Introduction Figure 1: The cumulative effects of teachers on student achievement
Student performance 90th percentile
100th percentile
Students with highperforming teachers
Two students with same performance 53 percentile points difference
50th percentile
Students with lowperforming teachers 37th percentile
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Age
Source: Sanders, W., & Rivers, J. (1996). Cumulative and residual effects of teachers on future student academic achievement. University of Tennessee Value-Added Research and Assessment Center.
For this transformation to occur, a constructive social dialogue between government and the organised profession is essential. Currently, teaching comes across as a rather suspicious and vocal profession when responding publicly to most government reform proposals. Nevertheless, overseas experience proves conclusively that teachers’ unions need to be part of any discussion to raise the image and status of the profession. While no single reform can serve as a ‘silver bullet’ to restore New Zealand education to its world-class status, it is now well accepted that of all the controllable factors in an education system, the most important is the effectiveness of the classroom teacher (see figure 1). It www.nzinitiative.org.nz www.nzinitiative.org.nz
is no coincidence that the world’s bestperforming school systems make great teaching their reform focus. They all have systematic approaches to attract, develop, retain and ensure the efficacy of their most talented educators – and they make sure great teachers serve students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Given the variability in the quality of teaching highlighted in our first report, New Zealand policymakers should likewise focus on strengthening the teaching profession, not only by upgrading the calibre of young people entering the profession, but also by improving the effectiveness of teachers already in the classroom. McKinsey and Co quote a chancellor of schools in New
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Auguste, B., Kihn, P., & Miller, M. (2010). Closing the talent gap: Attracting and retaining top-third graduates to careers in teaching. McKinsey & Company, p. 11.
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