By Lucy Carroll
At least 10 per cent of the state’s 70,000 teachers would earn higher salaries under a plan being devised by one of the country’s most influential education experts in a bid to stop educators from abandoning the classroom.
The University of Melbourne’s John Hattie, who is leading advice on NSW teacher salary reforms, will visit 150 NSW public schools with policy experts in the coming weeks to consult teachers and principals about financially rewarding high-performing teachers.
Influential education expert John Hattie will visit dozens of NSW schools in coming weeks to consult on plans to reward excellence in teaching.Credit:
Department of Education figures show about $11.4 billion was spent on NSW employee-related expenses last year - the majority on salaries for public school teachers and other education staff.
No firm figure has been put forward on salary increases, but bigger pay packets will likely be more than the assistant principal level – which is currently about $126,500 – and could go up to the salary of a deputy principal at $147,700. “It’s all up for discussion. We want to make it sufficiently attractive to make it work,” Hattie told the Herald.
He said at least 10 per cent of NSW teachers would likely fall into “the excellence category, but some would argue there are a lot more”.
“We should be looking at around that [ten per cent] figure, for this to be seen as successful. If there is more, let’s take it,” he said, emphasising the changes would likely be phased in over a number of years.
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell previously announced new higher-paid roles for “outstanding teachers”, aimed at luring people into the profession and stopping an exodus of teachers from classrooms to take on deputy or head office roles with better remuneration.
The NSW government is also running a survey of teachers and principals on the plans, which has garnered almost 1000 responses so far. Hattie said, “feedback has been very positive.”
One NSW principal who answered the survey said higher pay should be available to “teachers who are exemplary educators in the early years of their career. At the moment there is a pay plateau after seven years.”
In another response, a teacher said their “skills and experience [are] wasted if I go into an admin role. I’m best in front of children and I should be rewarded for my expertise.”
University of Melbourne education expert John Hattie. Credit: Rodger Cummins
Teacher salaries start at about $73,000 – higher than entry-level pay in accounting and law – but reach a maximum of $117,060 if they are accredited as a “highly accomplished” or “lead” teacher (HALTs). Despite the HALT program running for about a decade, there are just 275 NSW teachers who have achieved highly accomplished status.
The HALT application process has been described by teachers as onerous, complicated and expensive.
Identifying high-performing teachers would not be based on students’ NAPLAN scores, Hattie said, describing it as “too crude a measure”, but instead would look at the evidence of a teacher’s impact on student learning.
“We are looking at involving the principals too, excluding them doesn’t make sense.”
He said using independent reviewers to assess teachers using classroom observations could be another option to identify high-performing teachers. “It’s an expensive option, but the current HALT process involves classroom observation. We don’t want to make it too onerous though.”
Hattie said the perennial problem remains that teaching is not seen as an attractive career. “And once you are in it, you pay an enormous price to stay on being a teacher compared to those in leadership positions.”
“We want to develop and recognise the excellence we have in our system, and we haven’t been doing that. Across NSW an incredible number of excellent teachers. We all know that students at the top 30 per cent of ATAR scores are not seeing teaching as an attractive profession.”
He pointed to high-performing countries, including Singapore, that have a teaching track model which provides a career ladder for those with “excellent pedagogical and assessment knowledge”.
He emphasised any changes would need to be gradually brought in. “It won’t come in next year in one big massive policy.”
Figures revealed last week showed young teachers in NSW are leaving permanent positions at the highest rate in 13 years; one in nine are now leaving the profession within five years.
The NSW Teachers Federation remains locked in a pay dispute with the government after negotiations over an enterprise agreement reached a stalemate. The federation is calling for a pay rise of 5 per cent a year with an extra 2.5 per cent to recognise extra experience, as well as two more hours of planning time a week.
Research director Glenn Fahey at the Centre for Independent Studies said it was “an injustice” that countless teachers who do remarkable work every day, transforming the life prospects of their students, don’t attract the rewards they should.
Fahey said principals are already quite good at identifying which teachers are among their best and those who could use further support.
“What we need are instruments to allow for genuine recognition for those teachers who are exceeding the bar,” he said.
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