Reforming the Labour Market for Australian Teachers

Elizabeth Webster (), Mark Wooden and Gary Marks
Additional contact information
Gary Marks: The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)

Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series from Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne

Abstract: This paper reviews the Australian evidence on the presence of chronic shortages of mathematics and science teachers and on the loss of excellent teachers from the classroom. Although there are no rigorous Australian studies on these issues, the best available evidence suggests that these problems exist. Overseas information suggests that chronic shortages occur because fewer science and mathematics graduates, compared to humanities and social science students, are attracted to the tasks involved in teaching children. Attraction is a matter of degree however, and higher earnings can be used in order to attract more of the scarce mathematics and science graduates, who also have an aptitude towards teaching, to a teaching career. Higher earnings can also be used to reduce attrition of the most able teachers from all of the discipline areas.

Pages: 26 pages
Date: 2004-10
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:iae:iaewps:wp2004n28

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