OECD Releases 2008 Teaching and Learning International Survey. (June 17, 2009)

The 2008 OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) report was released, at least in preliminary form, today. The Federal Minister for Education, Julia Gillard in commenting on the report observed that it was conducted in 23 countries and "provides the first internationally comparable data on conditions affecting teachers in schools".

Ms Gillard's media release notes:

The initial round of research was conducted with teachers and principals engaged in lower secondary education in both the public and private sectors. It focused on the leadership and management of schools, the appraisal and professional development of teachers and the impact these matters have on the learning environment.

     The OECD report shows that internationally, there is a shortage of qualified teachers hindering the capacity of schools to deliver instruction. TALIS results suggest that in Australia, a high level of funding is allocated for staffing and that our students benefit from below average class sizes. About 60 per cent of Australian teachers surveyed had been in the profession for more than 10 years. This was balanced by the finding that Australia has a relatively higher proportion (about 10 per cent) of teachers who are in their first two years of teaching.

     Teachers and principals in all countries surveyed reported an unmet demand for professional development. However, participation in professional learning is virtually universal in the Australian teaching profession. Most Australian teachers surveyed had undertaken professional learning in the 18-months prior to the survey. The research also shows Australia has the highest incidence of formal induction programs and a high incidence of mentoring programs for new teachers.

A preprint version of the report is available in PDF format from:

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/17/51/43023606.pdf

Below we present half-a-dozen charts to graphically represent some of the report's findings.