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NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT ON IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY - PDF
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1 NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT ON IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY Council of Australian Governments An agreement between the Commonwealth of Australia and the States and Territories, being: t t t t t t t t the State of New South Wales; the State of Victoria; the State of Queensland; the State of Western Australia; the State of South Australia; the State of Tasmania; the Australian Capital Territory; and the Northern Territory of Australia This National Partnership Agreement ( the Agreement ) is designed to improve teacher and school leader quality to sustain a quality teaching workforce. Successful implementation of this Agreement will be critical to the achievement of the aspirations, objectives and outcomes set out in the National Education Agreement.
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3 National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality PRELIMINARIES 1. This agreement is created subject to the provisions of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations and should be read in conjunction with that Agreement and subsidiary schedules. In particular, the schedules include direction in respect of performance reporting and payment arrangements. 2. The Parties are committed to addressing the issue of social inclusion, including responding to Indigenous disadvantage. That commitment is embodied in the objectives and outcomes of this agreement. However, the Parties have also agreed other objectives and outcomes - for example, in the National Indigenous Reform Agreement - which the Parties will pursue through the broadest possible spectrum of government action. Consequently, this agreement will be implemented consistently with the objectives and outcomes of all National Agreements and National Partnerships entered into by the Parties Preamble 3. Australian Governments share the objective of raising overall attainment so that all Australian school students acquire the knowledge and skills to participate effectively in society. 4. The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has identified the achievement of the following five high-level outcomes as key to boosting Australia s participation and productivity: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) all children are engaged in and benefiting from schooling; young people are meeting basic literacy and numeracy standards, and overall levels of literacy and numeracy achievement are improving; schooling promotes social inclusion and reduces the educational disadvantage of children, especially indigenous children; Australian students excel by international standards; and young people make a successful transition from school to work and further study. 5. This National Partnership Agreement contributes to achieving the objectives, outcomes and targets for schooling under the COAG participation and productivity agenda, the National Education Agreement, and the 2008 National Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. Page 3
4 National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality 6. This National Partnership Agreement has been established to drive and reward systemic reforms to improve the quality of teaching and leadership in Australian schools. 7. The Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership (NP) aims to deliver system-wide reforms targeting critical points in the teacher lifecycle to attract, train, place, develop and retain quality teachers and leaders in our schools and classrooms. It also has a specific focus on professional development and support for principals. 8. This Agreement aims to address the significant challenges Australia faces to maintain the quality of its teaching workforce. 9. The system-wide reforms delivered by this Agreement provide the platform for raising student performance and build the foundation necessary to underpin other schools reforms endorsed by COAG. 10. This Agreement provides a multilateral framework for the National Partnership on improving Teacher Quality. The Agreement sets out the NP s objectives, outcomes and outputs; the roles and responsibilities of each party; the NP s performance reporting arrangements; and financial and governance arrangements. PART 1 FORMALITIES Parties to this Agreement 11. In entering this Agreement, the Commonwealth and the States and Territories ( the States ) recognise that they have a mutual interest and shared responsibility in improving educational outcomes in the area of principal, teacher and school leader quality and supporting reforms to achieve those outcomes. (a) Individual States can elect not to participate in this Agreement. In that case, the Commonwealth may negotiate separate agreements with the non-government sectors in those States using the proportion of Commonwealth funding allocated to those States through the funding methodology. The proportion of funding allocated to those States as a result of government full-time equivalent (FTE) teaching staff data will be set aside for participating States using the allocation method. (b) States may seek Commonwealth agreement to participate in the Agreement for part of its life. In this case, the State funding will be determined by the reform ambition set out in the Implementation Plan. 12. The Commonwealth and States will work together to bring the non-government sector into this NP. States will invite non-government sector authorities to participate in this NP. These authorities will be involved in the design, operation and evaluation of State Implementation Plans. (a) As a last resort, where effective non-government participation in these Plans cannot be secured, the Commonwealth may establish separate Improving Teacher Quality Agreements with non-government authorities. Page 4
5 Term of the Agreement National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality 13. This Agreement will commence on 1 January 2009 or as soon as the Commonwealth and one other Party signs the agreement. The Agreement will expire on 31 December 2013, or earlier, as agreed in writing by all the contracting Parties. 14. Bilateral Agreements between the Commonwealth and participating authorities will commence as soon as they are signed, or at a date to be agreed in writing by the Parties. Purpose of the Agreement 15. This Agreement provides an agreed multilateral framework for the NP on Improving Teacher Quality. (a) This framework sets out the NP s objectives, outcomes, outputs, reform menu; and reporting, financial and governance arrangements. It also provides guidance for the development by participating States of Implementation Plans. These Plans will be agreed with the Commonwealth and form the basis of Bilateral Agreements. Delegations 16. The Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations is authorised to: (a) (b) agree the Bilateral Agreements on behalf of the Commonwealth; and certify that facilitation payments may be made to the States. 17. Subject to the provision of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations, and the independent assessment of the COAG Reform Council, the Commonwealth will certify that reward payments may be made to the States on the achievement of performance benchmarks specified in the Bilateral Agreements. 18. Ministers for Education are authorised to agree the Bilateral Agreements on behalf of their State or Territory. Interpretation 19. This National Partnership is created subject to the provisions of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations and its schedules, and should be read in conjunction with them. 20. Unless otherwise specified, the following terms and definitions are used throughout this Agreement: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) Agreement means National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality. Bilateral Agreement means the Agreement negotiated bilaterally between the Commonwealth and each State and Territory. Implementation Plan means State and Territory specific Implementation Plans. Facilitation reform means a reform funded through facilitation expenditure. Reward reform means a reform eligible for a reward payment. Page 5
6 National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) Co-investment means funding contributed by a State government, non-government education authority or non-government school towards this Agreement which may include new funding from 2008, existing and/or redirected/reallocated funding that increases the total funding available for teacher quality reforms. Quality Placements means the facilitation reform Quality Placements for the Practical Component of Teacher Education Courses. School Centres means the facilitation reform School Centres for Teacher Education Excellence. New Pathways means the facilitation reform New Pathways to teaching for top nonteaching graduates. Better Pathways means the facilitation reform Better Pathways to Teaching for professionals, teaching assistants, and other mature-age entrants. PART 2 OBJECTIVES, OUTCOMES AND OUTPUTS Objectives 21. This Agreement supports ambitious, nationally-significant reforms, which underpin other national initiatives to improve schooling. The reforms provide the platform for raising student performance and build the foundation necessary to underpin other school reforms endorsed by COAG. 22. The objectives and outcomes of this Agreement will be achieved through a number of facilitation and reward reforms. 23. To the extent they contribute to the objectives and outcomes of the National Education Agreement, or relate to reward payments for achieving pre-determined milestones and performance benchmarks, these reforms will be monitored or assessed by the COAG Reform Council. Through this Agreement, the Parties commit to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) improving the quality of teaching and leadership, with a specific focus on principals, in Australian schools and maintaining a quality teaching workforce; working towards achieving improvement in high-level outcomes for schooling agreed by COAG and in the proposed new National Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians; achieving sustained improvements in educational outcomes that would align with those in the National Education Agreement; supporting and achieving innovation and reform; fostering the dissemination of bestpractices through independent monitoring and evaluation; and contributing to COAG s social inclusion and Indigenous disadvantage agendas through the identification of reforms and models of service delivery that achieve improved educational outcomes. Outcomes 24. The Agreement will contribute to the following outcomes: Page 6
7 National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality (a) (b) attracting the best entrants to teaching, including mid-career entrants; more effectively training principals, teachers and school leaders for their roles and the school environment; (c) placing teachers and principals to minimise skill shortages and enhance retention ; (d) (e) (f) developing teachers and school leaders to enhance their skills and knowledge throughout their careers; retaining and rewarding quality principals, teachers and school leaders; and improving the quality and availability of teacher workforce data. 25. Implementation Plans, and the Bilateral Agreements they will relate to, also include any additional agreed outcomes, outputs and performance indicators. Outputs 26. The Agreement will contribute to the following outputs: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) New professional standards to underpin national reforms; Recognition and reward for quality teaching; A framework to guide professional learning for principals, teachers and school leaders; National accreditation of pre-service teacher education courses; National consistency in teacher registration; National consistency in accreditation/certification of Accomplished and Leading Teachers; Improved mobility of the Australian teaching workforce; Joint engagement with higher education to provide improved pre-service teacher education; new pathways into teaching; and data collection to inform continuing reform action and workforce planning; Improved performance management in schools for teachers and school leaders; and Enhanced school-based teacher quality reforms. 27. The outputs for reward reforms are outlined in Schedule B. The level of reward payments will recognise scope, breadth and depth of the reform achieved and will be reflected in the Bilateral Agreements. PART 3 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF EACH PARTY 28. To realise the objectives and commitments in this Agreement, each Party has specific roles and responsibilities, as outlined below. Page 7
8 National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality Shared Roles of the Commonwealth and States and Territories 29. Elements that require joint effort from the Commonwealth and States and Territories will be progressed and monitored by the Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) and COAG. 30. The Commonwealth and the States and Territories will share responsibility for: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) contributing to the development and delivery of the joint national elements of the facilitation reforms; ensuring that the non-government school authorities participate appropriately in this National Partnership Agreement; developing and implementing the nationally agreed and endorsed National Professional Teacher Standards Framework and certification/accreditation process for teachers and school leaders; implementing the nationally agreed and endorsed teacher registration process; implementing a standards-based national framework for principals, teacher and school leader professional learning; developing Implementation Plans for facilitation and reward reforms, which include, but are not limited to, the proposed implementation approach, budget, timeline, and milestones; monitoring achievements against Implementation Plans and providing information to the COAG Reform Council; ensuring the accreditation of pre-service teacher courses in line with national standards and the nationally agreed process including providing feedback to higher education providers on graduate quality; and facilitating the sharing of best-practice case studies, materials and resources. Role of the Commonwealth 31. The Commonwealth will have responsibility for: (a) (b) (c) allocating funding, as set out in Part 5 of this Agreement and elaborated in Bilateral Agreements; funding an interim evaluation of the Agreement by 30 November 2011 and joint evaluations of specific reforms as agreed; and agreed complementary interventions that might be appropriate to support this Agreement, State Implementation Plans and Bilateral Agreements. Role of the States and Territories 32. The Bilateral Agreements will provide the detail of State responsibilities. States and Territories will be responsible for ensuring full and timely implementation of reforms as set out in these Agreements. 33. The States will have responsibility for: Page 8
9 National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality (a) (b) (c) providing data to enable assessment of State and Territory reform progress in line with Bilateral Agreements; ensuring full and timely payment of agreed State co-investments, as set out in Bilateral Agreements; and providing reports to the Commonwealth on progress in implementing the agreed reform agenda outlined in Implementation Plans, and associated Bilateral Agreements (as set out in Part 4 of this Agreement). PART 4 PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS AND REPORTING Performance benchmarks and indicators This is a multi-year Agreement which funds States on the basis of the agreed reform programs set out in bilateral agreements. The appropriate performance benchmarks, therefore, are the achievement by States of specific reform milestones. 34. The reforms required to attract facilitation payments are set out in the following table. This table also provides examples of indicative actions for each identified reform. These examples are not exhaustive. (a) States agree to implement all facilitation reforms. The level and nature of reforms and outputs will be specified in the Bilateral Agreements. Elements of the reforms will be national in nature and funding will be provided through facilitation expenditure. Facilitation Reforms World leading professional development and support which will empower principals to better manage their schools to achieve improved student results and higher quality to lead performance improvement at the local level. New pathways into teaching. Better pathways into teaching. Indigenous education pathways. Indicative actions $50 million is specifically allocated for this reform. Priority actions will be agreed between the Commonwealth and States and could include both national, state and local level initiatives. Encourage target groups to enrol in teacher education courses with targeted national competitive scholarships. Attract top non-education graduates to commit to teaching, especially in hard-to-staff schools. Ease entry barriers for mid-career professionals. Build professional pathways for Indigenous people and Indigenous Education Workers who wish to progress to teaching. Page 9
10 National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality New professional standards to underpin national reforms. Nationally agreed process for accrediting/ certifying Accomplished and Leading Teachers. Joint engagement with higher education providers to improve teacher quality. Establish quality placements for teacher education courses. Establish School Centres of Excellence. Improved mobility of the Australian teaching workforce. Improved quality and availability of teacher workforce data. Improved performance management and continuous improvement in schools (linked to the professional learning and national standards). National Teacher Professional Standards Framework for teachers and school leader standards, including at the Accomplished and Leading Teacher levels. Standards-based national framework for teacher and school leader professional learning. National consistency in pre-service teacher education course accreditation. Partnerships with Higher Education providers to support ongoing professional development. National consistency in the initial registration of graduate teachers. Establish research framework to track teacher education graduates and capture workforce data. Establish/build on existing performance and development systems, cultures and support mechanisms to promote continuous improvement. National mapping of performance management practices. 35. Performance benchmarks and indicators related to selected reward reforms will be specified in the Bilateral Agreements and reflected in the Implementation Plans. 36. An indicative list of Performance Indicators for the facilitation reforms is at Schedule A. A final list of Performance Indicators will be agreed by February Achievement of the agreed performance benchmarks for reward reforms (reform milestones) will be assessed for each State and Territory by the COAG Reform Council. Bilateral Agreements and Implementation Plans 38. To achieve the objectives of this agreement, the Parties will agree Bilateral Agreements that are based on State and Territory Implementation Plans. Implementation Plans 39. States opting to participate in this Agreement are agreeing to participate in all of the facilitation reforms and will develop Implementation Plans which, as a minimum will: (a) (b) (c) outline how they will contribute to the development and delivery of all facilitation reform elements; select from the reward reform menu (at Schedule B) and describe how the selected reward reforms, and other relevant state-based initiatives that deliver significant outcomes will be implemented; and explain how this Agreement will link to other education related National Partnership Agreements the State chooses to participate in, which may include the Agreement on Low Socio-Economic Status School Communities and the Literacy and Numeracy Agreement. Page 10
11 Bilateral Agreements National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality 40. Implementation Plans will form the basis of Bilateral Agreements to be concluded between participating States and the Commonwealth. At a minimum, Bilateral Agreements will set out the agreed: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) Commonwealth facilitation payments and State co-investments to be made in support of these reforms; reform priorities and how the selected reward reforms will be implemented; clear and measurable reform milestones which are assessed by the COAG Reform Council as the basis for reward reform payments; outcome-related performance indicators including State-specific indicators that might be agreed in addition to those set out in this (multilateral) Agreement; monitoring and reporting arrangements to track State implementation of agreed reforms, State co-investments and reform milestones; and any auditing arrangements that Parties consider necessary to ensure the terms of Bilateral Agreements are being complied with. Reporting 41. Reporting under this National Partnership will comply with the requirements of Schedule C to the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations. 42. The States will each report to the Commonwealth against the performance benchmarks (reform milestones) and timelines, as detailed in the Bilateral Agreements and Implementation Plans. Summary reports will also be published. Evaluation 43. The Commonwealth will provide funding to evaluate the progress of reforms implemented through this NP. The evaluation will support program management and monitoring efforts and will inform the COAG Productivity Agenda Working Group (or successor body) on the success of the reforms and how best to sustain them. PART 5 FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS Funding 44. The total funding envelope for this Agreement is $550 million. Page 11
12 National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality Table 2: Notional State and Territory Funding, by financial year year total $m Share $m Share $m Share $m Share $m Share $m NSW VIC QLD WA SA TAS ACT NT Total Note: Facilitation has been distributed between States based on their share of the national FTE for teaching staff as available from ABS Schools, Australia 2007 and Reward funding distributed on an equal per capita basis as per finance tips on Costings for Commonwealth Representatives on COAG Working Groups, 13 October. Total funding amount is $550 million, made up of $444 million direct to States and Territories, with $106 million retained by the Australian Government ($50 million to support principals personal development and $56 million to support joint national activity). 45. This NP will deliver, through a specific commitment of $50 million, world leading professional development and support which will empower principals to manage better their schools to achieve improved student results and higher quality to lead performance improvement at the local level. 46. The $50 million provided for principals' professional development and support will be held centrally, pending decisions on specific initiatives to be implemented, including through the States. 47. This indicative share has been determined on the basis of State shares of the national Full-Time Equivalent teaching staff data calculated from ABS Schools, Australia 2007 with adjustment to take account of issues such as remoteness and the need for minimum support, to deliver reforms (for example in States with a small share of FTE teaching staff, allocation based solely on FTE may result in insufficient support to deliver reforms). 48. It is anticipated that total investments by the Commonwealth and each jurisdiction would, over the life of this NP, cover the agreed costs of reforms in the State Implementation Plans government and non-government. Participating non-government schools will contribute to these costs, including through new funding from 2008, existing and/or redirected/reallocated funding that increase the total funding available to non-government teacher quality reforms. These contributions will offset, in part, any State contributions to these schools underthis NP.. Payment schedule 49. Payments will be authorised by the Commonwealth Treasurer on the advice of the Commonwealth Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. 50. In the first year Commonwealth facilitation payments will be scheduled on signing. Subsequent payments will be made once participating States have met agreed reform milestones (for example reform commitments that attracted earlier Commonwealth facilitation payments) and complied with their co-investment obligations. Provisions governing this approval process will be included in Bilateral Agreements. Page 12
13 National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality 51. The Commonwealth will make reward payments to the States in accordance with a schedule reflecting the achievement of reform milestones identified in the Bilateral Agreements and assessed by the COAG Reform Council. This schedule will be set out in the Bilateral Agreements. 52. Bilateral agreements will detail how States propose to distribute Commonwealth facilitation payments, State co-investments and contributions from participating non-government schools. PART 6 GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS Dispute resolution 53. Any Party may give notice to other Parties of a dispute under this Agreement. 54. The relevant delegates will attempt to resolve any dispute in the first instance. 55. If a dispute cannot be resolved it may be referred by a Party to COAG for consideration. Variation of the Agreement 56. The agreement may be amended at any time by agreement in writing by all the Parties and under terms and conditions as agreed by all the Parties. 57. A Party to the Agreement may terminate their participation in the Agreement at any time by notifying all other Parties in writing. 58. Termination of a Party s participation in this Agreement will also terminate the Bilateral Agreements that the Party has concluded. Page 13
14 The Parties have confirmed their commitment to this agreement as follows: Signed for and on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia by The Honourable Kevin Rudd MP Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia January 2009 Signed for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales by Signed for and on behalf of the State of Victoria by The Honourable Nathan Rees MP Premier of the State of New South Wales December 2008 The Honourable John Brumby MP Premier of the State of Victoria December 2008 Signed for and on behalf of the State of Queensland by Signed for and on behalf of the State of Western Australia by The Honourable Anna Bligh MP Premier of the State of Queensland December 2008 The Honourable Colin Barnett MP Premier of the State of Western Australia December 2008 Signed for and on behalf of the State of South Australia by Signed for and on behalf of the State of Tasmania by The Honourable Mike Rann MP Premier of the State of South Australia December 2008 The Honourable David Bartlett MP Premier of the State of Tasmania December 2008 Signed for and on behalf of the Australian Capital Territory by Signed for and on behalf of the Northern Territory by Jon Stanhope MLA Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory December 2008 The Honourable Paul Henderson MLA Chief Minister of the Northern Territory of Australia December 2008
24 Schedule A Indicative performance indicators NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT ON IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY Table A1: Indicative Performance Indicators Facilitation reforms World leading professional development and support which will empower principals to better manage their schools to achieve improved student results and higher quality to lead performance improvement at the local level New pathways into teaching Better pathways into teaching Indigenous education pathways New professional standards to underpin national reforms Joint engagement with higher education providers to improve teacher quality Establish quality placements for teacher education courses Establish School Centres of Excellence Indicative Performance Indicators Number of principals undertaking professional development and receiving support targeted at improving school performance Reported shortages of teachers with specialist skills. Number of graduates retained in schools after completion of Better Pathways programs. Number of Pathways into Teaching for Indigenous Education Workers graduates retained in schools. Number of Indigenous Education Workers applying to the PTIEW. Nationally-agreed and endorsed teacher professional standards developed and implemented Nationally-agreed and endorsed processes for pre-service teacher education course accreditation developed and implemented. Number of trained mentors. Attrition rates of early career teachers. Number of School Centres of Excellence in operation. Page A-16
25 National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality Facilitation reforms Improved mobility of the Australian teaching workforce Improved quality and availability of teacher workforce data Improved performance management and continuous improvement in schools (linked to the professional learning and national standards) Indicative Performance Indicators Nationally-agreed and endorsed processes for teacher registration of graduate teachers developed and implemented. Nationally-agreed and endorsed process for certifying/accrediting Accomplished and Leading Teachers developed and implemented. Number of Accomplished and Leading Teachers and number appointed to disadvantaged, Indigenous, rural/remote and hard-to-staff schools. Number of new (for example to a school) and beginning (for example to teaching as a career) teachers and principals participating in induction programs. Longitudinal Teacher Workforce Study conducted, maintained and used for workforce planning. Framework to guide professional learning for teachers and school leaders implemented. Number of teachers trained in best practice performance management practices. Establishment of/improvement in performance and development systems, cultures and support in all schools. Page A-17
27 Schedule B Reward Reform Indicative Achievements NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT ON IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY B1 The reward reforms are set out in the following table. Reward payments will be based on achievement against each reward assessed by the COAG Reform Council. This table provides examples of achievements to be demonstrated by the States against each reform and does not constitute an exhaustive list. Further details of the selected reform activity and related achievements to be undertaken by the States will be specified in the Bilateral Agreements and reflected in the Implementation Plans. Table B1: Reward Reform Indicative Achievements Reward Reform Improved pay dispersion to reward quality teaching Improved reward structures for teachers and leaders who work in disadvantaged Indigenous, rural/remote and hard-to-staff schools Improved in-school support for teachers and leaders, particularly in disadvantaged Indigenous, rural/remote and hard-to-staff schools Increased school-based decision-making about recruitment, staffing mix and budget Indicative Achievements Creation of new staffing classifications for high quality teachers Demonstrated rewards for high quality teachers Teachers are actively playing a role in developing other staff, for example: - acting as Teacher Fellows, instructional leaders and/or mentors for other teachers within their school. Newly developed alternative career/salary pathways for teachers, principals and other school leaders Demonstrated reorganisation of work teams into multidisciplinary teams, with clear differentiation between the work to be directly undertaken by teachers and other tasks, which could be undertaken by teaching assistants and/or subject matter experts in support roles Demonstrated improvement of in-school support for high-performing teachers and school leaders, including preparation/induction programs, and use of expert coaches and mentors. Devolution of some decisions about the staffing mix and recruitment to school leaders Allocation of an increased proportion of salaries budgets to the school level
28 National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality Reward Reform Continual improvement program for all teachers Indigenous teachers and school leaders engagement with community members Indicative Achievements Entry testing for new teaching recruits to identify suitability and professional development needs Performance and development systems and cultures in all schools Demonstrated use of training to support performance and development cultures in all schools Improved induction programs for new and beginning teachers and principals Learning accounts for teachers, to support their participation in high quality, content-based professional development Delivery of innovative best-practice, evidence-based professional learning, resources and materials (including via online delivery) that are shared nationally Establishment of mentor training for Accomplished and Leading teachers to facilitate expanded involvement by them in mentoring programs Active partnerships between high and low performing schools to enable teachers to share knowledge of best practice approaches, with a particular focus on inclassroom practices Partnerships with Higher Education providers that support ongoing professional development Increased teaching assistant positions in schools to support the work of teachers, and to facilitate: teachers access to professional development; implementation of innovative classroom practice; and 1:1 or small group support for students. Increased numbers of Indigenous teachers and school leaders Facilitation of school leaders and specialist Indigenous teachers engagement with community members, for example, increased demand for education, increased family literacy levels and better support for parents Page B-20