Teach For Australia

This short article published on the April 22nd, in The Australian, documents new initiatives announced byt eh Australian governemnt to lift the standards of under privilages schools in the country.

FEDERAL Education Minister Julia Gillard yesterday announced Victorian not-for-profit group Teach for Australia had won the tender for the Council of Australian Governments’ New Pathway into Teaching initiative, starting in 2010.

The group’s model involves high achievers, called associates, committing themselves to disadvantaged high schools for two years, after which they are awarded a qualification of diploma standard or higher.

The Government is in final negotiations over which university will provide the scheme’s teacher training component. Associates can opt to remain in teaching or receive preferential treatment from recruiters for corporate partners.

TFA chief executive Melodie Potts Rosevear told the HES: “At the moment many choose not to enter teaching partly because we need to make it attractive to them. One of the ways we do this is to make sure that the business partnerships we have provide job opportunities at the conclusion.”

Data from Teach for America shows more than half of those who tried the arrangement stayed into a third year.

Yep. That’s the entire article.

I think the lack of detail is a credit to lack of new direction or a desire for just straight out reporting. Also, the lack of refrencing or information into the study done in America does not give creedit tot his article. It owuld have been good for more detail to build public support for this program. You’r enot even told how long the program will last for or  how many people it will encompass or effect.

I would definitly go into more research, especially the nature of the study done in America, and any similiarities or differences this would have in the Australian education system. It’s a totally different deographic that we;re dealign with. The sociological and cultural implications are not mentioned, neither is the cost of the program. These are all questions that could be raised and researched further.

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