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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