Labour turnover

Educator voices are central to developing a better understanding of the challenges schools face, and any potential solutions. An Australian study looks at teacher readiness and attributes from the perspective of principals in hard-to-staff schools.

The annual Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) report on the number of schools, students and staff across Australia in 2023 has been released. In this infographic, we look at some of the latest figures and compare them to the same figures recorded for 2022.

You may have experienced it as a teacher, or a school leader – out-of-field teaching remains a big issue. Professor Merrilyn Goos and Professor Linda Hobbs join Teacher editor Jo Earp for a special podcast episode to talk about the current situation in Australia, challenges and possible solutions.

Did the COVID-19 pandemic affect public perceptions of teachers and the teaching profession, and how were their views and beliefs influenced by media coverage? Researchers in the UK have been exploring these questions, and their findings offer some interesting insights into how society values the profession, and the impact this has on teacher mental health and wellbeing.

In our first reader submission of the new year, Dr Rebecca J Collie shares findings from her latest study showing the link between teacher motivation, wellbeing and retention, and how this can help school leaders support staff.

A growing number of school leaders across Australia are reporting problems with unfilled teacher vacancies. The Australian Education Union’s annual ‘State of our Schools Survey’ includes a question for principals on teacher shortages. In the latest survey, 9 out of 10 principals reported experiencing a shortage of teachers in the last year – more than triple the rate in 2015. Find out more in this infographic.

Australian Bureau of Statistics analysis of 2021 Australian Census data includes insights into how the teacher workforce has changed over the last 40 years. In this infographic, we share how the distribution of teachers by age and sex has changed over the past 40 years.

The Australian School Education Leaders Sentiment Index, by Slade Group, explores the priorities and drivers for school leaders when considering a new role. It draws on findings from interviews and a survey with 60 principals, from which 5 key themes emerged. Find out more in our latest infographic.

‘The default assumption has been that being a generalist is what primary school teachers prefer, or else they would have become secondary teachers.’ In our latest reader submission, Dr James Russo shares the findings of a study asking generalist early years teachers at schools in 2 Australian states if they’d rather be subject specialists.

Quality improvement in early childhood education and care (ECEC) starts with robust data collection. But how data is analysed and utilised in education is crucial to achieving meaningful improvement through evidence-based practice. In this article, we outline 5 further readings which explore data and improvement in Australian ECEC settings, and offer strategies for effective and informed teaching.