May 2011     The Federal Government has announced new funding to start the delivery of Australia’s first national system of pay bonuses for around 25,000 teachers.  The first bonuses will be based on performance in the 2013 school year and paid in early 2014.

This would mean around one in ten teachers will receive a bonus - about $8,100 for those with most experience and around $5,400 for a teacher in the first few years of their career.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said that this reward for our top teachers is another plank in the Gillard Governments’ commitment to ensure every child gets the best possible education no matter what their background or where they live.

She said that nobody would deny that our teachers are vital to ensuring that our kids get a great start and that while few are in teaching for the money most people in our community would agree we should reward our best teachers.

"A great chance in life starts with a great education and one of the best ways to get a great education is to have exceptional teachers.  Whether students dream of going on to learn a trade, go to university or straight into a job every one relies on the skill and experience of their classroom teachers." she says.

"We know that independent research conducted as recently as this year shows that a system of meaningful appraisal and feedback for teachers can increase their effectiveness by 20 to 30 per cent.  The method of assessing a teacher’s performance, the Australian Teacher Performance Management Principles and Procedures will be fair and equitable," Prime Minister Gillard explained.

It is expected to include a range of evidence such as:

• Lesson observations
• Student performance data (including NAPLAN and school based information that can show the valued added by particular teachers)
• Parental feedback
• Teacher qualifications and professional development undertaken.

 
 
The Australian Council of State School Organisations has a different view.  "Every parent knows that a quality teacher in front of their child’s classroom makes a huge difference to the outcomes of students; however the announcement of one off cash rewards for “top” teachers is not the answer."

Speaking on behalf of the Australian Council of State School Organisations, Peter Garrigan, claims “Our children need their teachers working collegially, not only with each other, but with the other key players in a child’s development. Supporting a student to succeed is not about one individual’s effort, but a team of people working to ensure that each student’s individual needs are catered for.”

“Teacher reward payments create a false sense of competition and polarises the ideals of sharing knowledge and the holistic approach to the development of the child.  International approaches to this form of rewarding teachers have collapsed after a few years of implementation."

“We have a set of National Standards for Teachers in place. ACSSO urges the government to redirect these monies to enhance professional development and support for classroom teachers in order to achieve these standards.”

From information provided by the Prime Minister, May 2, and ACSSO, May 3, 2011.

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