Early career teachers: Messages from the
Teachers of Promise Study
Marie Cameron
New Zealand Council for Educational Research
Susan Lovett
University of Canterbury
Core Breakfast series
9 November 2012 Wellington
Why does this research matter?

A quality teaching profession requires teachers to:
o sustain their enthusiasm
o expand their teaching expertise throughout their
careers
o become leaders themselves and grow the next
generation of teachers
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We need to understand:
 why some good teachers:
sustain their commitment to teaching
 invest in their teaching and careers
while others:
 get disillusioned/burn out
 leave their jobs
what might be done to keep their passion alive and foster
teaching quality
how best to to identify and nurture those with potential
readiness for leadership roles



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Teachers of Promise Study (2005-2011)
 Longitudinal study of 57 “promising” primary & secondary teachers
 Their views about:
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o
the ups and downs of their early years of teaching
o
the impact of different school practices and working conditions
o
what contributes to their “pedagogical wellbeing”
o
the decisions they make ( stay, move, leave)
o
career progressions within teaching (extended roles, embracing or
rejecting leadership roles)
Data collection since 2005
 4 interviews (2005 x 2, 2007, 2011)
 3 surveys in the same years
 2 workshops
 Data for this presentation:

on-line surveys (48 responses)
 Interviews (20 who were still teaching)
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Status of teachers in 2011
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•
40 teachers still teaching in NZ schools (full or part-time)
•
38 teachers gave classroom teaching as best description of their
roles
•
7 had left teaching
•
Most full time teachers were teaching plus leadership roles
Movers (28) since 2008
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•
•
•
Only 5 moves were for career advancement
•
•
Unsatisfactory working conditions(6)
Personal reasons (12)
Not satisfied with their school’s leadership &
management (10)
Wanted less challenging students to teach(3)
Stayers (14)
 Were “very happy” with choice of teaching as a career
 Were satisfied with salaries
 Had “expansive” opportunities for adult learning
 Good school systems for sharing knowledge about teaching
 Mentoring
 Learning with colleagues outside their school
 Encouragement for further formal learning (fees for study,
study awards & teaching fellowships)
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 held positive views of their principal’s leadership
 had positive working environments(across all decile levels)
I am absolutely loving working in a New Zealand school again after having
taught in London. I feel supported just the right amount, and left alone just
the right amount too, to get on and do a good job.There is a good work/life
balance encouraged and modelled at the school; teachers are respected and
treated as professionals. (Jane, early 30s, primary)
What keeps them in the job?
I love the job. I love the diversity and I enjoy the challenges in the job (Barrie, 30-39, secondary
school)
Opportunities to learn more about my subject area, about teaching well, about relating well with students
(growth) (Mac, 31-40, secondary school)
Opportunity to continue learning, and being part of a community that focuses on children. (Isabella, 2530, primary school)
Being able to work alongside teachers and mentor them. My liaison with the university for student
teachers is also rewarding (Robert, 30-39, assistant principal, middle school)
Firstly, the job has its financial benefits after this long, so money keeps me in the job. Otherwise, I enjoy
being with the children and being able to impact positively on their lives - academically and
socially.(Kimberly, 41-50, intermediate)
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But many teachers needed….(1)
 more helpful feedback on their teaching
 more adult collaborative learning
 public recognition of their teaching (not just the “extras”)
 more input into decisions that affected them
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But many teachers needed…. (2)
• their leaders to focus on the right things
There are lots and lots of factors that come into leadership in a school, and perhaps too
many of them are considered too significant and take up too much time and energy when
they’re not actually focused on students and learning.There are lots of distractions out there
in [terms of] quite political aspects and things like that (Ruby, early 30s, secondary
school)
Lack of academic focus from senior management, too much emphasis on the peripheral things
(Degz, 31-40, secondary school)
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•
more consideration of teacher wellbeing
For the last two years there has been a problem with morale, with a general
feeling that the senior management does not have the best interests of the
teachers... sometimes the focus appears to be very strongly on how the school
appears to aesthetically to the community rather than to focussing on real
student achievement. ( Amanda, early 40s, primary)
Teachers needed.... (3)
• time to share teaching knowledge and expertise
We need more release time for senior staff to develop curriculum
because it’s a very busy place and there’s a tendency to revert
back to type, the same old stuff without really having to think about
it, and develop it and come up with some interesting stuff. There’s
quite a bit that could be done but we don’t have time to be that
creative or interesting.
(Degz, 31-40, secondary school)
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Reasons for Leaving ...(1)
 negative
work cultures
There is a “culture of fear” in my school, where some teachers feel afraid to make
even the smallest mistake, for fear of losing their job and perhaps even having
their careers tarnished ... Several teachers have been disciplined unnecessarily and
in a way which has not maintained their mana or dignity, nor even allowed them
to easily move on to another job.
(Ajay, 20-39, secondary school teacher)
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Reasons for leaving... (2)
 excessive administrative demands
Paperwork has increased to phenomenal levels and the focus has moved away
from the students and student learning to maintaining the paper trail which is
not read.
(James, 30-39, ex- intermediate)
 workload
My current role is 35 hours per week and when I go home that’s it. I do the
occasional workshop on evenings or weekends but it is time in lieu.
(Leanna, 41-50, ex-secondary, now in education role with City
Council)
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Reasons for leaving... (3)
 lack of work-life balance
You need to have a life if you’re going to be an effective teacher. You can’t live the job, it is one of
those jobs you could work 24 hours in a day and still have things to do. That’s what it feels like
but I can’t effectively teach my kids how to live a proper life if I’m not living one myself … at the
end of the day it is a job, it’s a very important job but it is a job and you need to have a life
(Donald, early 30s, ex-primary school)
 teaching did not meet their career goals
I think I could have remained as a teacher longer if I had more of a challenge and if I could see
avenues for promotion. I did however love the students and the staff.
(Elizabeth, early 30s, ex-secondary)
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Reasons for leaving... (4)
 loss of commitment
I did envisage myself as a professional and getting as good as I could at my job …
I don’t coach sport any more—I’m starting to catch that cynical disease that
teachers get. Most days I’m out of there between 3.30 pm to 4.30 pm and I get to
school around 8.15 am. If I really wanted to do my job with a high level of
effectiveness, I’d be there earlier. But I’d rather leave at 4.00 pm and go to the
gym.
(Ajay, early 30s, secondary)
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Experiences of leadership
 A management unit or release time was generally the only form of
support provided
 Little specific mentoring for leadership roles
 general advice when needed (14)
 significant mentoring for leadership roles (5)
 primary teachers more likely to have received
formal mentoring
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Supported aspiring leaders ...
 had principals who:
 focused leadership practices on learning
 encouraged sharing of evidence-based research findings
 set aside time for adults to work together/learn
 provided good models of leadership
 encouraged staff to extend their horizons
He’s [principal] always provoking that next level of thinking in you and [he] doesn’t just
accept the first response. I mean, he does that with everyone … And I guess it seems, looking
back now, that he’s always had his eye on the next step for me. He saw that developing my
leadership knowledge was where I really needed to go, and it’s been hugely beneficial.
(Robert, intermediate school DP, early 30s)
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Supported aspiring leaders had
opportunities to:
 participate in professional networks outside school
 lead other teachers (mentoring curriculum contracts)
 engage in formal learning
 learn how to coach and mentor
One thing that came out of that [study] was the value of listening and
using questioning effectively. Being an active listener is much more
challenging than I appreciated before and I think now I’m much better at
it.(Ruby, early 30s, secondary teacher)
Therefore they were more likely to stay interested in
leadership roles
Case studies – Tan and Gary
Unsupported emerging leaders:
 were left to sink or swim
 were not able to lead in the ways they wanted, e.g.
You have to tell them what to do...
 felt that they were unable to be effective in both teaching
and leadership roles
 experienced conflict about their role
What do you do if intellectually and professionally you disagree with it
[school decisions] and you think it is the wrong path?
Could I stand up as a leader and be part of it?
Steven (Secondary HOD)
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 Lost interest in pursuing further leadership roles
I used to have ambitions to eventually seek a senior leadership
role, at AP or DP level. However as my career has progressed
that desire has died in the face of 1) a belief that I’m of greater
value to the education system doing what I’m already doing, 2) a
crisis of confidence that I could actually ever undertake such
roles, and 3) a realisation that it’s not what you know. It’s who you
know if one wishes to ‘get on’
(Steven, 30-39 HOD secondary)
What is needed system-wide to sustain teacher
enthusiasm?
From schools...
 positive working environments(especially mentoring)
 recognition for contributions
 better management of workloads
 involvement of teachers in school decisions
 alignment between decisions and resourcing
From others ...
 change “negative and combative public discourse” around education and
teachers’ work
 increase incentives e.g. teacher scholarships, sabbaticals....
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What is needed system-wide to expand
teacher expertise?
From schools ...
 observing good models
 useful feedback on teaching
 time to work with colleagues
 strategic decisions about professional learning
 opportunities for self directed learning
 encouragement to join professional associations & external
networks
What is needed system-wide to expand
teacher expertise? (2)
From others ...
 working with teachers from other schools
 collaborative teacher research (resourced) with universities
 financial acknowledgement for increases in teacher knowledge
What is needed system-wide to support the next
generation of leaders?
Schools...
 build and retain capacity and capability to mentor staff at all levels
 annual career planning support
 financial support for leadership course fees
 on-the-job mentoring for leadership roles
 tutor teacher
 mentor teacher for PRTs
 project or team leadership
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What is needed system-wide to support the
next generation of leaders?
Schools....
 develop a school leadership reference library
 formal responsibility in job description for mentoring of new
teachers and leaders
 skill development for mentors e.g. QLC for mentors with an
external facilitator
 allocated time
What is needed system-wide to support the
next generation of leaders?
From others...
 career long leadership support programmes (equitable access) to
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cater for each type of leadership role
funded places on leadership development programmes
expanded opportunities for principal development
improve working conditions for school leaders
access to leadership libraries and web links for personal study
Key conclusions
 It is wasteful to ignore those with potential for leadership
 Who has responsibility for growing the next generation of leaders?
- individuals can only do so much
- schools can only do so much
- external agencies (e.g. MOE) can only do so much
 Strong and positive relationships required between all sectors
 Collective and shared agendas for action required
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