tag:theconversation.com,2011:/nz/topics/teacher-morale-21234/articlesTeacher morale – The Conversation2023-04-24T16:14:00Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2026562023-04-24T16:14:00Z2023-04-24T16:14:00ZKeeping a diary can improve teachers’ wellbeing – here are some ways it can work for all of us<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522594/original/file-20230424-28-v5pjzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C5742%2C3828&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/close-partial-portrait-black-female-author-1114940525">mimagephotography/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Teachers in England are struggling. A recently released <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-lives-of-teachers-and-leaders-wave-1">government report</a> on the working lives of teachers found that teachers’ wellbeing levels are lower than the general population. More than half of the 11,177 teachers and school leaders surveyed said that their job was negatively affecting their mental health.</p>
<p>Teacher wellbeing should be addressed at a structural level. If the government wants teachers to enter the profession, and continue in it, then changes around pay, working conditions and support for teachers’ mental and physical health need to happen. </p>
<p>In the present moment, though, there are also steps teachers can take for themselves to prioritise their wellbeing. <a href="https://www.johncattbookshop.com/products/reimagining-the-diary-reflective-practice-as-a-positive-tool-for-educator-wellbeing?_pos=1&_psq=reima&_ss=e&_v=1.0">My research</a> focuses on how keeping a diary can be useful to teachers. It can give them a safe place to define what wellbeing means for themselves and to explore what it means in practice. What’s more, there’s no reason why this practice couldn’t be helpful for others, too.</p>
<h2>Daily diary-keeping</h2>
<p>I began <a href="https://brigstowinstitute.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/project/reimagining-the-diary-writing-and-well-being-for-busy-people/">this research project</a> in 2018 and have worked with around 450 teachers.</p>
<p>I, and colleagues, asked teachers to use our diary toolkit on a daily basis for a set period of time. Depending on the phase of the project, this could be for three months, six months or a full academic year. The toolkit we gave them expands the diary beyond writing and consists of a range of creative activities – from scrapbooking and storyboarding to audio recording and gratitude lists.</p>
<p>We didn’t ask the teachers to share their diary entries with us. Instead, we explored the impact keeping a diary had on their wellbeing by asking them to take monthly, online wellbeing check-ins, as well as carrying out focus group sessions and online surveys.</p>
<p>We found that keeping a diary <a href="https://www.johncattbookshop.com/products/reimagining-the-diary-reflective-practice-as-a-positive-tool-for-educator-wellbeing?_pos=1&_psq=reima&_ss=e&_v=1.0">consistently improves</a> teachers’ levels of wellbeing. In the first six phases of the project, 70% of our participants said using the diary toolkit improved their wellbeing – and this figure rose to 74% during COVID-19 lockdowns.</p>
<p>Although keeping a diary could be seen as another job on teachers’ endless to do lists, it can actually save them time in the long run. It can help provide clarity over what’s important and what isn’t. <a href="https://www.johncattbookshop.com/products/reimagining-the-diary-reflective-practice-as-a-positive-tool-for-educator-wellbeing?_pos=1&_psq=reima&_ss=e&_v=1.0">One teacher said</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I believe that diary writing is a good thing because it helps us to
process our thoughts and see ourselves from a different perspective.
I also think that diary writing helps us to understand what is
important to us. It allows us to spot patterns in our daily struggles
and focus on creating solutions. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>If teachers can find out what wellbeing means to them, individually, in the pages of a diary, then they can use it to navigate their personal and professional lives. It’s a chance for teachers to get perspective on what’s working for them, as well as what isn’t. Teachers can then use this insight to make changes in their own lives, which could affect what they do inside and outside of school. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Man with glasses writing in notebook" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522596/original/file-20230424-26-hvt8rq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522596/original/file-20230424-26-hvt8rq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522596/original/file-20230424-26-hvt8rq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522596/original/file-20230424-26-hvt8rq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522596/original/file-20230424-26-hvt8rq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522596/original/file-20230424-26-hvt8rq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522596/original/file-20230424-26-hvt8rq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Diary-keeping can help provide perspective.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/concentrated-serious-hispanic-man-eyeglasses-thinking-1680215110">GaudiLab/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Over the years our participants have shared that the diary gives them a place to get to know themselves at a deeper level and to recognise the importance of prioritising their own wellbeing. One said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Reflection can help give perspective and help you understand your own thoughts better. It really helped me switch off from issues I was obsessing over outside of work, when it’s really important for you to be switching off so you are better prepared to face the next day. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14623943.2021.1973986">research also shows</a> that a diary doesn’t just have to be about writing. Expanding diary-keeping beyond writing to creative exercises such as drawing can help boost wellbeing, and lets us be playful and creative along the way.</p>
<p>Even if you are not a teacher, you may find this style of diary-keeping useful. Here are a couple of quick and easy activities, taken from my research, to help you start – or continue – your diary-keeping journey. </p>
<h2>1. Define your wellbeing</h2>
<p>Write out, in your own words, what wellbeing means for you. It might be helpful to think back to a time when you felt particularly happy or content and consider what, specifically, made you feel this way. You might have been connecting with others, or feeling at peace in nature. Defining wellbeing on our own terms is helpful, because we then have something concrete to work with that is unique to us and our circumstances.</p>
<h2>2. Write (or draw) a wellbeing recipe</h2>
<p>If wellbeing was a cake, what are the key ingredients that make up your wellbeing on a daily basis? Think of each ingredient as a particular activity or strategy. For example, one of the ingredients might be time with family and friends. </p>
<p>Draw or list the ingredients in your wellbeing cake so that you have it as a visual reminder to use on a daily basis. These ingredients don’t need to be expensive or take much time. One could be as simple as drinking enough water throughout the day to keep hydrated and feel alert. Using some of your ingredients daily will help you prioritise yourself and your own needs. </p>
<h2>3. Understand how you rest</h2>
<p>Figure out what rest means to you. Rest can be active so, for example, reading or exercise can be included as rest because you’re using your brain in a different way.</p>
<p>Try drawing a rainbow, in which each colour represents an activity you use to rest. Having this visual reminder means that you don’t see your home as an extension of your workplace. Instead of wondering what to do when you get home – which could lead to you reopening your laptop, or dwelling on an issue at work – you have a range of activities to help you move away from work and rest and recharge. This helps to reclaim time away from the workplace as yours.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202656/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lucy Kelly does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Keeping a diary can provide insight into both professional and private lives.Lucy Kelly, Associate Professor in Education, University of BristolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2032902023-04-18T10:51:34Z2023-04-18T10:51:34ZOfsted inspections cause teachers stress and aren’t backed up by strong evidence – things could be done differently<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519640/original/file-20230405-22-7gsw5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C18%2C6193%2C4104&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-tired-female-professor-having-headache-1950069691">Tijana Simic/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The school inspectorate in England, Ofsted, has faced criticism recently following the death of headteacher Ruth Perry. According to her family, Perry’s death was a “direct result” of the pressure resulting from the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/mar/21/ruth-perry-ofsted-regime-fatally-flawed-says-family-of-headteacher-who-killed-herself#:%7E:text=Pressure%20is%20mounting%20on%20Ofsted,%E2%80%9D%20and%20%E2%80%9Cfatally%20flawed%E2%80%9D.">Ofsted inspection process</a> which resulted in her school being judged as “inadequate”. </p>
<p>This has sparked debate about whether the current Ofsted framework should be changed. Ofsted chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, <a href="https://schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-rejects-calls-to-halt-inspections-after-week-of-turmoil/">rejected calls</a> to halt inspections. But the Ofsted inspection system does not have to work in the way it currently does. There isn’t strong evidence to back up the Ofsted model – and our research shows that there are alternative systems. </p>
<p>The current schools’ watchdog Ofsted was created in 1992. Since then, Ofsted has undergone changes to its framework, but a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03054985.2014.911726">key mechanism</a> Ofsted has consistently used to raise standards is that of punishment and reward. </p>
<p>As part of this system, school inspection grades are awarded and made public and inspection reports are made public. Sanctions can be recommended that could lead to school closures. As part of the accountability system, league tables of examination results are made public in England. </p>
<p>This can be stressful for teachers and senior managers. The aim is a marketised system, in which parents choose to send their children to the good schools and avoid the bad schools. This is intended to lead to good schools thriving and bad ones dwindling.</p>
<h2>Other options</h2>
<p>We took part in a <a href="https://easy.dans.knaw.nl/ui/datasets/id/easy-dataset:58260/tab/1;jsessionid=FA503B54CAE43294DD04405B90FC8420">cross-European study</a> which ran between 2011 and 2014 and looked at how school inspections were carried out in this period in the Netherlands, Sweden, England, Ireland, Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland.</p>
<p>Results from <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09243453.2014.927369">this study</a> showed that inspectorates in Ireland, Austria and Switzerland did not make use of sanctions as a mechanism to improve standards. </p>
<p>Inspectorates in Sweden, Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland did not make inspection reports public. The systems in Sweden, Austria, Ireland and much of Switzerland did not publish outcomes of examination results, and these countries did not have thresholds for judging schools as failing or not. In contrast, England uses every one of these characteristics.</p>
<p>While this research concluded some time ago, Ofsted remains a particularly pressurised inspection system, and other countries continue to do things differently.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Pupils sitting an exam" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519650/original/file-20230405-14-avl1ax.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519650/original/file-20230405-14-avl1ax.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519650/original/file-20230405-14-avl1ax.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519650/original/file-20230405-14-avl1ax.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519650/original/file-20230405-14-avl1ax.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519650/original/file-20230405-14-avl1ax.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519650/original/file-20230405-14-avl1ax.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Examination results are made public in England.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/teachers-supervising-middle-school-students-taking-1873346491">Juice Flair/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To consider another example, Finland is widely considered to have one of the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/09/10-reasons-why-finlands-education-system-is-the-best-in-the-world">best education systems</a> in the world and has <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314106826_How_Do_Finns_Know_Educational_Monitoring_without_Inspection_and_Standard_Setting">no inspection system</a> and <a href="https://www.educationcorner.com/finland-education-system/">no league tables</a>. </p>
<p>What’s more, there isn’t clear evidence that Ofsted raises standards in terms of educational achievement. The <a href="https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/ofsteds-inspection-of-schools/">National Audit Office</a> has questioned whether Ofsted can provide value for money until it has more evidence on its impact.</p>
<p>Research carried out since the 1990s has attempted to measure the impact of Ofsted on GCSE attainment using varying levels of sophistication. Findings are <a href="https://dro.dur.ac.uk/12184/">mixed and inconclusive</a>. Some show positive impacts, while a number have found Ofsted had a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272775703000815">negative effect</a> on GCSE results following inspection. </p>
<p>In fact, it’s not clear that systems, such as Ofsted, which are intended to improve educational standards have any significant benefit. A <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03054985.2020.1781608">research study</a> published in 2020 looked at student test scores to assess the impact of educational reforms on student achievement. The study argues that educational standards in affluent countries such as England are actually stable over time – and not affected significantly by improvement strategies or reforms. </p>
<h2>Side effects</h2>
<p>Even if there was clear evidence on the impact of highly pressurised systems in raising standards, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03054985.2017.1352499?journalCode=core20">our research</a> showed pressurised school inspections can lead to unintended side effects. These include a narrowing of the curriculum to focus on what the inspection system considers important, and an increase in “teaching to the test” strategies. </p>
<p>England continues to face a crisis in teacher <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/feb/24/labour-says-government-has-created-perfect-storm-in-englands-teaching-workforce">recruitment and retention</a>, while many teachers <a href="https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/ofsted-made-quit-teachers-pressure-inspections-2217967">have spoken</a> of leaving the profession as a result of the pressure created by Ofsted inspections. </p>
<p>We should question whether these pressurised inspection mechanisms should be used without first thoroughly investigating their impact on the wellbeing of teachers and school managers. </p>
<p>There is no reason why Ofsted could not change the high-stakes nature of inspections – in particular elements such as the delivery of inspection grades. Inspections could still go ahead, including in areas such as safeguarding, just without the pressurised aspects that may cause more harm than good.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203290/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karen Jones receives funding from the European Commission (Lifelong Learning). She is affiliated with the University and Colleges Union (UCU). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span><a href="mailto:joe.ohara@dcu.ie">joe.ohara@dcu.ie</a> receives funding from EU Erasmus + Programme . </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Martin Brown does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Research found that inspectorates in Sweden, Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland did not make inspection reports public.Karen Jones, Assistant Professor in the School of Education, Durham UniversityJoe O'Hara, Professor of Education, Dublin City UniversityMartin Brown, Head of School of Policy and Practice, Co-Director: EQI The Centre for Evaluation Quality and Inspection, DCU Institute of Education, Ireland, Dublin City UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1881842022-08-08T12:21:33Z2022-08-08T12:21:33ZThe most recent efforts to combat teacher shortages don’t address the real problems<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477473/original/file-20220803-21-syg3j6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C0%2C5973%2C3997&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Teachers face a range of challenges, but hiring more teachers won't fix them.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/VirusOutbreakCalifornia/9e1c06a48efb4871b626326500ba287d/photo">AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>States have recently focused their efforts to reduce <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/08/03/school-teacher-shortage/">the nation’s teacher shortage</a> by promoting strategies that “<a href="https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/states-relax-teacher-certification-rules-to-combat-shortages/2022/06">remove or relax barriers to entry</a>” to quickly bring new people into the teaching profession. </p>
<p><a href="https://edsource.org/2021/california-commission-continues-to-ease-testing-requirements-for-teachers/664620">California</a>, for example, allows teacher candidates to skip basic skills and subject matter tests if they have taken approved college courses. <a href="https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/education/new-mexico-lawmakers-seek-clearer-details-on-type-of-teacher-vacancies/article_dedd2a0e-0dc3-11ed-9948-afd9903735fd.html">New Mexico</a> is replacing subject skills tests with a portfolio to demonstrate teaching competency. </p>
<p>Similarly, <a href="https://www.kxii.com/2022/05/07/oklahoma-removes-requirement-pass-general-education-portion-competency-exam-future-teachers/">Oklahoma</a> eliminated the Oklahoma General Education Test as a certification requirement. <a href="https://www.khou.com/article/news/education/missouri-education-department-loosens-restrictions-teacher-certifications/63-c5bead98-ec0c-4b7a-9e0d-a731f515863c">Missouri</a> no longer looks at a prospective teacher’s overall grades – just the ones earned in select courses required to become a teacher. <a href="https://www.al.com/educationlab/2022/07/alabama-approves-immediate-changes-to-teacher-certification-praxis.html">Alabama</a> has moved to allow some who score below the cutoff scores on teacher certification exams to still get a teacher’s license, and Arizona’s education requirements for teachers now allow <a href="https://www.fox13now.com/arizona-teachers-no-longer-need-college-degree">people without a college degree</a> to begin teaching – so long as they are currently enrolled in college.</p>
<p>All of these efforts focus on <a href="https://www.ed.gov/coronavirus/factsheets/teacher-shortage">recruiting new teachers</a>, mostly by <a href="https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/states-relax-teacher-certification-rules-to-combat-shortages/2022/06">lowering requirements to make it easier</a> for people to become certified to teach in public schools.</p>
<p>But these approaches do not address the actual causes of the <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-illinois-teacher-shortage-salary-woes-20220430-vc4g5xtbkrgfbh6tehowohtqqm-story.html">nationwide teacher shortage</a>. As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=VziSjl8AAAAJ">we</a> found doing research for our book “<a href="https://www.infoagepub.com/products/How-Did-We-Get-Here">How Did We Get Here?: The Decay of the Teaching Profession</a>,” college students who are interested in becoming teachers and current teachers agree: The root cause of the problem is a longstanding overall lack of respect for teachers and their craft, which is reflected by decades of <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/teacher-pay-penalty-dips-but-persists-in-2019-public-school-teachers-earn-about-20-less-in-weekly-wages-than-nonteacher-college-graduates/">low pay</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-education-reforms-can-support-teachers-around-the-world-instead-of-undermining-them-166528">hyperscrutiny</a> and <a href="https://www.apa.org/education-career/k12/violence-educators-technical-report.pdf">poor working conditions</a>. </p>
<h2>Disrespect to the profession is driving teachers away</h2>
<p>Even before COVID-19 hit, teachers were <a href="https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/A_Coming_Crisis_in_Teaching_REPORT.pdf">leaving the profession at an increasing rate</a>. In the late 1980s, annual teacher turnover was 5.6%, but it has grown to around 8% over the past decade. </p>
<p>The stress of <a href="https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2022/07/26/teachers-mental-health-crisis-pay-covid-pandemic-burnout/">teaching through a pandemic</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/teacher-burnout-hits-record-high-5-essential-reads-185550">has been speculated to drive away even more teachers</a>. About 1 in 6 teachers expressed that they would <a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1108-1.html">likely leave their job</a> pre-pandemic, but this increased to 1 in 4 by the 2020-21 school year. While teachers continue to leave classrooms, <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/the-teacher-shortage-is-real-large-and-growing-and-worse-than-we-thought-the-first-report-in-the-perfect-storm-in-the-teacher-labor-market-series/">fewer people are signing up</a> to replace them. </p>
<p>In fact, <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/the-teacher-shortage-is-real-large-and-growing-and-worse-than-we-thought-the-first-report-in-the-perfect-storm-in-the-teacher-labor-market-series/">the number of incoming teachers declined</a> from 275,000 in 2010 to under 200,000 in 2020 and is projected to be under 120,000 by 2025. And even those staying on the job are so unhappy, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/25/teachers-strikes-us-low-pay-covid">many have been striking</a>.</p>
<p>We found that the reasons teachers are leaving primarily revolve around the disrespect they and the profession consistently face. For example, teachers <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/teacher-pay-penalty-dips-but-persists-in-2019-public-school-teachers-earn-about-20-less-in-weekly-wages-than-nonteacher-college-graduates/">earn about 20% less</a> than similarly educated professionals.</p>
<p>They also faced an <a href="https://theconversation.com/teacher-burnout-hits-record-high-5-essential-reads-185550">escalating workload</a>, even before the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-022-09533-2">pandemic placed additional demands</a> on their time, energy and mental health.</p>
<p>In addition, teachers have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-education-reforms-can-support-teachers-around-the-world-instead-of-undermining-them-166528">experiencing diminishing control</a> over what and how they teach. They are also regularly exposed to a continued tide of <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/teacher-begs-parents-discipline-disrespectful-kids-viral-video-1701487">disrespectful student behavior</a> and parental hostility, as highlighted by a <a href="https://www.apa.org/education-career/k12/violence-educators-technical-report.pdf">survey of 15,000 educators</a> that revealed a growing trend of students verbally and physically harassing teachers, as well as parents engaging in online harassment and retaliatory behaviors for teachers simply doing their jobs.</p>
<p>This overall lack of respect drives turnover from existing teachers and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-07-2018-0129">discourages potential teachers</a> from considering the profession.</p>
<p>One college student told us, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-07-2018-0129">I looked into teaching as a career pretty strongly</a> … and every person I talked to, be it a grade school teacher or college professor, told me the same thing – that it was a lot of work, it was an unstable work environment, and the pay was very poor for the amount of work that you put in.” Unsurprisingly, she chose another career path.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477475/original/file-20220803-24-k2avdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man in camouflage stands in a classroom and hands a piece of paper to a student" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477475/original/file-20220803-24-k2avdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477475/original/file-20220803-24-k2avdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477475/original/file-20220803-24-k2avdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477475/original/file-20220803-24-k2avdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477475/original/file-20220803-24-k2avdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477475/original/file-20220803-24-k2avdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477475/original/file-20220803-24-k2avdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In early 2022, New Mexico’s teacher shortage got so bad that the governor called in the National Guard to serve as substitutes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/VirusOutbreakSoldiersasTeachers/dad689df567f4a77874497b3506f0963/photo">AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The wrong solutions for the problem</h2>
<p>A growing number of states have eliminated or have proposed to remove <a href="https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/states-relax-teacher-certification-rules-to-combat-shortages/2022/06">basic skills and subject matter exam requirements</a> for teacher certification. Those prerequisites have long served as <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/10090/chapter/2">quality control checks</a> for prospective teachers. While they do not guarantee effective teaching, they do serve as a minimum qualification threshold.</p>
<p>We believe efforts to loosen requirements for new teachers will bring more disrespect to the profession. History also suggests that they will make it so that schools that serve mostly students of color will have <a href="https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/crdc-teacher-access-report">even fewer certified and experienced teachers</a> than they already do.</p>
<p>But more directly, these efforts to boost teacher recruitment don’t address the reasons teachers are leaving the profession in the first place, which drive <a href="https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/blog/teacher-shortages-take-center-stage">90% of the demand for new teachers</a>.</p>
<p>Lowering the standards to allow more people to enter the teaching profession may, for a short period, boost the number of people available to stand in front of classrooms. But that approach does not make teaching an attractive profession to consider, nor worthwhile for someone to stay and thrive in. Solving the teacher shortage problem requires solutions that reduce the numbers of teachers leaving the field and specifically address the lack of respect, low pay, hyperscrutiny and poor working conditions that they regularly endure.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188184/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Looser requirements for teacher certification don’t fix teachers’ problems, which are low pay, high workload and lack of respect.Henry Tran, Associate Professor of Education Leadership, University of South CarolinaDouglas A. Smith, Associate Professor of Education, Iowa State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1668712021-09-16T12:21:06Z2021-09-16T12:21:06ZPandemic prompts more teachers to consider early retirement or new career<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/421438/original/file-20210915-26-buh1md.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=24%2C0%2C8004%2C4911&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Teachers have faced high levels of stress and burnout throughout the pandemic.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/preschool-teacher-students-in-class-wearing-masks-royalty-free-image/1294218659">Kali9/E+ Collection via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em></p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic reduced teachers’ commitment to remain in the classroom, <a href="https://scholarworks.uark.edu/edrepub/127">our study</a> on teacher turnover found.</p>
<p>When schools resumed classes in the fall of 2020, teachers faced a host of new challenges. These included things such as adapting to combinations of in-person, hybrid and remote learning models and managing health concerns during the pandemic. As a result, teachers experienced even <a href="https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA1121-2">higher levels of stress and burnout</a> than before the pandemic. This in turn has raised concerns about a potential exodus of teachers as well as <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-us-education-secretary-nominee-miguel-cardona-can-stop-the-teacher-shortage-153129">teacher shortages</a>.</p>
<p>Our study uses new survey data from the nationally representative <a href="https://www.rand.org/education-and-labor/projects/aep/about.html">Rand American Teacher Panel</a>. In March 2021, over 1,000 teachers answered questions about their jobs, job preferences, teaching mode (in-person, online, hybrid), how often they switched teaching modes, their colleagues and COVID-19 risks during the 2020-21 school year.</p>
<p>To assess how teacher attitudes might have changed during the pandemic, we compared <a href="https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA168-7">this data</a> with responses to a pre-pandemic survey of almost 5,500 teachers in early 2020.</p>
<p>We found that during the pandemic, teachers became less certain that they would work in the classroom until retirement. In March 2020, <a href="https://scholarworks.uark.edu/edrepub/127">74% of teachers</a> said they expected to work as a teacher until retirement, but the figure <a href="https://scholarworks.uark.edu/edrepub/127">fell to 69%</a> in March 2021. The proportion of teachers answering “I don’t know” to this question increased by a similar amount, rising from 16% to 22%.</p>
<p>In addition, teachers reported that their chances of leaving their current state of residence or the profession within the next five years rose from 24% to 30%, on average.</p>
<p>More than 40% of the teachers surveyed said they considered leaving or retiring, and over half of those said it was because of the pandemic. We found that approaching retirement age – that is, being over 55 years old – having to change instruction modes during the year and health concerns were important predictors of whether teachers had considered leaving or retiring.</p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Teacher turnover often negatively affects <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2016.08.004">students’ academic success</a>. Teacher shortages could also <a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/analysis-covid-19-raised-fears-of-teacher-shortages-but-the-situation-varies-from-state-to-state-school-to-school-subject-to-subject/">disrupt subjects or geographic areas</a> that already have staffing challenges. </p>
<p>These include math, science and special education, and schools in rural areas and ones that serve low-income families. Even if teachers remain in the profession, declining job satisfaction could affect teacher quality and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2020.101714">hinder students’ academic progress</a>. </p>
<p>Understanding what leads teachers to leave the job can help administrators and others find ways to better support them during these challenging times.</p>
<p>Our results expose three areas where teachers need support.</p>
<p>First, teachers approaching retirement age reported the highest likelihood of having considered leaving or retiring because of COVID-19. This would be problematic if schools begin to lose their more experienced teachers at a higher rate than normal.</p>
<p>Second, when teachers had to change instructional modes, it made them more likely to consider leaving or retiring. This indicates that having to change modes is a factor in teacher dissatisfaction.</p>
<p>And finally, teachers with higher COVID-19-related health concerns were more likely to consider leaving. So, effectively addressing health concerns could help improve teachers’ job satisfaction.</p>
<h2>What still isn’t known</h2>
<p>As the pandemic continues and the delta variant presents new challenges, it is still an open question whether the added stress will push more teachers out. The availability of COVID-19 vaccines and <a href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/2021/8/23/22638625/covid-delta-schools-masks-vaccines-mandates-quarantine">increasing use of mask mandates</a> by school districts might address some of the health concerns that teachers expressed. However, some teachers might disagree with <a href="https://theconversation.com/whos-covered-by-a-vaccine-mandate-heres-a-quick-guide-to-americas-patchwork-of-covid-19-shot-requirements-167765">COVID-19 vaccine mandates</a> or could be tempted to leave by additional outside employment opportunities as the economy recovers.</p>
<p>In the meantime, addressing health concerns while trying to minimize school disruptions and changes in teaching mode could help increase satisfaction and keep teachers on the job.</p>
<p>[<em>Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/weekly-highlights-61?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=weeklybest">Sign up for our weekly newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166871/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research was funded by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation and a gift from the Equable Institute.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research is funded by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation and a gift from the Equable Institute.</span></em></p>Health concerns, being older than 55 and having to switch to online or hybrid lessons were all factors that made some teachers want to quit or retire.Gema Zamarro, Professor of Education and 21st Century Endowed Chair in Teacher Quality, University of ArkansasAndrew Camp, Distinguished Doctoral Fellow, University of ArkansasDillon Fuchsman, Postdoctoral Economics Fellow, Saint Louis UniversityJosh McGee, Associate Director of the Office for Education Policy, University of ArkansasLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1626102021-08-19T19:49:42Z2021-08-19T19:49:42Z8 out of 10 teachers think education news is negative and demoralising. Some have even left because of it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416896/original/file-20210819-25-1h74hdw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/upset-confused-african-woman-holding-cellphone-1361068583">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For many teachers, news coverage of education seems to be unrelentingly negative. They say this is particularly noticeable in reporting of results of standardised tests such as NAPLAN and the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which seems to place most of the blame for perceived problems on them.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1201975917813223424"}"></div></p>
<p>Australian students have reportedly been <a href="https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/education/pisa-envy-matters-here-are-four-ways-to-improve-student-results-20210331-p57fkn">falling behind many other countries</a> in literacy and numeracy in the PISA tests, for years. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/pisa-results-dont-look-good-but-before-we-panic-lets-look-at-what-we-can-learn-from-the-latest-test-69470">results are nuanced</a>, but the reporting often isn’t. For instance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/pisa-results-dont-look-good-but-before-we-panic-lets-look-at-what-we-can-learn-from-the-latest-test-69470">Australia’s score in science</a> in PISA 2015 was 510, significantly above the OECD average of 493. But the reports tend to focus on areas where we have fallen behind than other countries, rather than where Australia may have done well.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/pisa-results-dont-look-good-but-before-we-panic-lets-look-at-what-we-can-learn-from-the-latest-test-69470">PISA results don’t look good, but before we panic let’s look at what we can learn from the latest test</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>There is <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/alarm-bells-australian-students-falling-behind-in-maths-science-and-reading-20191203-p53gho.html">constant anxiety</a> our education system is going downhill and needs urgent improvement.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1201814497205186562"}"></div></p>
<p>In <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1464884917743827">my interviews with Australian schoolteachers</a>, most of the participants accepted standardised testing was necessary. But they opposed the results of NAPLAN testing being released due to the inevitable comparisons of student progress and schools in the related news coverage.</p>
<p>A growing body of research from <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00131911.2021.1907317">Australia</a> and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2332858417751694">overseas</a> suggests teachers’ perceptions about education news are justified. Education news focuses on student discipline, <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/minister-says-quality-teaching-not-more-school-funding-key-to-better-results-20210426-p57mfl.html">teacher quality</a>, comparisons of testing results and standards. All these subjects tend to be framed negatively.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1285073196622864385"}"></div></p>
<p>While individual success stories of students, teachers or schools are celebrated, they are usually portrayed as the exception.</p>
<h2>What teachers say</h2>
<p>In my 2017 study, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1464884917743827">I interviewed 25 teachers</a> from around Australia about their perceptions of news reporting of education — 88% of participants considered it to be predominantly negative.</p>
<p>A teacher from a Queensland public school acknowledged that from “time to time” good news stories about schools did appear but said most the coverage was</p>
<blockquote>
<p>shock, horror, look at all these dreadful things that are happening in the school system. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>The mostly negative portrayal presented in major metropolitan news outlets was unfair and inaccurate, according to the teachers, and the positive elements tended to be overlooked.</p>
<p>One used the reporting of testing results as an example:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>When the NAPLAN data was published our federal minister had quite a lot of material published about how we were slipping down the league tables, but when our 15 year-olds were rated the fifth top all rounders [in the PISA tests] […] that barely got a squeak.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1202313463919341568"}"></div></p>
<p>Several participants referred to the prevalence of news coverage that portrayed teachers as low achievers. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>We continually hear about low entrance scores to get into teaching. We continually hear about teacher under-performance.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Some of those interviewed believed teachers were treated differently to other professionals in news coverage, and were subjected to greater scrutiny and pressure. “What I do each day is questioned at every level,” one teacher said. </p>
<p>A particular frustration related to news coverage that did not capture the true nature of contemporary teaching. A principal argued there was “an absolute failure” on the part of the news media to recognise the complexity of teachers’ work. She said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Teachers are not going to school, they are going to work and it’s highly complex and highly technological.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Other <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/aeipt.192850?casa_token=gaB624TTPpcAAAAA%3AzPZvYO__d-wsqd3iYA3ZtXeQUyMvZvHoBZW4afnQWJd36xBiPiDnPkgnWRATicO3-e5Nfxt4HhF09g">Australian research</a> has found some teachers have named misleading and negative reporting of education as a factor in their decision to quit teaching.</p>
<h2>Parents feel the same way</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/2/2/11">Our new research</a> has found some Australian parents share teachers’ views. Of the survey group of 268 teachers and 206 parents, 85% of teachers and 74% of parents considered news coverage of the Australian education system to be generally negative.</p>
<p>Half of the parents surveyed reported feeling demoralised by such reporting. For teachers, that figure increased to 81%.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/pisa-doesnt-define-education-quality-and-knee-jerk-policy-proposals-wont-fix-whatever-is-broken-128389">PISA doesn't define education quality, and knee-jerk policy proposals won't fix whatever is broken</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Significantly, we also found positive news can be inspiring. Around 64% of both teachers and parents reported they feel inspired “quite a bit” or “a lot” when they encounter a positive news story about teachers, schools or the education system.</p>
<p>All of this points to a need for <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1326365X18805330">more balanced, contextualised and fair news coverage</a> of schools and teachers. </p>
<p>While it is not the role of reporters to appease teachers, the evidence about the predominantly negative nature of education news and teachers’ concerns about superficial and inaccurate coverage should be taken into account. And it can just be a matter of shifting the angle.</p>
<h2>Readers turned off by negative news</h2>
<p>There are also sound commercial reasons for rethinking the approach to reporting education. In covering education, news editors are aiming to appeal to the high numbers of parents among their audiences. </p>
<p>Our research suggests parents are interested in education news. But they may be less likely to engage the more negative it is. We know from <a href="https://www.digitalnewsreport.org/survey/2020/">other research</a> that the most common reason people avoid news is because it has a negative impact on mood. </p>
<p>So, if editors want to attract readers with education news, coverage that includes more positive elements could achieve more success.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162610/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kathryn Shine does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A survey of 268 teachers found 85% considered education news coverage to be generally negative. And 81% found it demoralising.Kathryn Shine, Journalism Discipline Lead, Curtin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/631772016-10-05T14:15:47Z2016-10-05T14:15:47ZWant great teachers? There’s no one-size-fits-all solution<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140351/original/image-20161004-30459-q01jky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What is teacher quality?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremywilburn/5428589423/in/photolist-9gGWvn-96MMau-Efunvv-5iDrbq-9FaqhG-7E8u9u-mYp9yX-ehQ5wy-e9JABd-fdkjRB-nfbus8-oo5zUt-ddVJ2M-d2myGu-qruMtV-duS9qC-FCLa4t-i2mzDe-5KTPV9-iodDyD-9qfUsc-4U2Kjd-5vgyTv-5JEedG-8sPJGT-c7GYYS-61AczZ-9qmLuW-cJd6N-7kfJGJ-5KTQrQ-GNnV2-9qiHdX-9qk9tT-5UvAaN-7kfJmW-pXf4NX-66PVgA-bdUL6e-apqLkd-dWKuSR-9qjLqt-8vX4ss-9qkhrv-fsAEq-gnsvcy-nLkST7-9qnnMm-39dCV-dLVbWj">Jeremy Wilburn</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Most of us know the difference a good teacher makes in the life of a child. Many global institutions working to improve access to education, such as the <a href="http://www.uis.unesco.org/Library/Documents/teachers06-en.pdf">United Nations</a>, the <a href="http://www.oecd.org/edu/school/48627229.pdf">Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development</a> and <a href="https://www.ei-ie.org/en/websections/content_detail/6212">Education International</a> agree that “teacher quality” is the critical element in whether or not an educational system succeeds. </p>
<p>The United Nations has even <a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47034#.V_I2ZJN96qA">called for</a> </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“allocating the best teachers to the most challenging parts of a country; and providing teachers with the right mix of government incentives to remain in the profession and ensure all children are learning, regardless of their circumstances.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It is clear we need good teachers, but just what makes for “teacher quality”? And can quality be systematically improved by public policy? </p>
<p>For 30 years I have been studying cultural expectations for what makes a good teacher, beginning with field work in a Tibetan refugee school and an ethnographic study of <a href="http://yalebooks.com/book/9780300084382/learning-be-adolescent">Japanese and American public schools</a> conducted some years later. More recently, my colleague <a href="http://coe.lehigh.edu/faculty/awiseman">Alex Wiseman</a> and I have been working on what researchers from around the world <a href="http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/book/10.1108/S1479-3679201527">consider to be “teacher quality.”</a> </p>
<p>The consensus is that teacher quality entails much more than just the way teachers deliver lessons in the classroom. Teacher quality is strongly affected by a teacher’s working conditions. Teachers working long hours, with low pay, in crowded schools cannot give each individual student the attention they need.</p>
<p>Simply raising the requirements for teacher certification, based on what has worked in some high-performing countries, is not effective. An <a href="http://store.tcpress.com/0807749885.shtml">effective policy requires</a> changes at the level of teacher recruitment, teacher education and long-term support for professional development.</p>
<h2>Quality is more than certification</h2>
<p>Around the world, more than a dozen nations have recently engaged in efforts <a href="http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/book/10.1108/S1479-3679(2013)19">to rapidly reform</a> their teacher education and certification systems. The United States, along with nations as diverse as France, India, Japan and Mexico, has sought to improve its educational system by reforming teacher certification or teacher education.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140352/original/image-20161004-20230-1gay4h2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140352/original/image-20161004-20230-1gay4h2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140352/original/image-20161004-20230-1gay4h2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140352/original/image-20161004-20230-1gay4h2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140352/original/image-20161004-20230-1gay4h2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140352/original/image-20161004-20230-1gay4h2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140352/original/image-20161004-20230-1gay4h2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Borrowing from other models is not effective.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/worldbank/2760560588/in/photolist-5cWAud-fCTNDF-cz6BD3-cdzUd5-3itE3u-9qiNQK-639rw-oRaNA8-Yym25-4zjnt1-4EFgr9-gf7ht-qB5chG-kfqWCX-6Kvv7z-kfsBa5-4FsLJw-o1VnZF-nnx9KQ-arEDkg-a7tAAT-7mVAQY-4m6rjd-dwT1z2-nRTp2J-5vzyee-p3fyUd-zrxXC-aNtArP-c2XYoC-oMBSYP-dLrhCw-cZnEEq-6erhQc-c2Y26d-c9BzhN-dgeyLL-C1N8fb-c2XZJu-cbHPQW-6Fxvvi-pXsrwX-5iJcp1-bUmBCt-dnxskW-3Af86-88eSnq-i2kzaH-5MD5Ws-arEJTx">World Bank Photo Collection</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Usually, governments try to do this by passing laws that <a href="http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/book/10.1108/S1479-3679(2013)19">list more requirements</a> for teachers to get their teaching certificate or license. Often they look for models in countries that score well on international achievement tests like <a href="http://timss.bc.edu/">Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)</a> or <a href="https://www.oecd.org/pisa/">Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)</a> such as <a href="http://store.tcpress.com/0807752576.shtml">Finland</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-singapores-school-system-so-successful-and-is-it-a-model-for-the-west-22917">Singapore</a> or South Korea. </p>
<p>It is true that a teacher’s qualifications, experience, personality and instructional skills <a href="https://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/PICTEAMAT.pdf">all play a role</a> in contributing to “quality.” Teacher quality covers what teachers do outside the classroom: how responsive they are to parents and how much time they put into planning lessons or grading papers. <a href="http://www.epi.org/publication/books_teacher_quality_execsum_intro/">Teaching certificates</a> can make a difference toward ensuring <a href="http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/epaa/article/view/392">teacher quality</a>.</p>
<p>But that does not make for an effective policy. And here’s the problem: One, merely focusing on standards like certification is not enough. Two, the effect <a href="http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/rest.89.1.134#.V_IsEZN968U">can vary</a> by grade level or because of student background – so borrowing models from other countries is not the best strategy. </p>
<p>In the U.S., for example, a key part of the important legislation <a href="http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml">No Child Left Behind (NCLB)</a> <a href="https://edpolicy.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/publications/addressing-inequitable-distribution-teachers-what-it-will-take-get-qualified-effective-teachers-all-_1.pdf">was to put a “qualified teacher” in every classroom</a>. The law emphasized certification, a college degree and content specialization, <a href="http://epa.sagepub.com/content/27/1/75.short">but failed</a> to identify teachers who knew how to implement reforms and who promoted critical thinking skills in their classrooms. </p>
<p>The most recent law addressing teacher quality, the <a href="http://www.ed.gov/essa">Every Student Succeeds Act</a>, had to roll back these requirements <a href="http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/01/06/essa-loosens-reins-on-teacher-evaluations-qualifications.html">allowing each state in the U.S. to experiment</a> with different ways to identify quality teaching. </p>
<p>The law allows states to experiment with different types of teacher training academies and with measures of student progress other than just standardized tests.</p>
<h2>Goal of American teachers different from Japanese</h2>
<p>Moreover, teacher quality is context-dependent: What works in one country may not work in another, or even for another group of students.</p>
<p>Let’s take preschool or early elementary teachers as an example. At this age, many parents would look for teachers who are warm, caring and understand child development. But this, as we know, would change for high school students.</p>
<p>In high school, especially in college preparation courses, students and parents would expect teachers to focus on the lesson. The quality of their teaching would be judged by how well their students score on tests, not how well they are developing socially or emotionally.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140353/original/image-20161004-27269-13mwoxs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140353/original/image-20161004-27269-13mwoxs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140353/original/image-20161004-27269-13mwoxs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140353/original/image-20161004-27269-13mwoxs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140353/original/image-20161004-27269-13mwoxs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140353/original/image-20161004-27269-13mwoxs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140353/original/image-20161004-27269-13mwoxs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Classroom goals vary: First grade English class in session in Japan.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/colinryder/9098099018/in/photolist-eRY8Sb-eRLHAv-pf8m7B-eRY9r7-56FqAS-jm5tXf-oDyXLg-9N3HNz-eipCVT-6sSfkw-x69t-777FW7-838YMR-8DBHrC-e1KWo1-eRY9yb-jasPSj-92KDud-fnRnR7-777CUh-dvcxsQ-773LEv-2nJZs9-83962x-773G3H-83caBd-82t8Ku-8JTmnj-83c9sE-3XUXY-fnRo27-fnRn2E-e1EhLT-jm4Yie-e1EhTM-e1EhRB-4sJbR-jL118-e1KW75-e1EhPx-e1KVP7-jaoky2-fnBaya-niEV94-773HGg-jaqykQ-83c7zj-773NHz-9N1ei6-9NuKFS">Colin Ryder</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Other than the age of the student, goals of the educational system would matter too. For example, American, Chinese and Japanese teachers take very different approaches to caring for small children and helping them learn basic academic skills. In their book, <a href="http://yalebooks.com/book/9780300048124/preschool-three-cultures">“Preschool in Three Cultures</a>,” educational anthropologist <a href="http://joetobin.net/">Joe Tobin</a> and others showed that Japanese preschool teachers are comfortable with classes of 20 students, and tend to tolerate noise and disorder that most American teachers would find uncomfortable. </p>
<p>By contrast, American teachers place great emphasis on one-on-one interactions between children and adults, especially in helping children learn to express their feelings. It is possible that a competent, “high-quality” teacher from Japan would likely feel incompetent and confused in a U.S. school, even if she was fluent in English.</p>
<h2>Countries have their own challenges</h2>
<p>That’s not all. National conditions impact teacher quality. In some nations, it is a struggle to <a href="http://store.tcpress.com/0807749885.shtml">retain good teachers</a> and distribute them evenly. </p>
<p>For example, many low-income countries face challenges related to poverty, illness and labor shortages that <a href="http://www.uis.unesco.org/Library/Documents/teachers06-en.pdf">create teacher shortages.</a> Peter Wallet, a researcher at <a href="http://www.uis.unesco.org/aboutuis/pages/contacts.aspx">UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics</a>, shows that in many countries, national governments <a href="http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/S1479-367920140000027002">struggle to find</a> enough teachers to staff their schools. He writes: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“The impact of HIV and AIDS in Tanzania for example meant that in 2006 an estimated 45,000 additional teachers were needed to make up for those who had died or left work because of illness.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>The loss of so many teachers places many children at risk of having no access to quality teachers. This basic lack of qualified teachers has been identified by UNESCO as the <a href="http://www.uis.unesco.org/Library/Documents/gmr-2013-14-teaching-and-learning-education-for-all-2014-en.pdf">major barrier</a> to providing access to quality education for all the world’s children. </p>
<p>Even in wealthy nations, sometimes the most qualified teachers are <a href="http://edr.sagepub.com/content/36/7/369.abstract">concentrated</a> at certain schools. For example, in the U.S. <a href="http://edr.sagepub.com/content/36/7/369.abstract">there is a very unequal distribution</a> of teachers between high- and low-income school districts. Scholar <a href="https://edpolicy.stanford.edu/node/46">Linda Darling-Hammond</a> sees this unequal access to teachers as one of the <a href="http://search.proquest.com/openview/9850a3f0f244c110e9c0a7445207c484/1?pq-origsite=gscholar">greatest challenges facing the U.S.</a></p>
<h2>The point is not to borrow</h2>
<p>The fact is that teaching is complex work. Teachers must build trust, increase motivation, research new methods of teaching, engage parents or caregivers and be adept at the social engineering of the classroom so that learning is not disrupted. </p>
<p>Effective teacher policy has to have <a href="https://www.ei-ie.org/en/websections/content_detail/6212">at least three levels</a>: It must provide clear goals for teacher education and skill development, it must provide “support to local institutions for the education of teachers” and it must address national demands for high quality education. </p>
<p>And in order to develop teacher quality, nations need to do far more that “borrow” policies from high-scoring nations. Nations can learn from one another, but this requires a systematic exchange of information about sets of policies, not just identifying one promising approach. </p>
<p><a href="http://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/internationaled/teaching-summit.html">The International Summit on the Teaching Profession</a>, an annual event that began in New York in 2011, is one example of this kind of global exchange that brings together governments and teacher unions for a dialogue.</p>
<p>To be effective, reforms need to have the support and input of teachers themselves. And, national and global leaders need to create more ways for teachers to provide suggestions, or criticism, of proposed reforms.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/63177/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gerald K LeTendre receives funding from the Fulbright Foundation. </span></em></p>On the occasion of World Teacher’s Day, on Oct. 5, a scholar explains why borrowing teacher quality models from high-scoring countries such as Finland, South Korea or Singapore is not effective.Gerald K. LeTendre, Professor of Education, Penn StateLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/512592015-12-04T04:26:53Z2015-12-04T04:26:53ZHow an induction year can make all the difference to novice teachers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/103843/original/image-20151201-26582-9uhjgr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Moroccan teacher Moulay Ismael Lamrani with his class. Research suggests that an induction year is extremely valuable for teachers just entering the profession.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Youssef Boudlal/Reuters</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>New teachers have several options once their degrees are finished. Some want to study further, whether in their subject area or cutting across to broader issues like special needs education or education policy. Others hope to travel, teach overseas and learn about different countries’ school systems.</p>
<p>In South Africa, according to an internal planning report by the Department of Higher Education, more than 15,000 new teachers are expected to graduate from universities in 2015. </p>
<p>Research shows that the first year at work is <a href="https://theconversation.com/improving-student-teachers-in-school-experiences-is-a-smart-investment-44785">toughest</a> for novice teachers. Some may be barely older than their learners, or daunted by having to manage large classroom groups. Some may feel intimidated that they have to master enough content knowledge to teach all the subjects in the primary school curriculum. Some may feel overwhelmed by the social problems in the community surrounding the school.</p>
<p>How best can the education system support these new teachers in such a way that they become competent and confident while also retaining their passion, enthusiasm and idealism? One possible intervention is induction, where novice teachers receive structured mentoring and support by more experienced teachers in their first year or two at work. </p>
<p>This has <a href="http://www.newteacher.com/pdf/PDK_Article_Jan05.pdf">worked well</a> in countries as diverse as Switzerland, France, China, New Zealand and Japan – and there is evidence to suggest it could be very useful in South Africa. </p>
<h2>A long term investment</h2>
<p>The South African Council of Educators has <a href="http://www.702.co.za/articles/5335/new-teachers-to-undergo-a-year-of-induction-from-2017">mooted the introduction</a> of an induction year from 2017. The statutory body <a href="http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Teachers-set-for-induction-year-20150921">believes</a> that induction can promote the image of teaching by helping to identify those who are not able to live up to the profession’s required ethical standards.</p>
<p>I recently attended a presentation by independent education specialist Martin Prew for the Centre of Development and Enterprise in Johannesburg. Prew argued that induction enhances teacher effectiveness, strengthens teaching skills, helps with professional socialisation and, most importantly, has been shown globally to <a href="http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1127&context=gse_pubs">lower teacher attrition</a>. </p>
<p>Nobody will contest the value of providing support to novice teachers. But the nature of this support, and how best to implement it, still needs much discussion. </p>
<p>Stanford University’s Linda Darling-Hammond, who has <a href="http://learningforward.org/docs/pdf/nsdcstudy2009.pdf">researched</a> the issue extensively, told the Centre of Development and Enterprise there were several key factors for effective induction. These include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>trained mentors who can give useful feedback;</p></li>
<li><p>opportunities to view and analyse good classroom practice;</p></li>
<li><p>a reduced load for beginner teachers;</p></li>
<li><p>shared planning time; and</p></li>
<li><p>additional learning experiences such as seminars about assessment, how to work with parents, and so on. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>This is much more than the general orientation to school rules and policies that often goes under the guise of induction. It requires far more time and commitment than is often available to senior teachers in the busy school year.</p>
<p>What, then, are some of the issues that should be considered as South Africa sets about designing an induction programme for new teachers?</p>
<h2>Time, training, cost and certification</h2>
<p>The first issue is time. This must be built into the crowded school day so that new and experienced teachers can get together and talk in earnest and thoughtful ways about their challenges, interventions and suggestions. Those designing the induction system must ensure that the pressures of a full curriculum and a myriad of administrative tasks do not mean such talk remains perfunctory, without analysis and reflection. </p>
<p>The second issue is that of training. An experienced teacher is not the same as a good mentor. Once mentors are identified, they themselves may need guidance on how best to support new teachers. The question of who will provide this training is at this stage not clear. </p>
<p>Cost is the third issue. School-based mentoring, which is sensitive to the context of the individual teacher and school, and is grounded in practice, has been shown to be <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13611260220133117">most effective</a> in the long run. However, a standardised model of mentor training will be cheaper to implement, as one set of guidelines can be developed and teachers can be trained in a centralised venue. </p>
<p>Finally, there is the matter of certification. Presently it is universities which have the legal competence to provide qualified teacher status. If full qualification status becomes dependent on passing the induction year, a new framework of certification will need to be developed with its own rules and requirements, as well as its own bureaucracy and quality assurance mechanisms. </p>
<p>It is very doubtful that this is desirable in a system which already struggles with the capacity to carry out its work. </p>
<h2>An important discussion</h2>
<p>None of these considerations should detract from seriously considering the introduction of teacher induction. Any intervention that can support new teachers and add value to the teaching profession is worth exploring. </p>
<p>All those involved in teacher preparation should look forward to a deep discussion about the purpose and potential of induction, and careful planning as to how this might be achieved.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/51259/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Maureen Robinson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The first year at work is the toughest for novice teachers. Induction, guided by more experienced teachers, has proved an effective solution all over the world.Maureen Robinson, Dean, Faculty of Education, Stellenbosch UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/486372015-10-07T05:33:42Z2015-10-07T05:33:42ZAre teachers suffering from a crisis of motivation?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/97443/original/image-20151006-7378-bjwohi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Is it worth all this?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tired teacher via Ermolaev Alexander/www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The National Union of Teachers has published results of a survey in which <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-34426598">53% of teachers</a> in England and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-34144933">46% in Wales</a> said they were: “thinking of leaving the profession in the next two years.” The <a href="http://www.teachers.org.uk/node/24849">NUT argues</a> that misguided government policy is increasingly the root cause of teachers’ misery and has led to this collapse in morale.</p>
<p>Some will argue, quite sensibly, that it’s important not to panic in response to such surveys – the NUT results were from an <a href="http://www.teachers.org.uk/node/24849">online YouGov poll</a> of 1,020 primary and secondary teachers in England. Those who agreed that they’re “thinking of leaving [the] profession in the next two years” won’t necessarily go on to quit. </p>
<p>The schools minister, Nick Gibb, certainly doesn’t see a need to be overly concerned. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-34426598">He suggested that</a> teaching remains an extremely popular profession – record numbers of people are joining the profession and there has been a linear increase in the number of teachers over the last five years.</p>
<p>But that’s not the point. <a href="http://www.teachers.org.uk/node/24849">The NUT survey</a> also suggested that more than two-thirds of teachers felt that morale had declined in the past five years and 73% felt that current policy was narrow, restrictive, and uncreative. When more than half of those charged with educating and inspiring children and young people say they might want to leave their profession, then there’s certainly something to be concerned about.</p>
<h2>What motivates us</h2>
<p>I would argue that it reflects an emerging “motivational crisis” in teaching. Lots and lots of teachers are telling us, quite simply, that they don’t like doing their job enough to say that they want to keep doing it. This is not just the odd teacher – it hints at a systematic motivational problem. </p>
<p>The psychology of human motivation has taught us that when it feels like doing a job is a reward in itself, people approach their work with the greatest enthusiasm, passion and commitment – and they derive the greatest satisfaction from it. But this doesn’t just happen – as research into the <a href="http://www.selfdeterminationtheory.org/">psychology of motivation has demonstrated</a>, feeling as though work is intrinsically rewarding depends upon whether the environment nourishes our basic psychological needs. These are the need to feel:</p>
<ul>
<li>competence: does our work allow us to feel like we are good at what we do, or do we constantly feel as though we are failing?</li>
<li>autonomy: are we able to express ourselves through what we do, or do we simply feel like a pawn at the mercy of somebody else’s agenda.</li>
<li>relatedness: does what we’re doing make us feel valued and cared about in a larger sense?</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Handbook_of_Self_determination_Research.html?id=DcAe2b7L-RgC">Decades of research</a> shows that if these key psychological needs are not supported by working environments then people are less likely to experience work as intrinsically rewarding or to experience personal growth and meaning from the work that they do. They are also ultimately more likely to disengage from it. In education, I have found <a href="https://www.routledge.com/products/9781138022102">growing evidence</a> from my own research that when teachers’ basic psychological needs are suffocated, this translates into dampened interest and enthusiasm from pupils.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/97444/original/image-20151006-7352-1rt0d0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/97444/original/image-20151006-7352-1rt0d0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=281&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/97444/original/image-20151006-7352-1rt0d0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=281&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/97444/original/image-20151006-7352-1rt0d0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=281&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/97444/original/image-20151006-7352-1rt0d0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/97444/original/image-20151006-7352-1rt0d0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/97444/original/image-20151006-7352-1rt0d0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kids can pick up on low motivation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bored child via Luisa Leal Photography/www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Supporting psychological needs</h2>
<p>So, when significant numbers of teachers tell us they are considering leaving the profession, we ought to consider it a motivational concern. And one of our reactions should be to carefully consider the extent to which we offer them a working environment that respects their needs as human beings. We simply aren’t doing this. In fact, there is every reason to believe that current educational policy is systematically stifling people’s psychological needs.</p>
<p>As an example, <a href="https://www.soe.vt.edu/tandl/pdf/Barksdale/Publication_Barksdale_ThomasHST.pdf">one study</a> clearly demonstrated how a system narrowly focused upon pupil achievement and standardised testing had invaded teachers working lives so much that they had been completely robbed of any sense of personal autonomy. As one teacher suggested:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I’m not the teacher I used to be. I couldn’t wait to get to school every day because I loved being great at what I do. All of the most powerful teaching tools I used to use every day are no good to me now because they don’t help children get ready for the test, and it makes me like a robot instead of a teacher. I didn’t need a degree to do what I do now. They don’t need real teachers to prepare children for tests and, in fact, I think they could just develop computer programs to do this.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As a psychologist and educationalist, my greatest fear is that we have created a one-dimensional education system. It is so intensely focused upon standards, metrics, and a production line that it neglects to allow people to lead personally meaningful lives, to trust and value them for who they are, and celebrate what they bring to the classroom. For this, individuals pay a heavy motivational and emotional price.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/48637/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sam Carr does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We should be worried that half of teachers are thinking of leaving the profession.Sam Carr, Lecturer in Education, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.