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.
Related Articles
podcast
30 June 2020
School education in the age of COVID-19 – Webinar recording
Teachers and students responded quickly and well to remote learning when the COVID-19 crisis forced the closure of schools. But new research suggests most students learnt less at home than they would…
report
09 February 2020
Top teachers: sharing expertise to improve teaching
A new career path for expert teachers could transform Australian schools and boost student learning by 18 months by the time they turn 15.
As the performance of Australian students is falling in in…
report
25 August 2019
Attracting high achievers to teaching
Australia’s top teachers should be able to earn $80,000 a year more, and top school-leavers should get $10,000-a-year scholarships if they take up teaching, as part of a $1.6 billion blueprint to bo…