List of recommendations

List of recommendations

Recommendation 1

The Committee RECOMMENDS that:

  • the Commonwealth Government facilitate the development of a national professional teaching standards and registration body to have the responsibility, authority and resources to develop and maintain standards of professional practice. The national body should work closely with State governments and peak teaching organisations. The national body will:
    • establish standards of professional practice which take into account what teachers should be expected to know and be able to do in order to facilitate student learning across the key learning areas
    • certify levels of entry into the profession, criteria for re- registration and recognition of advanced standing in the profession
    • accredit programs of initial teacher training and establish the professional development framework for the maintenance of the professional expertise of teachers
    • make recommendations to the Commonwealth Minister on priorities for national professional development programs
    • consider and act on complaints of professional incompetence, and  assist teachers to improve their skills
    • manage a register of teachers who meet and maintain professional standards and are thereby eligible for employment as teachers in both government and non-government sectors of education
    • promote the value of teaching in the general community.
  • The national professional teaching standards and registration body should be empowered to delegate aspects of its authority, and such tasks as it sees fit, to appropriate agencies or teacher associations.
  • The national body should cover all sections of the industry and teachers from all sections of education, including those in early childhood, government and non-government schools, vocational education and training, TAFE, adult and community education and, in time, universities.
  • The national body should be funded by governments and by teachers' registration fees.

(pp 21-22)

Recommendation 2

The Committee RECOMMENDS that:

  • governments fund public schools at a level sufficient to deliver the appropriate standard of education within the Eight Key Learning Areas, and commensurate with the National Goals of Schooling
  • the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments jointly establish a Schools Education Costs Committee to undertake consultation and research with the aim of ascertaining the cost of delivering, at the various stages of schooling and in each of the Eight Key Learning Areas, an education which will meet the basic requirements of those Key Learning Areas and the National Goals for Schooling and
  • on the basis of such data and information determine overall resource levels, allocative mechanisms and the relative funding shares of the various governments.

(p 90)

Recommendation 3

The Committee RECOMMENDS that the new national professional teaching standards and registration body establish clear levels of advanced professional certification reflecting teachers' experience, professional development and additional roles such as mentoring. Such certification might be helpful in determining levels of remuneration for teachers.

(p 118)

Recommendation 4

The Committee RECOMMENDS a reversal of the trend to casualisation of the teaching force.

(p 126)

Recommendation 5

The Committee RECOMMENDS that the Commonwealth Government institute research on the level of casualisation necessary to provide employers with reasonable flexibility while safeguarding the interests of teachers.

 (p 126)

Recommendation 6

The Committee RECOMMENDS proposed new funding for vocational education in schools be retained within the TAFE system, with school efforts focussed on improving links between vocational education and training providers and schools.

(p 137)

Recommendation 7

The Committee RECOMMENDS that:

  • Commonwealth, State and Territory governments establish benchmarks for appropriate levels of funding for technology in schools
  • the Commonwealth Government reappraise its Capital Grants Program to ensure that government school funding for technology meets the benchmark funding level established by Commonwealth, State and Territory governments.

(p 151)

Recommendation 8

The Committee RECOMMENDS that the Commonwealth Government reinstate the Disadvantaged Schools Program as a separately identified and funded program.

(p 161)

Recommendation 9

The Committee RECOMMENDS a national recruitment campaign designed to attract high quality applicants to the teaching profession, with costs shared between the Commonwealth and all States and Territories.

(p 178)

Recommendation 10

The Committee RECOMMENDS that the Commonwealth Government introduce scholarships for university graduates to undertake post graduate professional qualifications in teaching.

(p 178)

Recommendation 11

The Committee RECOMMENDS abolition of differential HECS fees. This will remove the particular disincentives now faced by science graduates planning a career in teaching.

(p 178)

Recommendation 12

The Committee RECOMMENDS that the Commonwealth Government re-instate funding for the National Schools Network.

(p 199)

Recommendation 13

The Committee RECOMMENDS the establishment of a National Teacher Education Network comprising a consortium of innovative teacher education faculties and schools to build upon the work of the National Schools Network and the Innovative Links Project in modelling best practice in the development and delivery of initial and continuing teacher education.

(pp 202-203)

Recommendation 14

The Committee RECOMMENDS the establishment of a national development fund for research in education.

(p 203)

Recommendation 15

The Committee RECOMMENDS that the proposed national professional teaching standards and registration body include among its responsibilities the development of a suggested structure for induction programs nationally and guidelines to assist schools and government and non-government systems in implementing them.

(p 216)

Recommendation 16

The Committee RECOMMENDS that the Commonwealth Government  reinstate the National Professional Development Program.

(p 227)

 Recommendation 17

The Committee RECOMMENDS that the proposed national professional teaching standards and registration body include among its responsibilities the accreditation of professional development providers and courses.

(p 228)

Recommendation 18

The Committee RECOMMENDS that, in line with its acknowledgment that teaching is a profession, teachers' participation in professional development be a prerequisite for their continued registration, or for re-registration.

(p 228)

Recommendation 19

The Committee RECOMMENDS that the Commonwealth Government require State and Territory governments, as part of their contribution to the National Report on Schooling, to include information on teacher supply and demand in government and non-government schools, with detailed figures to be included in the Statistical Appendix to that document.

(p 247)

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