ambition meet conscience

11
WHY OUTSTANDING GRADUATES SHOULD TEACH FOR AUSTRALIA

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Teach For Australia

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Page 1: Ambition Meet Conscience

Why outstanding graduates should teach For australia

Page 2: Ambition Meet Conscience

the Problem

01Live in the wrong postcode and you’re behind the educational eight ball straightaway. Tragically, you’ll fall further behind as the terms and years go by.

• If you live in a low-income community, by Year 9 you’ll be two to three learning years behind your highest- income peers1

• If you’re indigenous, you’ll most likely fail basic literary tests (7 out of 10 do)2

• If you live in a very remote region, more than half (51%) of your classmates won’t meet minimum Year 9 reading standards3

• Only 15% of university students come from the lowest SES (socio-economic status)

quartile4, compared to 42% from the top quartile5

Educational inequity is real. It’s happening here, it’s happening now and it’s preventing Australia’s children living the lives they could and should.

It limits the choices they can make, the jobs they can get and the income they can earn. It weakens the families they are a part of and the communities they live in.

It even diminishes the prospects of the children they themselves are yet to have.

Educational disadvantage undermines entire countries too. In the United States, a McKinsey & Co study puts the cost to that country at US$500 billion each

it’s a cold reality that where a child is born in australia determines the quality of their schooling and prospects for life.

year6. That’s the equivalent of a permanent American recession.

Back home, the number of kids who give up and drop out of high school every two years could fill the MCG7. The facts are urgent and confronting and leave us, as citizens and human beings, with a clear choice.

We can reject responsibility and leave accidents of demography and geography to plot the future of tens of thousands of Australian children.

Or we can believe that change is possible, and that we can be part of that change.

Are you up for it?

7/10 indigenous students

literacy tests2Fail basic

of university students come from the lowest SES (socio-economic status) quartile 4

15%only

Page 3: Ambition Meet Conscience

It is a simple yet radical aim. Radical, because it requires change from every level of society.

Such change must be led by people impassioned by social justice and the belief that all children can learn. People, perhaps, like you.

Teach For Australia recruits outstanding graduates from non-Education disciplines and prepares them to teach in some of our most disadvantaged high schools.

Over the two-year program our teachers (called ‘Associates’) work together to tackle educational inequity student-by-student, and class-by-class.

It’s an ambitious goal. But combine your determination with the tools we provide, and we believe you can do it. Whilst you teach, you will also earn your Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching from some of the best academics in the country.

And as you learn to teach, you also learn to lead. You’ll take part in our pioneering Leadership Development Program, receiving training, coaching and networking opportunities that increase your impact inside and beyond the classroom.

teach For australia is a movement of committed individuals who can foresee a country where all children have excellent educational opportunities.

As an Associate, you become part of a lifelong, global movement of more than 20,000 leaders. Competent, passionate, socially aware people just like you, who share a powerful common experience and a single, ambitious goal.

After the two years, as Alumni, you’ll have opportunities to rise to positions of influence across a spectrum of sectors. Some will stay on in the classroom as teachers while others will take on leadership roles in business, law, government, education and social policy.

As an Associate, you become part of a lifelong, global movement of more than 20,000 leaders. Competent, passionate, socially aware people just like you, who share a powerful common experience and a single, ambitious goal.

Who Will lead?

02

Page 4: Ambition Meet Conscience

From socrates and Plato to dumbledore and harry Potter, the story of the transformational teacher and the student has been continuously told and retold.

This story shows the teacher as leader. The teacher with an ambitious vision for the student that is realised through careful cultivation and investment in that student. In this story, the teacher plans purposefully, teaches with verve and efficacy and continuously reflects upon and improves his or her work to achieve outcomes.

Evidence now tells us this is the right approach for real- world results.

A 2008 meta-study of 80 million students around the world (directed by Melbourne Graduate School of Education’s Professor John Hattie) found ‘positive teacher-student interaction’ to be the single most important factor in better learning8.

A concurring study concluded that a high performing teacher could lift a student more than 50 percentiles over three years (compared to a low performing teacher)9.

In other words, the keys to addressing educational disadvantage are not donations, new buildings or the latest laptops, but passion, imagination and the relentless pursuit of excellence.

So as a Teach For Australia Associate, can you become one of these transformational teachers? The evidence says ‘yes’.

A CALDER study in the United States found that Teach For America Associates have 3 times the effect on student achievement as teachers with 3 or more years’ experience10.

A CALDER study in the United States found that Teach For America Associates have 3 times the effect on student achievement as teachers with 3 or more years’ experience10.

Similarly, a study by the University of Manchester positively correlates the number of Teach First (UK) participants in a school with significantly improved student outcomes11.

Education is the key to the advancement of any society, but the quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers. By becoming the transformational teacher we believe you can be, we believe you can also be a real part of the solution.

the Pathto change

03

Page 5: Ambition Meet Conscience

the leadership skills you develop within the classroom can take you far beyond it.

As an Associate, you’re given opportunities for professional development, to network with your peers and to access influential supporters.

As the accompanying testimonials show, our partners recognise and value the extraordinary leadership required to be an Associate. If you already have an employment offer, or prefer the security of having one, there are a growing number of prestigious graduate employers with deferral programs already in place.

Whether you decide to continue teaching, or aspire to a career in business, social policy or elsewhere, Teach For Australia helps develop the skills and build the support you need to excel.

Alumni from our affiliated organisations overseas have gone on to set up charities, write books, explore the creative arts and have outstanding careers in law, medicine, commerce and other pursuits. Many choose to remain in education as teachers and leaders, or take on roles in setting education policy.

Most importantly, Alumni continue to be engaged with the mission, building on a movement that will one day ensure all children will have an excellent education.

“This is a program that prepares top graduates to succeed whilst doing something that matters. Our support for Teach For Australia will give us access to proven leaders, thinkers and communicators.”

-Tom Von oerTzen, recruiTing ParTner and managing direcTor, the boston consulting grouP

“Successful people in engineering and IT need more than excellent technical knowledge; they need great interpersonal skills, passion and top leadership qualities. We search for graduates who are passionate about their work and feel their ideas have the potential to change the world.

These are the exact qualities that Teach For Australia Associates exhibit.”

-alan noble, engineering direcTor, google

beyond the classroom

04

Page 6: Ambition Meet Conscience

Your journey begins with an in-residence, six week intensive – the first of many you’ll undertake with our partner, the University of Melbourne’s Graduate School of Education. Once complete, it’s straight into the classroom.

Participating schools are located across several states and territories, in rural, remote and metropolitan settings.

While some scope is given to personal preference, demand for your particular skills and passion is the key determinant for school selection. This may mean that your school is not close to home. We encourage you to be flexible and open about this.

Of course, you’re fully paid for the work you do and given time release for professional development and study.

There’s an extensive support network: Training and Leadership Advisors, university specialists and in-school mentors – experienced teachers with the skills and capacity to support you along your journey.

At the end of your two-year commitment you’ll be an exceptional teacher and leader. You’ll have also earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching. And believe us, you will have earned it!

teach in a disadvantaged secondary school for two years, with ongoing support, mentoring and training.

There’s an extensive support network: Training and Leadership Advisors, university specialists and in-school mentors – experienced teachers with the skills and capacity to support you along your journey.

the nuts and bolts

05

Page 7: Ambition Meet Conscience

it’s a tough gig at times, but you’re never alone.

By the time you finish your initial six-week intensive you’ll have formed bonds and friendships with your fellow Associates, some of which will last a lifetime.

You’ll likely be in a school and region with other Associates, getting together to plan, reflect and socialise.

You’ll be in regular contact with Teach For Australia, and build deep relationships with your Training and Leadership Advisor and in-school mentor.

Farther afield, you’ll find that you’re now part of a global network spanning 18 countries, called Teach For All. Like Teach For Australia, each of these affiliate organisations enlists their most promising future leaders to expand educational opportunity.

Teach For America is the oldest with two decades of experience, over 7,000 teachers in the classroom and 28,000 alumni who continue to engage with the mission. One in ten of all Ivy League graduates apply to the Teach For America program.

One in ten of all Ivy League graduates apply to the Teach For America program.

the socialnetWork

06Teach First, in the United Kingdom, is ranked 7th in the Times High Fliers Top 100 Graduate Recruiters. They currently have over 800 teachers in five regions and close to 1,000 Alumni who have completed the program, over 40 per cent of whom are already in school leadership roles.

Elsewhere, from Chile to China, Bulgaria to Brazil, India to Argentina, thousands of global Associates and Alumni are there to cheer you, challenge you and share the ambition.

Page 8: Ambition Meet Conscience

“I have been inspired by the realisation that investment in students as learners and people can result in sustained and quantifiable personal growth and academic progress.”

iWan Walters

2010 associaTe

Iwan studied a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) at the University of Melbourne. Iwan is an Associate in regional Victoria and is currently in his second year of teaching. The first twelve months have been a pleasant surprise.

“My experiences as a beginning teacher and as a Teach For Australia Associate have been overwhelmingly positive and enjoyable. While challenging, they have been exciting, rewarding and have surpassed

all my pre-existing hopes and expectations. My professional and personal experiences have validated my decision to become involved in the Teach For Australia program and to live and work in a rural area.

I am very grateful to have had these experiences and to be involved with Teach For Australia.”

current associates

07

“I feel really privileged to be a part of this group of individuals who all want to make change happen… to make that practical difference in the lives of young people.”

katy Fernandez

2011 associaTe

Katy studied a Bachelor of Design (Architecture) and then a Master of Media Practice (both at The University of Sydney). She was also the president of the Student Union at the University of Sydney from 2006-2007.

This year, she’s teaching Visual Arts and Media Studies in the Western Metropolitan Region of Melbourne.

“I think the skills that you learn in the classroom are transferable to any sector, so I feel confident that if I can handle a group of

20 kids in a Friday afternoon, I can handle a boardroom and I can handle whatever is next for my career.

In terms of the program and the skill set it offers the opportunity is three-fold. It’s not only the opportunity to make a difference, but to develop as a leader in the classroom and as a leader in whatever I choose to do next.”

Page 9: Ambition Meet Conscience

selection criteria

08

there’s no “ideal” candidate profile. We simply look for leaders who have the qualities to create change. in the classroom and beyond.

In 2010, fewer than 10% of applicants were successful in becoming an Associate.

Partly because our selection process is very rigorous and partly because the stakes are too high to admit anyone other than the highest-quality candidates.

The success of Teach For Australia’s mission depends entirely on the integrity, passion and commitment of the person in front of each classroom.

Consequently, we seek leaders who will have a wider impact on the students they serve and the communities they’re a part of.

We look for evidence of the following;

• Leadership and achievement

• Resilience and a relish for challenge

• Strong critical thinking skills

• Superior organisational and motivational ability

• The ability to communicate and work with people from a variety of backgrounds

• Humility and an openness to learn from others

Think you tick these boxes? Then turn the page to find out how to apply!

In 2010, fewer than 10% of applicants were successful in becoming an Associate.

Page 10: Ambition Meet Conscience

hoW do i sign uP?

09Got you interested? Brilliant.

First step is to talk to us on campus, visit our website or do the old-fashioned thing and call us up for a chat.

When you’re ready, go to our website and submit an online application. You’ll need to provide some information about your background, education and why you want to take part.

The next step is a phone interview where you’ll speak directly with a Teach For Australia staff member.

If that goes well, you’ll be invited to attend a Selection Day where there’ll be more interviews, a group case study, a teaching lesson and a problem solving activity.

like our program, the teach For australia application process is intense but rewarding.

We’ll take the most outstanding applicants from this stage (including you, hopefully) and work to match you to a school where your passion, knowledge and leadership skills are most needed.

If you’re successful from here, congratulations!

You’ve just joined the most ambitious leadership program in Australia.

aPPly noW:Visit teachforaustralia.org for details and application dates.

Page 11: Ambition Meet Conscience

teachforaustralia.orgendnotes1. Program For International Student Assessment

(PISA) 2009

2. NAPLAN 2009

3. NAPLAN 2009

4. Measuring the Socio-Economic Status of Higher Education Students, DEEWR, 2009

5. DEEWR Higher Education Statistics Collection, 2007 and ABS SEIFA 2006

6. The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in America’s Schools, McKinsey & Company 2009

7. ABS, Schools Australia, 2008

8. Making learning Visible - John Hattie. Auckland University, 2009

9. Source: Sanders & Rivers; McKinsey; OECD; Lankford, Loeb, & Wyckoff, 2002

10. Making a Difference? The Effects of Teach For America in High School, CALDER, Urban Institute 2009

11. Maximum Impact Evaluation: The impact of Teach First teachers in schools, University of Manchester 2010

Supported by the Australian Government