Top of the Class, the House of Representatives 2007 report on teacher education recommended a longitudinal study of the impact of teacher education.
Teaching Australia has responded to this by commissioning Professor Bill Louden and his colleagues from the Graduate School of Education to follow a group of teacher education students graduating at the end of 2008 into their schools in 2009 and 2010.
The study will explore the impact of student entry characteristics, teacher education program characteristics and school environments on the formation of teachers in the first two years of teaching.
The key focus of the study is on what teachers know and are able to do at various stages of their development.
In order to cover the range of university program types and school locations we will be seeking the cooperation of about a dozen universities in 2008, and expecting to follow-up new graduates in three or four states in 2009 and 2010.
