Attraction and Retention of Staff in Queensland Secondary Schools

Lindsay Greer & Delwar Akbar - TASA 2009

Project drivers

• Bradley review (2008) • importance of a progressive education system• meets the needs of a 21st century • functions as integral part of a globalised economy.

• Education reform as a means to • develop the nation’s social capital • underpin economic and social progress.

• Acknowledgement: This project received funding from Education Queensland through the EIDOS Institute Pty. Ltd.

• Disclaimer: The information and opinions expressed in this presentation are those of the author and not necessarily of Education Queensland and the Queensland Government

Reforms indicated

• Better leadership and support • Embrace new incentives and attract

high performing professionals• Target lifestyle factors• Reward quality outcomes• Reward innovation and creativity• Provision for external partnerships• Increased funding

Aim of research

• Identify the barriers and enablers to effective attraction and retention of teachers

• Investigate the innovative strategies that contribute to attraction and retention of teachers

• Broader narrative around ‘quality outcomes’

Background on teaching

• Overall teaching workforce is in balance (from HR perspective)

• Difficult areas exist however: Sciences, Mathematics, Technology, LOTE, Special Education

• Difficulties in rural and remote areas

Teacher workforce – Aust 2007

• 276,822 working teachers (ABS,2007)• Teaching for 17 years (ave.) • School leaders 25 years (ave.) • 1 in 10 have worked in remote location• 1 in 5 have resign then returned later to

teaching• Salary range $50-70K/annum• 32% of teachers work in other field (health,

gov’t, business etc.)

Student trends

• Student’s interest in science, mathematics and technology (SM&T) declines from primary to secondary

• Undergraduate enrolment in SM&T relatively consistent

• However - Education SM&T have fallen (not attracting SM&T students)

• Extra teaching year cited as barrier

Recruitment and retention challenges

• High mobility for trained SM& T teachers• 8,000 teachers leave Aust. each year• Ageing workforce – 86,000 over 55 by

2009 – 48,000 btw 2010-2014• Competition from other industry sectors• Competition from other professions• 50% special education teachers leave

within five years

Challenges

• Horizontal salary scales – beginning salaries competitive but quickly plateau

• Salary doesn’t take into account prior work experience

• Incentive payments were rarely applied due to ‘entrenched values surrounding workplace norms and wage equivalence’

• Limited career progression• Cost of professional development• Teachers teaching ‘out-of-field

Challenges

• Some evidence that salary and status are more important for those students that don’t teach – this suggests a filtering of the workforce – impacts on quality of workforce

• Predicted national shortages in some key areas (SM&T) - 400 unfilled vacancies for Mathematics and 300 for Science teachers (2007)

Study method

• Exploratory approach and mixed method• Face to face, telephone and online

interviews and paper based surveys• 4 groups: Year 12 (239), University

students (1243), teachers (91), para-professional groups (5) -1633 in total

• Analysis: descriptive statistics, weighted average, factor analysis and thematic content analysis

  Sub-groups Data collection method Scope

1 Year 12 school students

Paper based survey

Metropolitan, rural and remote Qld schools

2 University students Online survey Qld universities

3a Principals and leadership groups Focus group

Metropolitan, rural and remote Qld schools

3b Secondary teachersFocus group and paper-based survey

Metropolitan, rural and remote Qld schools

4Representative organisations for non-teaching professionals

Semi-structured telephone interview

Metropolitan Qld

Survey design – Y12, Uni students & Teachers

• Demographics• General career aspirations – what is

important (Y12 & Uni)• Attitudes toward teaching as a career• Attraction measures for teaching• Knowledge of teaching as a career• Career incentives (Teachers & Principals)• Systemic improvements (Teachers &

Principals)

Results Y12

• 62.5% aspired to undertake university study and 16% TAFE studies. - Teacher education studies were a QTAC preference for 28.8% of students.

• 64% rank job highly• 34% rank pay below average• 74% would not work in a rural location

Results Uni students

• 45% reported a poor knowledge of teaching career pathways

• 60% don’t understand EQ recruitment process

• 62.3 % poor knowledge of para-professional employment opportunities in EQ

Results Secondary teachers

• 54.4 % Status could be improved by increased professionalism

• Highest satisfaction for teachers is ‘feeling part of an effective team and the importance given to extra-curricula activities’.

• 63% cited ‘job satisfaction’ as reason they stay.

• 30% cited ‘employment conditions and benefits

Results Secondary Teachers

Improved recruitment to teaching• Increase time trainee teachers spend in paid

training within the school system • Increase practical and relevant training within

university education training programs. • Re-evaluating the teaching position

description to capture the changing expectation of teachers within communities particularly in rural and remote location

Results Principals

Main barriers to recruitment • Poor pay scales • Declining work conditions • Declining professional status • Limited training and development

opportunities

Results Para-professional groups –

Factors attracting people to teaching• Comparable pay rates• Employment flexibility (hours & location)• Stronger professional networks (Isolation)• Better allowances to attend training• Recruitment at universities (across faculties)• Better recognition of school based work within

professional organisations

Key findings – factor analysis

COMMON ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED Specific program and promotion of career path and professional development including reduced fees, increased allowances and

shortened training period Promotion of teachers’ lifestyle including better networking Job security

FACTORS CHOOSING A TEACHING CAREER

Common factors: Students’ discipline Community respect to the

teachers Discrete factors: Y12 Group: Personal suitability Uni Group: A fall-back option Teachers Group: Job satisfaction Source: Table 4.35 and Table 4.24

FACTORS CHOOSING A CAREER Common factors: Work-life balance Flexible working environment Personal fulfilment Helping people/making difference Cost and length of training Professional development Discrete factors: Y12 Group: Job Security Uni Group: Status/Prestige Teachers Group: Overall curriculum Source: Table 4.33

FACTORS ATTRACTING MORE PEOPLE INTO THE TEACHING CAREER

Common factors: Reduced fees and increased financial

assistance for professional development Career path development and promotion of

teachers’ lifestyle Job security Personal fulfilment International exchange program and

opportunity to work in overseas Discrete factors: Y12 Group: Shorter teaching course Uni Group: Specific to a particular teaching area Teachers Group: Remote location allowance Source: Table 4.37

Recommendations

• Income parity – With other professional sectors– Recognition of prior expertise– Focus on recruiting high quality para-

professionals– Differentiated pay scales/incentive packages

• Increased professionalism and status– Higher cut off for Higher Ed enrolment – Course/training improvements – Nested ‘proactive collaborative’ performance

review system – with clear incentives

Discrete strategies (flexibility)

• Promote to Generation Y teachers more flexible working conditions and the opportunity to combine community service roles in a formalised employment contract.

• Greater flexibility in the recruitment system to allow for:– Individual work location choice – Greater mobility based on merit selection by individual school

principals and leadership groups. – High quality recruits encouraged to re-locate once they have

been recruited into DETA– Targeted recruits should be given location incentives– Increase the understanding of career paths (web

development)

Discrete strategies (Teacher training & roles)

• Strengthen partnerships with the university providers and the Queensland College of Teachers

• Revise teacher training course structures• Enhance the practical training aspects of

teacher training • Expand assistant teacher roles to include:

– Student teacher traineeships and – Integrate student teachers into schools

earlier and for longer periods.

Discrete strategies (regional recruitment)

• Specific regional recruitment strategies – Conditional agreements for regional

employment subject to satisfactory performance – Within degree school placement (work

experience) targeted at working in the regions. – Targeted recruitment - Years 10-12 within

schools– Encourage teachers as recruiters of better

quality and more suited candidates for specialised teaching and leadership roles

Professional development

• Cost shifting of professional development should be eliminated where possible (consideration of travel time in regional and rural activities)

• Professional development based on the clear needs of the profession

• Professional development delivered with clear link with performance reviews

Cost strategies

• Promote advantages of a teaching lifestyle (holidays – hours)

• Promote job security (recession proofing)• Factor cost of living differences between

states and in regional areas into incentive schemes

• Factor cost of becoming a Science, Mathematics, Technology or Special Education teacher

Communication strategy

• Communications strategy with continuity of promotional messages

• Communications should be carried through multiple delivery platforms, i.e. print and electronic media, promotional materials etc. – Emerging ‘quality’ niche and value proposition of

the teaching profession should be explicit within the content design and articulate a clear ‘point of difference’ with other competing professions.

Discrete strategies (Summary)

• Strategies need to focus on the different cohorts identified through HR research

• Strategies for salary parity and stilted career pathways should align with the federal gov’t funding initiatives designed to improve quality outcomes

• Introduce more selective recruitment practices (de-centralised) targeted for specific positions and locations

• Incremental introduction of flexible market based solutions

Future research

• Look at impacts of the current and proposed recruitment strategies on allied professions that have potential cross over skill sets

• Economic modelling (long term) of the recommendations in the report should be undertaken (cost benefit analysis)

• Incremental implementation via specialised workforce

Thank you & questions