Investing in our teachers, investing in our economy

by Ben Jensen

Investing in and improving teacher effectiveness would do more to increase economic growth than any other reform before Australian governments. The improvement in student learning could lift Australian students to the top of international performance tables.

An increase in teacher effectiveness of 10% would lift Australia’s education systems into the highest performing group of countries in the world. It would improve student performance and the longer-term productivity of the labour force. Quite apart from the benefits of better education to individual well-being and society, the increased productivity of workers would increase long-run economic growth by $90 billion by 2050, making Australians 12% richer by the turn of the century.