What's driving teachers out of the profession and how to stop it

Pervasive teacher shortages are hurting our schools and widening educational inequity.

The pipeline is dwindling.

In the last decade, Australia has seen a 12 per cent decline in people studying teaching at university.

In 2022, overall enrolments in postgraduate teacher education - usually full of career changers - also declined by a whopping 24 per cent over the previous year.

And of those who are graduating as teachers, new research from the e61 Institute highlights that higher-aptitude teachers in NSW are choosing to work in more affluent areas with higher student performance.

It isn't hard to imagine this trend plays out nationwide.

Growing numbers are also leaving the profession. A recent report showed almost half of Australian teachers were contemplating leaving the profession within the next 12 months - a drastic increase from 14 per cent in 2021.

This confluence of persistent teacher shortages, inequitable distribution of teaching talent, and increasing attrition is a triple threat to those students experiencing disadvantage who are already three times more likely to fall behind.

Teachers are the biggest hope we have in shaping student outcomes, more than any other factor.

Yet talented individuals are choosing other options in part due to a lack of support and the emotional exhaustion, workloads, and stress that comes from teaching outside of their expertise.

But what if we could help flip that? Ironically, as teachers leave schools they create a latent workforce of potential coaches.

Coaches that can help support teachers with effective teaching, with their sense of mastery, and with their coping strategies.

Coaches that can lighten the load of in-school mentors who themselves are often over stretched. Coaches that can help schools retain talent and increase student outcomes at the same time.

How can we harness those leaving to turn a vicious cycle into a virtuous one?

We know firsthand at Teach For Australia that ensuring adequate coaching and mentoring support for teachers - especially those early in their career - is the most important investment we can make to help address and navigate these challenges.

Without these support mechanisms, we undermine teachers' effectiveness, sense of purpose and career development opportunities.

And this is backed by research.

A study by The Economic Policy Institute in the US found that teachers were more likely to stay when they had received early assistance through mentorship, participated in a comprehensive induction process and were provided the opportunity for professional development.

Here in Australia, the final 2023 report of the Teacher Education Expert Panel, chaired by Professor Mark Scott, AO, emphasised the need for skilled mentors in initial teacher education to receive professional recognition of the critical role they play.

Teach For Australia's flagship leadership development program offers an employment-based teaching pathway that recruits, trains and supports new teachers and surrounds them with comprehensive coaching and mentoring.

The program addresses entry barriers and teacher turnover by accelerating professional development in both teaching practice and in leadership mindsets.

It also addresses the inequitable distribution of teachers by placing them solely in communities experiencing disadvantage nationwide.

While TFA teachers are not immune to the challenges faced by the education system, the program has had remarkable success in keeping teachers engaged in the profession.

Our retention rates are strong. Historically, 90 per cent of TFA teachers complete their two-year degree whilst simultaneously teaching in high-need schools and subjects.

And they stay in education, with over 85 per cent of alumni (over 1000 teachers since 2010), currently working in the education sector. Seventy per cent of alumni work in schools, 40 per cent of whom have ascended to leadership positions.

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This is in comparison to mainstream initial teacher education pathways, where only 69 per cent of postgraduates and 49 per cent of undergraduates complete initial teacher education. The number who go on to then teach is likely to be even less.

We know firsthand that our strong retention - over the two years and beyond - is in large part due to the innovative way we support, through multi-pronged mentoring and coaching which guides new teachers through everything from challenging classroom dynamics to managing administrative tasks and lesson planning.

Amidst national teacher shortages, increasing investment in proven strategies that embed mentoring and wrap-around support for new teachers is crucial for improved student outcomes.

By adopting models that foster a supportive environment for our teachers, we will be creating a more attractive value proposition to not only attract great talent but also keep them.

In line with recommendations in Strong Beginnings: Report of the Teacher Education Expert Panel, federal and state governments should commit to sustaining and growing employment-based pathways that have robust support models, to retain early career educators and attract more.

As the oldest, largest, and only national program of its kind, Teach For Australia is keen to share our model and insights to support both teachers in schools and the teacher education sector that helps prepare them.

Empowered and supported teachers can then get on with doing what they do best: igniting the potential of our students so they can have greater choice for their future.