By Animesh Priya and Sameer Sampat

The Teacher Task Force created thematic groups to build on members’ expertise and support efforts to improve teachers’ status and the quality of teaching and learning. In March 2021, the TTF formed a new thematic group on school leadership. The group, co-led by the Varkey Foundation and Global School Leaders, is based on a growing recognition of the key role played by school leaders in supporting teachers to provide quality education. This blog was contributed by Global School Leaders.

The role of school leaders in fostering quality teaching

Teachers are the most important in-school factor when it comes to learning. Yet improving teacher quality has been a vexing problem for education systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Our organization, Global School Leaders, works to strengthen leadership at school level as a means to improve the quality of teaching that students receive.  

To understand school leaders’ current approaches to improving quality teaching, we surveyed principals of 34 schools from India, Indonesia, Kenya, and Malaysia as well as 116 of their teachers and 145 of their students.

We found three important insights for governments, multilateral organizations, civil society organizations, private sector organizations and foundations looking to identify potential solutions to enhance teacher quality.

1. School leaders believing in the universal capacity for all students to learn is key to ensuring an inclusive and equitable learning environment. Our survey showed that 74% of school leaders but only 48% of teachers believe that “all students can learn regardless of the familial background or educational experience”. In schools where the school leader believes all students can learn, the percentage of teachers also holding this belief is nearly 50% higher than in peer schools where the leader does not believe that all students can learn. This indicates that the beliefs of school leaders can greatly influence the attitudes of teachers and foster a more inclusive and equitable learning environment. Ensuring each teacher is supported by an empowering, mission-driven leader is therefore important to foster both teacher and student success.
2. School leaders can provide more opportunities for teachers to grow professionally. Fewer than 40% of teachers surveyed reported receiving monthly observations of their classroom practice by their school leader that lasts at least 5 minutes per visit. Fewer than 50% of teachers reported that their school leaders had carried out monthly in-service capacity-building activities related to improving teacher skills and only 16% stated that they had opportunities to learn from their colleagues. Only 19% of the teachers reported that their school leaders helped solve their classroom problems and 17% of the teachers reported that their school leader provided staff with opportunities to take part in school decision-making and problem-solving. School leaders can function as leaders of professional learning in their schools while also empowering teachers to learn from each other through structures such as teacher professional learning communities.  Improving the quantity and quality of the in-school, practice-based professional development that teachers receive will be critical to motivating and retaining teachers.
3. Teachers recognize that they play an important role in educating learners. School leaders can nurture and grow this recognition to empower their teams. Our survey showed that 75% of teachers believed that they were “ultimately responsible” for their student’s learning at school. Over 60% of teachers believed in their ability to reach the most unmotivated students when they tried. They also believed in their responsibility for both student well-being and academic performance. Similarly, 60% of teachers reported that their students received better grades when they found better ways to teach those students. This supports the notion that teachers recognize the key role they play in ensuring the quality of the education that learners receive. School leaders can utilize this recognition as one tool they can draw on to motivate teachers when they face difficulties. Where this recognition does not exist in the teaching force, school leaders can be instrumental in providing training, practical examples, and guidance to teachers on how to develop this belief. 

Reinforcing the capacity and role of school leaders

We strongly believe in the role that effective school leadership plays in empowering teachers. As part of the next phase in this project, we will track school leaders’ and teachers’ evolving responses to these questions to see how they change mindsets and practice as school leaders undertake training programmes designed to allow them to better support their teachers. It is imperative that pre- and in-service school leaders are prepared and trained and given continuous professional development opportunities to reinforce their knowledge and skills. We believe that understanding the detailed actions educators take can help enhance the quality of education.

Join the event

The World Bank in partnership with Global School Leaders is launching a 3 part webinar series on the evolving role of school leaders in the face of crisis management. The gatherings will facilitate south-to-south knowledge sharing across large-scale programs in response to the growing learning crisis, exacerbated by COVID-19. It will bring together academic, government, NGO, and foundation representatives from Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The first session is scheduled for July 21st 8 AM EST. You can register here. Follow GSL here for twitter updates and upcoming information on panelists and future webinars

The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this article do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO and the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization.

Photo credit: Global School Leaders

This is a blog drawing on the conclusions of the 2020 World Teachers' Day fact sheet published by the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030, UNESCO Institute for Statistics and the Global Education Monitoring Report. 

COVID-19 has closed schools around the world, separating students from their teachers and classmates. Even as many teachers attempt a return to some normality, reopening schools and reintegrating students brings its own challenges. 

This World Teachers’ Day (October 5th), we are taking stock of some of the challenges facing teachers and identifying what needs to be done to help them provide quality education for all.

The world needs more teachers

‘Quality education’, the fourth UN Sustainable Development Goal, has never been more important. For all the disruption, the pandemic is also an opportunity. By focusing on educating and energising younger generations, societies can plan a route out of COVID-19 that leads to a better world.

For this we need more qualified teachers. There are already 28 million more teachers worldwide than there were 20 years ago, but this does not meet the demand for the 69 million teachers previously estimated to ensure universal primary and secondary education by 2030. The need is greater in disadvantaged regions. For example, 70% of countries in sub-Saharan Africa have teacher shortages at primary level, with an average of 58 students to every qualified teacher. Compare this with South-eastern Asia where the average ratio is only 19 students to every teacher. 

Levels of teacher training also differ greatly between global regions: 65% of primary teachers in sub-Saharan Africa have the minimum qualifications required trained, compared with 98% in Central Asia.
 

It is a complex conundrum: education is the best way for disadvantaged societies to redress global inequalities, but they are fundamentally handicapped, with neither the capacity nor teacher training to give every student the support they need.

Who teaches the teachers?

There are some concrete proposals that aim to increase the level of support teachers receive. The African Union, for example, has developed universal standards for teacher qualifications that will ensure all teachers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values they need. This means those teachers will be better prepared when they enter the classroom, and this, coupled with wider recruitment to decrease classroom sizes, can greatly improve the quality of education systems in the region.

COVID-19 has forced a transition to remote and online learning. Teachers therefore urgently need better training in information and communication technology (ICT). Yet research shows that only 43% of teachers in OECD countries feel prepared to use ICT to deliver lessons. Help is coming, but again the pandemic shines a light on global inequality as too many homes in low-income countries lack the devices and connectivity to learn online. Teacher in low income countries also struggle given that only 41% of them receive teachers practical ICT guidance, compared with 71% in high-income countries.

Look to the leaders

Leadership training can mitigate the worst disparities of COVID-19, empowering individual teachers to lead their colleagues through this difficult time. 

Strong leaders create a culture of trust in schools, instilling a collective sense of responsibility, and offering support and recognition. For example, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are forums where teachers can support one another’s training and development. In Rwanda, 843 school leaders, having completed a diploma in school leadership, are using PLCs to share the benefit of their training with colleagues. In South Africa, school leaders are encouraged to set up PLCs and use them to induct novice teachers into the profession, giving them the confidence to take responsibility for their own professional development. And in Ecuador, 287 school leaders participate in PLCs to exchange best practices and organise themselves into a supportive network.

What else do teachers need?

Better training and strong leadership within schools will benefit global education systems for years to come. But another issue made more urgent by the pandemic is inclusivity. As students return to school, the ability of teachers to promote an inclusive environment is a vital skill to mitigate disruption and ensure students aren’t excluded from learning.

61% of countries from a recent survey claim to train their teachers on inclusivity skills, but very few guarantee such training in their policies or laws. However, the pandemic has already done  enough to distance teachers from their students and students from each other. With many schools still observing physical distancing to slow the spread of the virus, specific training in inclusive teaching is necessary to ensure a cohesive and effective learning environment.

Much work done, much still to do

Teachers must be given guidance and professional development opportunities to ensure they feel equipped to hold their classrooms together, physically or virtually. In many parts of the world, this is sorely lacking.

Work is underway to improve the situation. New standards are being set, training is being implemented, and everywhere strong leaders are creating inclusive, supportive learning environments. For true progress to be made however, governments must listen to teachers and teacher unions. Real change can only happen if teachers' voices are heard. Teachers and policymakers need to navigate this new world together.

Consult the 2020 World Teachers' Day fact sheet published by the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030, UNESCO Institute for Statistics and the Global Education Monitoring Report.

This blog is part of a series of stories addressing the importance of the work of, and the challenges faced by teachers in the lead up to this year’s World Teachers’ Day celebrations.

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Cover photo credit: GPE/Kelley Lynch