What 2024 has in store for Australian teachers

It’s that time again – welcome to a brand-new school year. Whether you’re a freshly minted graduate or a certified Lead teacher, everyone is in the same boat of learning student names and getting classrooms set up for success. AITSL is here for you every step of the way, with curated resources for whatever career stage you’re in.

I want to offer an especially warm welcome to those finding their feet in a classroom for the first time. Please don’t go it alone; make sure to lean on your experienced teachers and leaders. I love the saying “if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” Together we will go far and have a lasting and positive impact on our 4 million students. 

Let’s look at what’s coming up in 2024 for the teaching profession. 

National School Reform Agreement

The current 5-year National School Reform Agreement, between the Commonwealth and all state and territory governments, will finish this year. As part of the next Agreement, Education Minsters will discuss and agree to reforms in areas where national collaboration will have the greatest impact on driving improved student outcomes. 

The Expert Review that will inform the new Agreement has recommended Attract and Retain Teachers as one of the reform priorities, and Ministers have highlighted a strong and sustainable workforce as being key to our education system. I’m confident we’ll see much more activity at the national and state and territory levels to address the issues facing the profession.

AITSL knows the importance of our teachers and school leaders in shaping the future of Australian education, and we look forward to working with the education community to achieve the reforms. 

Teacher shortages

It won’t come as a surprise to any readers that Australia is facing a teacher shortage. As the federal Education Minister, the Hon Jason Clare MP, recently put it: “Teachers do the most important job in the world…and the truth is we don’t have enough of them.” I know this issue is top of mind for everyone I talk to in education. 

There are some promising initiatives underway, such as government-funded initial teacher education scholarships and increased efforts to encourage more people to pursue a teaching career. But there is still a long way to go. 

Policy makers must have a clear understanding of the pipeline of future teachers and experiences of the current teacher workforce so that planning is based on accurate data. This is why the work of the Australian Teacher Workforce Data (ATWD) initiative is so critical, and why we are so grateful to teachers for taking the time to complete the annual Australian Teacher Workforce Survey. 

This data provides the only national view on the workforce, and when you share your experience through the survey, you are helping to inform decision about the future of the profession. If you’re a registered teacher, look out for your invitation to complete the survey in the second half of 2024.

Edtech and emerging technology

With the explosion of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, I’m sure we’ll see even more advancement in this area in 2024. Edtech is often presented as a panacea, but our recent research found that quality of pedagogy has a more significant impact on student outcomes than edtech usage. We will be releasing a second part to our edtech research next month – keep an eye on AITSL Mail for the launch. 

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

We are proud that the Teacher Standards have been embraced by the teaching profession, and we’re now beginning work to understand their impact better.

You’ll have seen a link to a survey in the latest AITSL Mail so that we can explore the impact of the Teacher Standards across each career stage. If you can spare 15 minutes, we would appreciate it – your responses will help identify which Standards have the greatest impact on teaching and learning outcomes. 

Other AITSL work

I’m excited to travel to Sydney this year for the 2024 HALT Summit, our annual event that brings Highly Accomplished and Lead teachers from across the country together to collaborate and work with leading thinkers. 

We’ll have updates to our Indigenous Cultural Responsiveness Self-reflection Tool as part of our work in building a culturally responsive workforce, and will continue to deliver work as part of the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan. We also can’t forget World Teachers’ Day – a moment for the whole country to get behind the profession that shapes all others. Mark Friday 25 October 2024 in the calendar now. 

Welcome back, again, and I look forward to working with you in the year ahead. 

Warm regards,