registration authorities to require that
universities provide teacher graduates with the knowledge and skills
essential to be effective classroom teachers.
Higher quality university teaching courses will attract high
calibre candidates to the profession.
Who will benefit?
Australian students will benefit from improved outcomes as a
result of consistent, high quality teaching delivered through the
Australian education system.
Australian teachers can be assured that the university training
they undertake is of a high quality and that training and
registration standards are consistent and recognised nationally.
Australian families and school communities will prosper
socially and economically as a result of the broader long-term
benefits of quality education.
What funding is the Government committing to the initiative?
$5 million over two years.
What have we done in the past?
The Australian Government, through the Australian Research
Council (ARC), has provided grants to four associations to develop
standards for accomplished teachers of Maths, Science, English and
Literacy.
The Australian Government has funded a consortium headed by the
University of Western Sydney to develop an Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) competency framework for teachers.
The consortium will also look at ICT requirements in teacher
training courses.
The Australian Government has provided support to the
Australian Council of Educators (ACE) for two forums on standards.
The Australian Government has funded Teaching Australia to
develop professional standards for teaching and school leadership,
as well as a national approach to quality assurance of teacher
education programmes.
The report of the 2005 National Inquiry into the Teaching
of Literacy identified a need to improve the preparation of new
teachers and recommended that "the conditions for teacher
registration of graduates from all primary and secondary teacher
education programs include a demonstrated command of personal
literacy skills necessary for effective teaching, and a demonstrated
ability to teach literacy within the framework of their
employment/teaching program".
When will the initiative conclude?
This initiative will conclude in 2008-09.
