Teacher evaluation: International landscapes, local strengths and future directions for Australia

International Teacher Education Effectiveness Research Hub (iTEERH) Forum:
Teacher evaluation: International landscapes, local strengths and future directions for Australia

Evaluating the performance and impact of teachers is an integral part of ensuring the quality and effectiveness of education systems; nonetheless it is a process fraught with complexity. Any framework or model used to evaluate the qualities of teachers and teaching must prioritise the consequential impact on students - a task that sounds simple in theory but is much more complex and nuanced in its action.

In 2016, the iTEERH was commissioned by the Australian Government to investigate, review and synthesise international teacher evaluation policies and practices to inform the development of a teacher effectiveness framework for Australia. This examination was achieved through a synthesis of controlled research, grey literature and policy, which were summarised in an evaluation crosswalk across several measurement dimensions.

Results indicated that teacher evaluation systems vary from sophisticated national systems to localised, informal approaches. Major features of effective systems include a well-developed evaluation framework, multiple, evidence -based dimensions collected by multiple methods and tools and implemented by well-trained evaluators.

This forum will explore these results and generate debate and discussion. Professor Janet Clinton, iTEERH Director and Georgia Dawson, iTEERH Research Fellow, will present the review results in detail. Further commentary and insight will be provided by Lisa Rodgers, AITSL CEO and Renae Houston, Acting Group Manager, Improving Student Outcomes Group at the Australian Government Department of Education and Training.

This Hub forum is being presented in partnership with the Australian Government Department of Education and Training and AITSL.

Presenters

Professor Janet Clinton is both the Director of the International Teacher Education Effectiveness Research Hub and the Centre for Program Evaluation at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. Janet has wide national and international experience as an evaluator, psychologist, and educator, and has an extensive publications record. She has led over 85 national and international evaluation projects.

Georgia Dawson is a Research Fellow and Executive Director of the International Teacher Education Effectiveness Research Hub, located in the Centre for Program Evaluation. Georgia oversees a range of projects and research initiatives related to education and teacher effectiveness. She has also been extensively involved in the development and validation of scales and assessments for TCAT, a comprehensive selection process for candidates applying to ITE programs. Georgia has experience in the education sector including assessment of learning problems, educational interventions and counseling. Georgia has extensive skills in quantitative data analysis and research methods and design. She is currently completing her PhD in Educational Psychology, investigating the utility of mindfulness in improving learning outcomes.

Lisa Rodgers is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). Prior to this, Lisa worked for the New Zealand Ministry of Education holding several positions including Deputy Secretary, Early Learning and Student Achievement and Deputy Secretary Evidence, Data and Knowledge. Lisa has held several other significant posts at the Ministry and has a strong public sector background in strategic policy, research and insights analysis with the Ministry of Justice, the University of Wales and the British Army.

Renae Houston is the A/g Group Manager, Improving Student Outcomes Group, Department of Education and Training. Renae has primary responsibility for providing policy advice and implementation of the Australian Government’s national policies in relation to teaching and school leadership with a particular emphasis on initial teacher education, pathways into teaching, quality teaching, school autonomy and effective school leadership. This includes overseeing the Government response to the recommendations of the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group (TEMAG), managing the contractual and governance arrangements of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), establishing the literacy and numeracy assessment for initial teacher education students and managing the Independent Public Schools initiative.

Anthony Mackay AM is the forum discussant and is CEO of the Centre for Strategic Education. He is Chair of the Australian Council for Educational Research, Deputy Chancellor Swinburne University, Melbourne, Chair of the International Advisory Board for the National Institute for School Leadership, Washington DC, and Deputy Chair of New Zealand’s Education Council. He is an expert consultant to OECD and consultant advisor to Asia Society’s Global Cities Education Network, Co-Chair Global Education Leaders Partnership, Board Director of the Innovation Unit UK, the Foundation for Young Australians & Teach For Australia and Senior Fellow , Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne. Anthony is moderator of the annual International Summit on the Teaching Profession, the Global Education Industry Summit and debates at the World Innovation Summit for Education. He was Inaugural Chair of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership and the Inaugural Deputy Chair of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.