Tuesday 28 June 2005
Parents want teachers to be treated as professionals
A new report released today shows that parents want teachers to be treated as professionals and believe paying great
teachers more would raise teaching standards. The reports shows that the current system does not remunerate teachers in
the way parents want.
* A majority of parents (72%) believe teachers who work the hardest and produce the best results should be paid
more than other teachers.
* Less than one quarter of parents (24%) think teachers should get similar pay rises, regardless of their
competence.
* A majority of parents (70%) think that if teachers were paid according to their performance standards would
rise.
The report by Maxim Institute, The Parent Factor: Valuing teachers, is the second in a series presenting the results of
independent quantitative research carried out by Colmar Brunton in 2004, involving over one thousand New Zealand
parents.
Valuing teachers examines the research around performance-related pay of teachers and finds that what parents want is
both sensible and working overseas.
“New Zealand parents want the best for their children, so it is no surprise that parents want to see teachers valued for
the important work they do and be treated as professionals,” says Maxim Institute Policy Manager Nicki Taylor.
The present centrally controlled and collectively bargained pay structure means that great teachers are not being
rewarded and under-performing teachers have no incentive to improve. Importantly, state schools don’t have the freedom
to factor performance into teacher remuneration.
“New Zealand’s state schooling sector is facing major problems in both recruiting and retaining teachers—where are the
incentives for quality graduates to consider teaching and expert teachers to remain in the classroom?” asks Taylor.
“The current one-size fits all system ignores the fact that communities are diverse and the local schools will have
different needs. Teachers in rural northland face different challenges to teachers in suburban Auckland and schools
should be free to reward excellence in the way that best suits their community,” says Taylor.
“Research shows that quality teaching is one of the most significant factors influencing a child’s schooling. It is
vital that teaching becomes a highly regarded profession if we are to attract the best graduates into it. This can only
happen if excellence is rewarded,” says Nicki Taylor.
ENDS