LEVELS OF AUTONOMY OF TEACHERS

AND RESPONSIBILITIES Policies and Measures

Promoting creativity and Innovation – Schools’ response to the Challenges of Future Societies

Slovenian Presidency of the European Union

9-10 april 2008, Bdro pri Kranju

Arlette Delhaxhe, European Unit of Eurydice

Nathalie Mons, Université de Grenoble II, France

COVERAGE

• 30 countries of the Eurydice network

• Data collection at central level

• ISCED 1 and ISCED 2

• Public sector

• School year 2006/2007

MAIN AREAS COVERED2006/07

• Historical overview of education policies

• Levels of autonomy in educational matters

• Working time and duties

• CPD : Requirements and opportunities

• Teacher participation in reforms

• Accountability and incentives

STRUCTURE

• Teachers’ new responsibilities and innovation, such as:– Pedagogical autonomy and personalisation of teaching

– Continuing Professional Development

– …

• What are the impact and means for these new responsibilities?

I. Teachers’ new responsibilities/duties and innovation

New responsibilities and search for quality

• Over the last 2 decades, more responsibilities assigned to teachers

• Many causes– Decentralization and school autonomy– New social missions entrusted to schools– The search for enhanced performances of

educational systems, triggered by national and international assessments (PISA)

4 pillars in this search for enhanced quality

– Pedagogical autonomy and personalisation of teaching

– Continuing Professional Development

– Teamwork and the sharing of experience and knowledge

– Teacher participation in reforms and educational innovation

New pedagogical autonomy

• Historically, centralized curriculum in most european countries

• Since 90’s, new pedagogical autonomy in developing school syllabi

• Benefits expected : - Better differentiated education provision- development of teachers’ creativity and ability to innovate (engagement and motivation)

Figure 1.1: Dates of major reforms that have increased the pedagogical autonomy of teachers (ISCED 1 and 2) between 1950 and 2007

Measures taken to increase educational autonomy

(:) BG and IE

Source: Eurydice.

New obligations for Continuing personal development

• CPD : an opportunity to enhance innovation

• CPD considered as a professional duty in 20 european countries

• Very few countries where CDP is optional and has no impact on career or individual level of salaries

Figure 4.1: Status of continuing professional development for teachers,ISCED 1 and 2, 2006/07

Professional duty

Optional, but necessary for promotion

Optional

Source: Eurydice.

Level of responsibility at central level

Figure 4.3: Establishment of a training plan for the continuing professional development of teachers, ISCED 1 and 2, 2006/07

Level of responsibility at school or local level

No explicit training plan

Data not available

Source: Eurydice.

Teamwork

• In most EU countries, teamwork promoted through legislation or guidelines

• A requirement in more and more countries

• Specially in school-wide curriculum planning

Teamwork on school-wide curriculum planning,ISCED 1 and 2, 2006/07

Required

Variable depending on the institution

Not applicable

Data not available

Source: Eurydice.

Teacher participation in reforms and educational innovation

• Grass-roots initiatives and suggestions for future reforms

• Teacher involvement through : – a) large-scale consultations

– b) pilot projects : • « Pedagogical Test gardens » in Belgium (nl)• Involvement of teachers in research in Finland• « Demonstration school system » in Norway

II. What are the impact and means for these new teachers’ responsibilities/duties?

Constraints to pedagogical autonomy

• Research : no strong evidence of relations between school autonomy and innovation

• In countries with historical pedagogical autonomy, movement towards more centralization (development of standards…) : effectiveness and equality at school

Figure 1.1: Dates of major reforms that have increased or decreased the autonomy of teachers (ISCED 1 and 2) between 1950 and 2007

Measures taken to increase educational autonomy

Measures taken to decrease educational autonomy

(:) BG and IE

Source: Eurydice.

Figure 2.1a: School autonomy regarding the content of the compulsory minimum curriculum, ISCED 1 and 2, 2006/07

Full autonomy

Limited autonomy

No autonomy

Source: Eurydice.

CPD

• What are the means for CPD ?

• What are the consequences of teacher engagement in CPD activities ?

Figure 4.2: Minimum annual time (in hours) that teachers have to spend on continuing professional development, ISCED 1 and 2, 2006/07

No time indications

Source: Eurydice.

ISCED 1 and 2

>= 30 hours

< 30 hours

No time indications

Not applicable

Figure 4.4: Incentives for participation by teachers in continuing professional development activities, ISCED 1 and 2, 2006/07

Promotions

Salary increases

No incentives

Source: Eurydice.

Means for teamwork

• In most countries, no statutory definition including TW in working time

• No special premises dedicated to TW

Teachers and educational reforms

• Involvement of teachers on individual basis as experts

• Pilot projects are very limited

• Large-scale consultations are limited

Figure 5.2: Teacher or trade union involvement in curricula reforms, ISCED 1 and 2, 2006/07

Large-scale consultation with teachers

Consultation with teacher trade unions

Low-level participation (individual experts)

Source: Eurydice.

ISCED 2

Conclusion

• By entrusting teachers with new responsibilities, it is hoped the quality of education will be improved, through innovation, amongst other things

• These policies have to be consolidated : – Cannot only be defined in terms of

professional duties– But also in terms of working conditions and

means to match these new responsibilities