Jun 14, 2007
Africa Thursday: Comparative African and Global Perspectives on Quality Education and the Pivotal Role of Quality Teachers
On June 14, AAI, in cooperation with the House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, held its second Africa Thursday Congressional Seminar of the 110th Congress. The meeting was co-hosted by Mora McLean, AAI’s President and CEO, and Representative Donald M. Payne (10th District, New Jersey), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health.
The discussion focused on the widespread effects of the quality of teaching on student achievement. Panelists discussed and compared approaches to teacher training in the United States and African countries as well as other parts of the world, and the impact of quality teaching on the learning experience, student performance and economic development.
Panelists Included:
Summary:
Dr. Susan Sclafani opened the session by identifying teachers as one of the key determinants in student achievement. However, she said that all countries across the globe are grappling with the challenge of attracting quality teachers, while the value and role of teachers has been downgraded in many societies. Dr. Sclafani cited examples of best practices in teacher recruitment and training in three countries—Singapore, China and Brazil—which she identified as promoting quality education on a national level.
In Singapore, teachers are recruited from the top third of the graduating high school class. The government then sends these recruited individuals to attend a teacher’s college, paying for their tuition and providing stipends for living expenses. Once employed in a school, the teacher is assigned a mentor for the first five years of their teaching career. In China, the teaching profession has an established career ladder that requires research and publications as well as positive teaching results which are determined by standardized assessment. The government has also established incentives to encourage teachers to work in rural areas, which ensures quality education is equally dispersed throughout the country. In Brazil, technology, such as CD-ROMs, are being used to improve teaching in the rural areas. And in an attempt to address low enrollment rates that result from a poor perception of the value of education, mothers are given monetary incentives to send their children to school.
In her concluding remarks, Dr. Sclafani outlined several recommendations to improve the quality of teaching and education. Firstly, teacher training must include not only a basic level of education, such as a bachelor’s degree, but must also include pedagogical training to assure quality education. Secondly at a national level, the education system must establish a common curriculum, standards of achievement, and a system of assessments applied uniformly to all schools. The Education for All (EFA) Initiative must put the quality of education as a top priority in order to ensure equal and successful development globally.
Mr. Dzingai Mutumbuka focused on two dimensions of African education—quantity and quality of teachers. He stated that in Africa there is not only a need for qualified teachers but there is a basic need for an increase in the quantity of teachers available on the Continent. Mr. Mutumbuka identified that HIV and Aids have had a significant effect on the number of available teachers, particularly in Southern Africa where the rates of HIV/Aids are high. He also stated that the educational environment in Africa is extremely challenging for teachers. Teachers are faced with high student-teacher ratios in the classroom and children come to school hungry and unable to focus. He identified that in Africa, teachers are poorly trained in the basic subjects of English, mathematics and science. There is an unequal distribution of teachers between the urban areas, where there is a surplus, and the rural areas, which lack a sufficient number of teachers. Often, the best teachers at the primary school level are transferred to secondary school systems, leaving primary school students at a disadvantage.
Mr. Mutumbuka concluded his remarks by stating that the EFA Initiative makes the assumption that education can be compartmentalized. However, he emphasized that education is a system, in which the quality of education at the primary level affects education at the secondary level and the quality of education at the tertiary level affects educational outcomes at the primary level.
Ms. Cynthia Brown concurred with Dr. Sclafani’s remarks that the quality of teaching is the most important factor in a student’s education and their achievement, focusing her remarks on the education system in the United States. She stated, “a very good teacher as opposed to a very bad one can make as much as one full year’s difference in the achievement growth of students,” and that in the United States, like in many African and Asian countries, there is a large shortage of effective teachers. Ms. Brown provided an overview of Congress’ steps in addressing the teacher quality issue in the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. Under this Act, states are required to ensure that teachers are qualified in core subject areas, that students receive the same level of teaching regardless of socioeconomic status or race, and that the funding must be increased for professional development training at identified schools. Ms. Brown unfortunately reported that no states have met these requirements.
In her remarks, Ms. Brown identified several key areas in which the quality of teaching could be improved in the United States, which included increased focus on teacher results with student achievement rather than teacher credentials, improved working conditions in terms of safety and school leadership, compensation reform, and an increase in professional development programs. She also emphasized that teacher preparation institutions must be held accountable for the quality of teachers that they produce. Ms. Brown concluded by identifying the Teacher Excellence for All Act (TEACH Act) that has been introduced into Congress as a piece of legislation that could significantly improve teacher quality in the United States. TeachACT would provide substantial federal funds to trigger such state and local innovation and experimentation.