Australian teachers warm to merit pay

The Australian Education Union (AEU) has commissioned an independent company to survey its members and develop a set of standards as a basis for assessing teachers and paying more to those who excel. The move is a significant softening in the union’s opposition to the introduction of paying teachers based on merit.

AEU national president-elect Angelo Gavrielatos yesterday told The Australian the union had commissioned the University of NSW-owned company Education Assessment Australia to identify a set of standards as the basis of a new salary structure.

“The first part of what we describe as a professional pay program to further reward teachers through recognizing teaching skills, knowledge and practice is establishing valid standards of measurement and assessment,” Gavrielatos said. “There’s work being done nationally in various jurisdictions in this area, and it’s incumbent upon us to explore this area.” Read the article in The Australian online.