Marie Cameron

New Zealand Council for Educational Research

Susan Lovett

University of Canterbury

Core Breakfast series6 November 2012 Christchurch

Early career teachers: Messages from the Teachers of Promise Study

Why does this research matter?

A quality teaching profession requires teachers to:

o sustain their enthusiasmo expand their teaching expertise

throughout their careerso become leaders themselves and

grow the next generation of teachers

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We need to understand:why some good teachers:

sustain their commitment to teaching invest in their teaching and careerswhile others: get disillusioned/burn out leave their jobs what might be done to keep their passion

alive and foster teaching qualityhow best to to identify and nurture those with

potential readiness for leadership roles

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Teachers of Promise Study (2005-2011)

Longitudinal study of 57 “promising” primary & secondary teachers

Their views about:o the ups and downs of their early years of teaching

o the impact of different school practices and working conditions

o what contributes to their “pedagogical wellbeing”

o the decisions they make ( stay, move, leave)

o career progressions within teaching (extended roles, embracing or rejecting leadership roles)

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Data collection since 2005

4 interviews (2005 x 2, 2007, 2011)

3 surveys in the same years

2 workshops

Data for this presentation:

on-line surveys (48 responses)

Interviews (20 who were still teaching)

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Status of teachers in 2011

• 40 teachers still teaching in NZ schools (full or part-time)

• 38 teachers gave classroom teaching as best description of their roles

• 7 had left teaching

• Most full time teachers were teaching plus leadership roles

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Movers (28) since 2008

• Only 5 moves were for career advancement

• Personal reasons (12)

• Not satisfied with their school’s leadership & management (10)

• Unsatisfactory working conditions(6)

• Wanted less challenging students to teach(3)

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Stayers (14)

Were “very happy” with choice of teaching as a career

Were satisfied with salaries Had “expansive” opportunities for adult

learning Good school systems for sharing knowledge

about teaching Mentoring Learning with colleagues outside their

school Encouragement for further formal learning

(fees for study, study awards & teaching fellowships)

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held positive views of their principal’s leadership

had positive working environments(across all decile levels)

I am absolutely loving working in a New Zealand school again after having taught in London. I feel supported just the right amount, and left alone just the right amount too, to get on and do a good job. There is a good work/life balance encouraged and modelled at the school; teachers are respected and treated as professionals. (Jane, early 30s, primary)

What keeps them in the job?

I love the job. I love the diversity and I enjoy the challenges in the job (Barrie, 30-39, secondary school)

Opportunities to learn more about my subject area, about teaching well, about relating well with students (growth) (Mac, 31-40, secondary school)

Opportunity to continue learning, and being part of a community that focuses on children. (Isabella, 25-30, primary school)

Being able to work alongside teachers and mentor them. My liaison with the university for student teachers is also rewarding (Robert, 30-39, assistant principal, middle school)

Firstly, the job has its financial benefits after this long, so money keeps me in the job. Otherwise, I enjoy being with the children and being able to impact positively on their lives - academically and socially.(Kimberly, 41-50, intermediate)10

But many teachers needed….(1)

more helpful feedback on their teaching

more adult collaborative learning

public recognition of their teaching (not just the “extras”)

more input into decisions that affected them

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But many teachers needed…. (2)

• their leaders to focus on the right things

There are lots and lots of factors that come into leadership in a school, and perhaps too many of them are considered too significant and take up too much time and energy when they’re not actually focused on students and learning. There are lots of distractions out there in [terms of] quite political aspects and things like that (Ruby, early 30s, secondary school)

Lack of academic focus from senior management, too much emphasis on the peripheral things (Degz, 31-40, secondary school)

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• more consideration of teacher wellbeing

For the last two years there has been a problem with morale, with a general feeling that the senior management does not have the best interests of the teachers... sometimes the focus appears to be very strongly on how the school appears to aesthetically to the community rather than to focussing on real student achievement. ( Amanda, early 40s, primary)

Teachers needed.... (3)

• time to share teaching knowledge and expertise

We need more release time for senior staff to develop curriculum because it’s a very busy place and there’s a tendency to revert back to type, the same old stuff without really having to think about it, and develop it and come up with some interesting stuff. There’s quite a bit that could be done but we don’t have time to be that creative or interesting.

(Degz, 31-40, secondary school)

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Reasons for Leaving ...(1)

negative work cultures

There is a “culture of fear” in my school, where some teachers feel afraid to make even the smallest mistake, for fear of losing their job and perhaps even having their careers tarnished ... Several teachers have been disciplined unnecessarily and in a way which has not maintained their mana or dignity, nor even allowed them to easily move on to another job. (Ajay, 20-39, secondary school teacher)

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Reasons for leaving... (3) lack of work-life balanceYou need to have a life if you’re going to be an effective

teacher. You can’t live the job, it is one of those jobs you could work 24 hours in a day and still have things to do. That’s what it feels like but I can’t effectively teach my kids how to live a proper life if I’m not living one myself … at the end of the day it is a job, it’s a very important job but it is a job and you need to have a life (Donald, early 30s, ex-primary school)

teaching did not meet their career goalsI think I could have remained as a teacher longer if I had more

of a challenge and if I could see avenues for promotion. I did however love the students and the staff. (Elizabeth, early 30s, ex-secondary)17

Reasons for leaving... (4) loss of commitment

I did envisage myself as a professional and getting as good as I could at my job … I don’t coach sport any more—I’m starting to catch that cynical disease that teachers get. Most days I’m out of there between 3.30 pm to 4.30 pm and I get to school around 8.15 am. If I really wanted to do my job with a high level of effectiveness, I’d be there earlier. But I’d rather leave at 4.00 pm and go to the gym. (Ajay, early 30s, secondary)

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A management unit or release time was generally the only form of support provided

Little specific mentoring for leadership roles general advice when needed (14)

significant mentoring for leadership roles (5)

primary teachers more likely to have received formal mentoring

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Experiences of leadership

Supported aspiring leaders ...had principals who:

focused leadership practices on learning encouraged sharing of evidence-based research

findings set aside time for adults to work together/learn provided good models of leadership encouraged staff to extend their horizons

He’s [principal] always provoking that next level of thinking in you and [he] doesn’t just accept the first response. I mean, he does that with everyone … And I guess it seems, looking

back now, that he’s always had his eye on the next step for me. He saw that developing my leadership knowledge was where I really needed to go, and it’s been hugely beneficial.

(Robert, intermediate school DP, early 30s)

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Supported aspiring leaders had opportunities to:

participate in professional networks outside school lead other teachers (mentoring curriculum

contracts) engage in formal learning learn how to coach and mentor

One thing that came out of that [study] was the value of listening and using questioning effectively. Being an active listener is much more challenging than I appreciated before and I think now I’m much better at it.(Ruby, early 30s, secondary teacher)

Therefore they were more likely to stay interested in leadership roles

Case studies – Tan and Gary

Unsupported emerging leaders: were left to sink or swim were not able to lead in the ways they

wanted, e.g.You have to tell them what to do... felt that they were unable to be effective in

both teaching and leadership roles experienced conflict about their role

What do you do if intellectually and professionally you disagree with it [school decisions] and you think it is the wrong path? Could I stand up as a leader and be part of it?

Steven (Secondary HOD)

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Lost interest in pursuing further leadership roles

I used to have ambitions to eventually seek a senior leadership role, at AP or DP level. However as my career has progressed that desire has died in the face of 1) a belief that I’m of greater value to the education system doing what I’m already doing, 2) a crisis of confidence that I could actually ever undertake such roles, and 3) a realisation that it’s not what you know. It’s who you know if one wishes to ‘get on’ (Steven, 30-39 HOD secondary)

From schools...positive working environments(especially

mentoring)recognition for contributionsbetter management of workloadsinvolvement of teachers in school decisionsalignment between decisions and resourcing

From others ...change “negative and combative public

discourse” around education and teachers’ workincrease incentives e.g. teacher scholarships,

sabbaticals....25

What is needed system-wide to sustain teacher enthusiasm?

What is needed system-wide to expand teacher expertise?

From schools ...observing good modelsuseful feedback on teachingtime to work with colleaguesstrategic decisions about professional learningopportunities for self directed learningencouragement to join professional

associations & external networks

What is needed system-wide to expand teacher expertise? (2)

From others ...working with teachers from other schools collaborative teacher research (resourced) with

universitiesfinancial acknowledgement for increases in

teacher knowledge

Schools... build and retain capacity and capability to mentor

staff at all levelsannual career planning supportfinancial support for leadership course feeson-the-job mentoring for leadership roles

tutor teachermentor teacher for PRTsproject or team leadership

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What is needed system-wide to support the next generation of leaders?

What is needed system-wide to support the next generation of

leaders?

Schools....

develop a school leadership reference libraryformal responsibility in job description for

mentoring of new teachers and leadersskill development for mentors e.g. QLC for

mentors with an external facilitatorallocated time

What is needed system-wide to support the next generation of leaders? From others...career long leadership support programmes

(equitable access) to cater for each type of leadership role

funded places on leadership development programmes

expanded opportunities for principal developmentimprove working conditions for school leadersaccess to leadership libraries and web links for

personal study

Key conclusions

It is wasteful to ignore those with potential for leadership

Who has responsibility for growing the next generation of leaders?

- individuals can only do so much- schools can only do so much- external agencies (e.g. MOE) can only do

so much Strong and positive relationships required

between all sectors Collective and shared agendas for action required

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