AITSL Chair John Hattie - Statement of Intent

At AITSL, we are promoting excellence so that teachers and school leaders have the maximum impact on learning in all Australian schools. We aim to ensure that the efforts of everyone involved in education support more teachers to teach like the best, so that student learning is maximised. The key term here is “maximising impact.” And it certainly is the case that when you look at what makes a difference in schools, almost everything makes a difference to some extent. We want to maximise that impact and have all teachers and school leaders leading like the best. Accordingly, AITSL has a strong focus on three key areas: initial teacher education; school leadership; and practising teachers. High quality initial teacher education is the foundation of a successful teaching career. Importantly, there will be a pronounced emphasis on the link between theory and practice; and evaluating the impact of teacher candidates on student learning. School leaders need to ensure that the work of everyone in a school maximises student learning. To do this, school leaders need to have a clear vision of what it actually means to be an effective school leader. Assisting practising teachers to maximise their impact on student learning relies on implementing practices that have been shown to benefit students the most – with constructive feedback on educational practices, collaboration and effective professional learning. These important objectives have been consolidated into the new AITSL Statement of Intent, which I urge you to look over. But equally importantly, be aware that AITSL stands ready to assist the profession – to help all teachers teach like the best and to help all school leaders lead like the best. On the AITSL website, you will find a wealth of good advice, resources and tools, so please do take full advantage. We have an exciting time ahead of us in the Australian teaching profession and I look forward to being there with you.