Teach For Australia is delighted to see the release of the second independent evaluation of the Teach For Australia Program by the Australian Government, which highlights that Teach For Australia is continuing to deliver on the Government’s objectives.
The funding provided following the evaluation will allow Teach For Australia to support incoming 2018 and 2019 cohorts. Our 2019 Cohort will mark 10 years of Teach For Australia developing outstanding teachers and leaders who are committed to tackling education disadvantage in Australia.
We would like to thank the Minister for Education and Training, Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham, Department of Education and Training officials and the evaluators for the extensive policy, evaluation and implementation work undertaken over a considerable period.
Teach For Australia also wishes to acknowledge and express our appreciation for the bipartisan support the program has received since its commencement in 2010.
The findings
The evaluation found that Teach For Australia is substantively delivering against the Australian Government’s key objective of placing high-quality teachers in schools serving low socioeconomic communities to meet specific skill requirements, for as long as possible. In particular, the evaluation found:
Through its multi-stage recruitment and selection process, Teach For Australia continues to attract top talent to the teaching profession.
- Over 80 per cent of principals say a key reason they will recruit Associates in the future is because they bring valuable characteristics such as enthusiasm and dedication to teaching and the school. They are high-performers with demonstrated academic success. Principals also highlighted their intellectual capability, subject matter expertise, and value for money.
Teach For Australia is accelerating the development of Associates.
- Traditional pathways generally aim to ensure their undergraduate or Masters students reach the ‘graduate’ standard in the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership’s (AITSL) Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (teacher standards) upon graduation. By contrast, Teach For Australia’s Associates are supported to reach ‘graduate’ standard after one year and ‘proficient’ standard upon graduation. The evaluation shows many are demonstrating the ‘highly accomplished’ standard at that time.
Associates become high-quality teachers.
- Principals report Teach For Australia Associates outperform other teachers against all the ‘proficient’ and ‘highly accomplished’ teacher standards tested in the evaluation. They were compared after two years in the classroom.
- This supports TFA’s data that indicates Associates are having a positive impact on student outcomes. The latest (2015) data shows 89% of principals believe Associates have a greater or significantly greater impact on student achievement than other teachers. They were compared after two years in the classroom. 11% indicated the impact was about the same.
Associates deliver the skills that schools need.
- For instance, Teach For Australia is delivering subject specialists in hard-to-staff fields like science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). On average, around 46 per cent of Associates commencing in 2016 and 2017 are STEM qualified.
- 62 per cent of principals reported a key reason they will recruit Associates in future is that ‘they provide specific subject matter expertise we would otherwise be unable to obtain.’
Associates possess leadership qualities that schools need.
- Associates’ early demonstration of aspects of the ‘highly accomplished’ Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (which refer to respect from and influence on other teachers) suggests that Teach For Australia is developing a pipeline of leaders. Associates appear to have an accelerated path into formalised leadership roles.
- The evaluation found that after four years out of placement, most Associates still teaching are in leadership roles. Teach For Australia’s data shows that, after just seven years, Teach For Australia has produced three principals and five assistant principals.
Associates value the support and wider networks available through the Teach For Australia Program.
- Associates highly value the support they receive from Teaching and Leadership Advisers (TLAs) who are experienced teachers that visit them on site, observe classes and provide coaching. TLA support is valued because it is frequent, tailored to specific coaching needs and because Associates can also reach out to TLAs for health and wellbeing support throughout the program. Associates also highly value their networks with other Associates and access them for resources and support.
The Teach For Australia program is an innovative model which may have lessons for wider initial teacher education.
- The Teach For Australia program represents innovative practice supporting high-performing candidates in schools in low socioeconomic communities. For example, through pioneering an employment based pathway, proactive recruitment, and rigorous selection. Also by targeting the two keys to lifting student outcomes: fostering a pipeline of quality teachers and school and system leaders, and provision of support to early career teachers through TLAs and in-school mentors.
Teach For Australia is committed to measuring and evaluating the impact of our work. We welcome the findings which reflect stakeholder perspectives that we collect annually. Our 2021 Impact Report is here.
The evaluation found that there is potential for the Program to further align with Government objectives and we are working together to address these areas for improvement so as to ensure future cohorts of Associates can continue to make an impact in areas of need across Australia.
Some of these key areas have already begun to be addressed:
- National eligibility standard for schools: States and territories have previously determined eligibility leading to some inconsistency nationally.
A national eligibility standard has been developed in consultation with state and territory governments, ensuring local context can be accommodated.
- Structures and strategies to increase retention:
Teach For Australia’s analysis of public data shows Teach For Australia has stronger retention than traditional pathways. However, the evaluation showed school-based stakeholders are interested in greater retention in schools in low socioeconomic communities.
Teach For Australia is creating a community of inspired, connected and empowered leaders acting on their agency to achieve educational equity. We believe that this pipeline of leaders will be the most powerful legacy of Teach For Australia.
As the evaluation showed, after the program most Associates continue as high quality teachers and school leaders. We are working with our school partners and state and territory governments to ensure the program can continue to have the greatest impact on students, including joint strategies to further support Alumni to teach in schools that serve low socioeconomic communities.
- Better integration with the Master’s program:
The evaluation shows Teach For Australia is accelerating the development of Associates. It also notes that there is scope to better integrate the support provided by Teach For Australia with that of our academic university partner.
Through an extensive, competitive tender process for a new university partner, we are working to create a program that is even more tailored and integrated with what Teach For Australia already delivers. This will ensure the scope, sequence, and assessments of the Master of Teaching program best match the needs of Associates who are completing an employment-based pathway.
For more on the Australian Government’s independent evaluation, please click here.
We thank our community, in particular Associates, Alumni, partner school principals and state and territory governments who contributed their perspectives as part of the evaluation.
