Professional Standards and Quality Education

This paper has been commissioned within the framework of UNSECO's Mainline of Action on teacher education and the project on Teacher Status and Qualifications for Education Quality.

A principal objective is to explore professional teaching standards within an international context, but with particular reference to developments in Australia. There are three main sections, the first of which provides an analysis of contemporary development from theoretical and practical perspectives. The second contains select examples from three categories of teaching standards, namely, generic, subject specific, and developmental. Issues associated with the purposes of standards, the stakeholders involved and methods of assessment are explored in the third section. The paper concludes by addressing the question 'Where to from here?'

(An explanation of terminology has been included acknowledging that these terms are often interpreted differently, for example, the terms 'teacher quality' and 'teaching quality'; 'teacher standards' and 'teaching standards'.  These distinctions are raised in order to alert the reader to the existence of differing meanings and interpretations.)