This report was published in www.OECD.org at 16/06/2009 and the title complete is: Teacher effectiveness hampered by lack of incentives and bad behaviour in classrooms. This is a summary.
The report, ¨Creating effective teaching and learning environments¨, profides for the first time internationally comparable data on conditions affecting teachers in schools in 23 participating countries.
Its main policy lesson is that education authorities need to provide more effective incentives for teachers. Many countries make no link between appraisal of teachers` performance and the rewards and recognition that they receive. The survey, conducted with the support of the European Commission, covers 23 countries, in each country, around 200 schools were randomly selected, and in each school there were questionnaire filled in by principal and teachers.
Among the finding of the report are that:
In Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland and Norway. more than 90% of teachers say they do not expect any reward for improving the quality of their teaching.
Teachers are less pessimistic in Bulgaria, Malaysia and Poland.
In Mexico, Italy, Slovakia and Spain, more than 70% of teachers at secondary level work in schools were it was felt that classroom disturbance hinder the teaching process.
On average teachers spend 13% of classroom time maintaining order, but in Brazil and Malaysia the proportions rises to more than 17%. In Bulgaria, Lithuania and Poland, by contrast, less than 10% of time is lost in this way. Aside from classroom disturbance, other factors hindering instruction included student absenteeism (46%) and students turning up late for class (39%).
School authorities need to move away from the ¨hit and miss¨ policies of the past in order to develop a more scientific approach to policies based on best practice and universal high standard.
It is the first international survey to focus on the learning environment and the working conditions of teachers. It looks at issues affecting teachers and their performance, seen through the eyes of school principals and the teachers themselves. In doing so, it aims to fill important gaps in the international comparisons of education systems.
