Effective Teaching and Standards for Teaching: A Loose Coupling

Abstract

Performance management with teacher appraisal has become mandatory in England and New Zealand. In England there is a single set of comprehensive standards that function as statutory requirements for initial teacher education and certification as a qualified teacher. In New Zealand we have programme requirements for initial teacher education that are not aligned with either the standards for registration or the standards in employment contracts. Moreover in New Zealand the standards are not legal requirements, eg. when recommendations are being made for registration, the Teachers Council’s standards are regarded as indicators of the factors that could be considered. The assumption seems to be that the more coherent and rigorous approach in England will be associated with more effective teaching. This article argues why this may not be the case, and calls for the involvement of teachers and researchers in the development of standards for teacher education and teaching, and the implementation of methods for evaluating teachers’ practice.