The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) welcomes the current emphasis on improving teacher capability.
Yesterday the Coalition pledged $20 million to equip teachers with knowledge, skills and resources, using evidence-based teaching approaches to support student progress and achievement.
NCEC Executive Director Jacinta Collins said there are long-standing concerns from schools and teachers tired of the so-called “lesson lottery” — where learning suffers due to inconsistent curriculum delivery and insufficient support.
“Grattan Institute refers to the ‘lesson lottery’ to describe where learning has failed because governments have underestimated the support teachers need for effective curriculum planning,” Ms Collins said.
“There is a need to equip teachers with resources and professional development for consistent, high-impact instruction, especially in literacy and numeracy.
“Catholic Education identified this need several years ago and has been working to develop resources. One example is the partnership with Ochre Education to create the successful Mastery in Mathematics initiative, aligned to our strategic goal to support the continual improvement of educational outcomes for all students. The resources are openly available to all teachers in Australia.
“This project has been supported by the federal government through the Workload Reduction Fund.
“We were overwhelmed by demand from all school sectors for these resources, showing the urgent need for high-quality, practical materials that improve teaching across the board.
“We recognise that work is underway across many States and Territories to develop and implement teaching resources. The National Online Learning Services Group is now working with Education Services Australia to bring together a central source of high-quality mathematics and literacy resources for all teachers to access.
“Catholic education would be pleased to support, or lead further development of quality-assured, evidence-based teaching resources to be made available across all educational sectors, ensuring a national uplift of teaching practices.
“Additionally, we welcome the Coalition’s commitment to ensure access to any new program is sector blind, including removing the discrimination in the existing Commonwealth Teacher Scholarships.
“Catholic education has long advocated for equitable access to teacher workforce initiatives across all school sectors.”
Catholic education looks forward to continued collaboration with governments to ensure every student benefits from a strong, well-supported education system.