Exclusive: Elite teacher strike force to target NSW classroom standards

A team of the state’s best teachers will be dispatched to some of NSW’s worst performing classrooms in a bid to lift standards under a new plan revealed by Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

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A strike force of the state’s best teachers will be hand-picked and deployed to some of NSW’S worst performing classrooms to help struggling teachers get better results from students.

They will be tasked to “lift performance” using their own successful teaching methods, in a bid to increase accountability in classrooms.

The plan, signed off by state cabinet, signals an ongoing shift towards teaching acc­ountability in the state in the face of unsatisfactory classroom results.

Elite teachers will be charged with bringing their success to struggling schools.

It comes amid increasing pressure on NSW schools to lift ­results, after Australian students posted dire results in ­international tests last year, failing to exceed the OECD average in maths and plummeting in rankings for science and ­reading.

Under the new plan, 50 of the best teachers across the state have been selected to make up the “best in class” teaching unit.

It is understood they have been ­selected based on data in their own schools, including HSC results and NAPLAN.

“The teachers selected to deliver the program stand out, and their results speak for themselves,” Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is looking at ways to improve classroom standards. Picture: AAP

“We want to replicate these great teaching methods and share them across all of the state’s classrooms.”

HSC students will be the first to benefit from the program, with the unit beginning this week.

The selected educators will be deployed to schools right across the state with a bid for them to reach as many classrooms as possible.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the program was part of her bid to build ­excellence in the teaching ­profession.

“The Best in Class unit will effect real change — and will lift standards across the state,” she said.

The government is focusing on excellence in the classroom in a bid to lift results.

“We know that the biggest positive impact on students learning is the teacher standing in front of them.

“NSW has the highest entry standards  for students wanting to become teachers, and now  we  are  using the very best teachers to grow the ­entire profession from the ­inside out.”

High-profile maths teacher Eddie Woo has been selected to lead the team in his subject.

He said that while there was a wealth of research about how students learn well, it is a challenge to take those academic theories into a real classroom.

“This team of expert teachers is about understanding local school contexts and ­supporting educators to imple­ment the evidence based strategies that work best for their particular students.”