Information about studies into teacher quality conducted by researchers at the University of Sydney and the University of Technology, Sydney.
Everybody remembers their favourite teachers, but what makes them stand out? Is what you consider a good quality of a teacher, what everyone considers a good quality? What are the indicators of teacher quality, and how do you accurately measure them? These are the questions that this research group seeks to answer.
We believe teacher鈥檚 work is a complex undertaking based on professional judgements informed by bodies of educational knowledge. As a team, we value teachers as key contributors to the formation of a just society.
We are committed to supporting the complex work of teachers through research informed advocacy. We recognise that teachers contribute to the public good in difficult circumstances by supporting the learning needs of all students. As educators we note that the concept of 鈥榯eacher quality鈥 is a contested space. We take a stance to speak back against the negativity continually promoted about teacher quality and to promote shared understandings of a holistic conceptualisation.
Our goal is to reposition the current deficit discourse by exemplifying听a process听to identify and measure indicators of teacher quality that will provide the profession with a vocabulary for recognising and enhancing teacher quality. We hope that the examination of research informed qualities will support a positive reframing of the broader discourse around teacher quality.
We aim to achieve this work through undertaking robust research projects, publishing reliable reports, consulting with stakeholders and expanding our local remit to work on a national agenda to inform policy that will drive support for a more holistic view of teachers and their work. For example, it is envisaged that this research will inform revisions of Australian teacher professional standards.
As our projects evolve, we commit to these four elements:
路听听听听听听 Robust research
路听听听听听听 Reliable reporting
路听听听听听听 Stakeholder consultation
路听听听听听听 Policy change
The teacher quality research team has been disseminating a range of written material including journal articles and publications as outlined below. Certain publications may be available upon request. Please email:听teacher-quality.study@sydney.edu.au听stating the title(s) or presentations you are interested in.
Book:
White, R., & Simpson, A. (editors) (2025)
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Wite Paper:
Roberts Parker, K., Lawson-Jones, A., Simpson, A., Hartley, S., 鈥What鈥檚 the evidence? A study on teacher quality: a white paper based on the research funded by the New South Wales Department of Education from 2021 - 2024". University of Sydney, 2025.
听
Simpson, A. and Tognolini, J. (March 2025)
What鈥檚 the Evidence: Using modern measurement theory and dialogic processes to build an evidence bank of teacher quality听(Paper presentation) Centre for Measurement and Assessment conference University of Sydney, Australia
Simpson, A., Cotton, W., and Preston, C. (December 2024)听Building the Evidence: Developing a process to measure and set fit for purpose standards for teacher quality. (Paper presentation). Australian Association for Research in Education conference听Macquarie University, Australia.
White, R. & Peralta, L. (2023, July)听Aligning the indicators of quality teachers with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers听[Paper presentation]. ATEA 2023: Embracing Partnerships: Leading the Future of Teaching, Learning and Research, Sydney, Australia.
Preston, C., Peralta, L., Karimullah, M,. and Harb, G. (2023, July)听Determining the indicators of teacher quality across subject disciplines听[Paper presentation]. ATEA 2023: Embracing Partnerships: Leading the Future of Teaching, Learning and Research, Sydney, Australia.
Maher, D., Harb, G., & Simpson, A. (2023, July)听Partnering with stakeholders to confirm the construct of teacher quality and build a consensus view of essential indicators for ECTs: A modified Delphi process.听[Paper presentation]. ATEA 2023: Embracing Partnerships: Leading the Future of Teaching, Learning and Research, Sydney, Australia.
Cotton, W., White, R & Simpson, A. (2023, April)听What's the Evidence? A Scoping Review on Teacher Quality听[Paper presentation]. AERA 2023: Interrogating Consequential Education Research in Pursuit of Truth, Chicago, IL, United States.
Cotton, W., & White, R., (2022, November)听Indicators of Quality Teachers: a scoping review听[Paper presentation]. AARE 2022: Transforming the Future of Education - The Role of Research, Adelaide, Australia.
Simpson, A., & Maher, D., (2022, November)听Designing a Delphi process: achieving evidence informed consensus on indicators of quality teachers for ITE future guidelines听[Paper presentation]. AARE 2022: Transforming the Future of Education - The Role of Research, Adelaide, Australia.
White, R., & Cotton, W., (2022, November)听Developing Measures for the Indicators of Quality Teachers听[Paper presentation]. AARE 2022: Transforming the Future of Education - The Role of Research, Adelaide, Australia.
Cotton, W., White, R. & Rowley, J. (2022, July)听Quality Teachers听[Paper presentation]. ATEA 2022: Disrupting Teacher Education: Responsive, Reciprocal and Radical Conversations Around Research and Practice: Online.
Rowley, J. (2022, July)听What's the Evidence: Developing indicators of teacher quality to investigate the predictive validity of Teaching Performance Assessments听[Paper presentation]. HERDSA 2022: Online.
The Measuring Teacher Quality (MTQ) study expands on the innovative What's the Evidence (WtE) project, aiming to develop measures of teacher quality for Australian educators. It addresses challenges, improves professional status, and closes the gap between research and teaching.
The proposed Measuring Teacher Quality (MTQ) study will build on results from the听What鈥檚 the Evidence (WtE)听project. While the work being undertaken as part of听WtE听is innovative, the list of indicators of teacher quality is robust, and the process has been systematically built and tested, it is currently focused on one Australian state.
It is also resourced to utilise existing individual measures of teacher quality rather than to develop measures for what the profession values as essential for educators. Therefore, the development of the MTQ study represents an expansion of the original听WtE听study into future externally funded research at a national level, including rural, regional and Indigenous communities.
Outcomes from the MTQ project will provide solutions to challenges facing the profession and improve the status of the profession. We will identify what stakeholders value about teacher quality and their current professional needs and priorities.
We will work with teachers to develop measures of teacher quality, providing direct benefits to participants and closing the gap between research and the teaching profession. Our project aims to provide an evidence base to inform policy and support professional development needs related to teacher quality and education in Australia.
More specifically, our upcoming project 鈥淢easuring Teacher Quality鈥, builds on results from the current (WtE) project with a focus on:
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The What鈥檚 the Evidence team is a collective of initial teacher educators, measurement experts and HDR students who undertake translational research. 高清福利片 will offer fresh insight to contemporary challenges to the teaching workforce.
The research team would also like to recognise the work of:
