Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics - IEA

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PART 2: 51 Australia Composition of the teacher labor force In 2004, Australia employed a total of 265,919 teachers (233,065 equivalent full-time teachers), the majority of whom were female (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2005). Over the last two decades, the percentage of female teachers has increased. In 2002, 79% of primary school teachers were female compared to 70% in 1982. The corresponding figures for secondary school teachers were 55% and 44%. In 2002, 80% of teachers 30 years of age and under were female. Even so, there tends to be more male than female secondary school teachers of mathematics. Australia’s teaching force is also getting older: the median age of teachers increased from 34 to 43 years between 1986 and 2001. Although the age distribution varies across different regions, 44% of all teachers are 45 years of age and over. The nation’s teacher composition will change even more as teachers approach retirement age. A number of teachers are already taking early retirement, and a large portion of the teaching force may retire in the next 5 to 10 years. Teacher retirements could very well affect secondary mathematics and science fields disproportionately, particularly if, as indicated by some sources, mathematics teachers are older, on average, than teachers in other fields. Australia’s moderately strong economic growth from 2002 to 2008 may have further encouraged teachers to resign from teaching and move into other occupations. Webster, Wooden, and Marks (2004) looked at ABS labor mobility survey data from 1998 to 2002 and found that inflows and outflows occur primarily between teaching and non-work sectors, instead of between teaching and outside jobs. Also, secondary-level teachers are slightly more likely than primary-level teachers to shift to and from other labor markets. However, the current recession may have the opposite effect, making it easier to bring young people back into more secure professions such as teaching and nursing that have experienced staffing downturns in recent years. The number of students graduating from teaching education institutions declined during 1996 to 1999 but then increased between 2000 and 2001. Entrants into teacher education programs at this time were most likely to be from the middle of the national income distribution than from the extremes, and they tended to have been raised in provincial cities or rural regions rather than in urban areas. On graduating, these individuals comprised 70% of the new supply of teachers. One-third of those who received a teaching degree elected to work outside of education (Webster et al., 2004). Leigh and Ryan (2006) found that between 1983 and 2003, the quality of new teachers, as measured by ninth grade literacy and numeracy scores, fell significantly. They attributed this change partially to the fact that the average salary for teachers declined significantly compared to salaries received by non-teachers with a degree. The authors also posited that a greater increase in the upward deciles of the wage distribution for non-teachers has made teaching less attractive in the 2000s as compared to earlier decades. There has been considerable concern about the future availability of quality mathematics, science, and technology teachers who can maintain or improve the high performance of students over time. Webster et al. (2004, 2005) provide evidence of persistent shortages of qualified mathematics and science teachers in Australia, especially in secondary school physics, chemistry, mathematics, and technology-related subject areas. They
52 TEACHER PAY AND STUDENT MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT argue that rigid pay scales contribute significantly to this problem. They also maintain that higher wages for mathematics and science teachers could attract graduates and reduce attrition. The rural areas of Australia, in particular, experience difficulty finding English, mathematics, and other subject-area teachers. At the end of 2000, only 3,000 teachers were registered as unemployed, and forecasts estimate that there could be shortages of up to 20,000 to 30,000 teachers by the end of this decade. Secondary schools will be more hard pressed in this regard than primary schools, as will mathematics, science, and technology subject areas. Teacher recruitment, hiring, and education Teacher acceptance and hiring varies greatly across the states and territories of Australia. In most places, teachers must initially undergo a one-year probationary period, after which they are generally evaluated by school leaders and subsequently hired or rejected. In addition to the diversity of recruitment policies across different regions, Australia has a large proportion of private schools that often have their own rules and practices. In 2001, 67.1% of primary school teachers and 62.4% of secondary-level teachers were working in public schools; 30.4% and 34.7% of primary- and secondary-level teachers were working in private schools (Webster et al., 2004). Both categories had a large proportion of full- or part-time permanent teachers, but both had also seen a rise in the number of contracted teachers over the years. Teacher education programs in Australia are widespread and diverse. In 2001, 38 institutions were conducting 296 different teacher education programs for prospective primary and secondary teachers. Some states and territories produce more secondary teachers, while others produce more primary teachers, a product, perhaps, of the relative composition of student populations. In Australia, teacher education programs generally provide flexible options for prospective teachers, such as four-year degrees, three-year degrees plus one year of postgraduate studies, or concurrent joint degrees. Most students receive either a fouryear Bachelor of Education teaching degree or a Bachelor’s degree in a non-education area along with a subsequent one- or two-year teacher education degree. Individual universities generally decide their own admission levels, with acceptance primarily based on the individual student’s academic background. From 1994 to 2002, the number of new students in teacher education rose from 14,000 to 21,000, not only because of an expansion in primary teacher education but also because more people completed teacher education programs in general. During that period, however, only 60% of teacher education graduates began working full-time within a year of leaving their program. Recently, greater attention has been given to attracting working professionals into teaching as a second career. In 2001, 48% of teacher education graduates possessed three- or four-year undergraduate degrees, 40% possessed graduate degrees, and 12% had double degrees. Sixty-three percent of the graduates of the three- or four-year programs entered primary and early childhood education, while 63% of those with advanced degrees went into secondary education (Ballantyne, Bain, & Preston, 2003). Of the recent graduates entering
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