79955 Jamaica SABER Country Report TEACHERS 2012 Policy Goals Status 1. Setting Clear Expectations for Teachers There are clear expectations for what students and teachers are supposed to do. Guidance on teachers’ use of time, however, could be more focused on tasks related to school improvement. 2. Attracting the Best into Teaching Teachers are required to have qualifications formally on par with those of other professions. Teacher pay and career opportunities may be attractive to competent individuals, although working conditions may be less attractive. 3. Preparing Teachers with Useful Training and Experience There is an accreditation process with specified subject content for pre-service teacher training programs, but induction programs for teachers could be strengthened, requiring new teachers to have more classroom experience. 4. Matching Teachers’ Skills with Students’ Needs There are untapped incentives to get teachers to work in hard-to-staff areas and to teach critical shortage subjects. 5. Leading Teachers with Strong Principals Principals are not explicitly expected to act as instructional leaders, and programs to support the development of principals’ leadership skills could be strengthened. 6. Monitoring Teaching and Learning There are systems in place to monitor teacher performance that rely on multiple criteria. Student achievement data are collected, but it is unclear to what extent they inform teachers about their performance in the classroom. 7. Supporting Teachers to Improve Instruction Teacher professional development includes some activities that are associated with instructional improvement. However, until recently teachers were not explicitly required to participate in professional development. 8. Motivating Teachers to Perform There are minimum mechanisms to hold teachers accountable, and teacher compensation and appointments are informed by performance. THE WORLD BANK JAMAICA | TEACHER POLICY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 detailed information organized along relevant Overview of SABER-Teachers categories that describe how different education systems manage their teacher force, as well as copies of There is increasing interest across the globe in supporting documents. The full database is available at attracting, retaining, developing, and motivating great the SABER-Teacher website. teachers. Student achievement has been found to correlate with economic and social progress (Hanushek & Woessmann 2007, 2009; Pritchett &Viarengo 2009; Campante&Glaeser 2009), and teachers are key: recent Box 1. Teacher policy areas for data collection studies have shown that teacher quality is the main 1. Requirements to enter and remain in teaching school-based predictor of student achievement and that several consecutive years of outstanding teaching can 2. Initial teacher education offset the learning deficits of disadvantaged students 3. Recruitment and employment (Hanushek & Rivkin 2010; Rivkin, et al. 2005; Nye et al. 2004; Rockoff 2004; Park & Hannum 2001; Sanders & 4. Teachers’ workload and autonomy Rivers 1996). However, achieving the right teacher 5. Professional development policies to ensure that every classroom has a motivated, supported, and competent teacher remains a challenge, 6. Compensation (salary and non-salary benefits) because evidence on the impacts of many teacher 7. Retirement rules and benefits policies remains insufficient and scattered, the impact of many reforms depends on specific design features, 8. Monitoring and evaluation of teacher quality and teacher policies can have very different impacts 9. Teacher representation and voice depending on the context and other education policies in place. 10. School leadership A new tool, SABER-Teachers, aims to help fill this gap To offer informed policy guidance, SABER-Teachers by collecting, analyzing, synthesizing, and analyzes the information collected to assess the extent disseminating comprehensive information on teacher to which the teacher policies of an education system policies in primary and secondary education systems are aligned with those policies that the research around the world. SABER-Teachers is a core component evidence to date has shown to have a positive effect of SABER (Systems Approach for Better Education on student achievement. SABER-Teachers analyzes the Results), an initiative launched by the Human teacher policy data collected to assess each education Development Network of the World Bank. SABER system’s progress in achieving 8 Teacher Policy Goals: 1. collects information about different education systems’ Setting clear expectations for teachers; 2. Attracting the policy domains, analyzes it to identify common best into teaching; 3. Preparing teachers with useful challenges and promising solutions, and makes it widely training and experience; 4. Matching teachers’ skills available to inform countries’ decisions on where and with students’ needs; 5. Leading teachers with strong how to invest in order to improve education quality. principals; 6. Monitoring teaching and learning; 7. Supporting teachers to improve instruction; and 8. SABER-Teachers collects data on ten core teacher Motivating teachers to perform (see Figure 1). policy areas to offer a comprehensive descriptive overview of the teacher policies that are in place in each participating education system(see Box 1). Data are collected in each participating education system by a specialized consultant using a questionnaire that ensures comparability of information across different education systems. Data collection focuses on the rules and regulations governing teacher management systems. This information is compiled in a comparative database where interested stakeholders can access 1 SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS JAMAICA | TEACHER POLICY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Figure 1: 8 Teacher Policy Goals policies that are known to be related to improved student outcomes. The main objective of this assessment is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the teacher policies of an education system and pinpoint possible areas for improvement. For a more detailed report on the eight teacher policy goals, policy levers and indicators, as well as the evidence base supporting them, see Vegas et al. (2012). The main focus of SABER-Teachers is on policy design, rather than on policy implementation. SABER-Teachers analyzes the teacher policies formally adopted by education systems. However, policies “on the ground�, that is, policies as they are actually implemented, may differ quite substantially from policies as originally designed, and in fact they often do so, due to the political economy of the reform process, lack of capacity of the organizations in charge of implementing them, or The 8 Teacher Policy Goals are functions that all high- the interaction between these policies and specific performing education systems fulfill to a certain extent contextual factors. Since SABER-Teachers collects in order to ensure that every classroom has a limited data on policy implementation, the assessment motivated, supported, and competent teacher. These of teacher policies presented in this report needs to be goals were identified through a review of evidence of complemented with detailed information that describes research studies on teacher policies, and the analysis of the actual configuration of teacher policies on the policies of top-performing and rapidly-improving ground. education systems. Three criteria were used to identify them: teacher policy goals had to be (i) linked to This report presents results of the application of student performance through empirical evidence, (ii) a SABER-Teachers in Jamaica. It describes Jamaica’s priority for resource allocation, and (iii) actionable, that performance in each of the 8 Teacher Policy Goals, is, actions governments can take to improve education alongside comparative information from education policy. The eight teacher policy goals exclude other systems that have consistently scored high results in objectives that countries might want to pursue to international student achievement tests and have increase the effectiveness of their teachers, but on participated in SABER-Teachers. Additional detailed which there is to date insufficient empirical evidence to descriptive information on Jamaica’s and other make specific policy recommendations. education systems’ teacher policies can be found on the SABER-Teachers website. By classifying countries according to their performance on each of the 8 Teacher Policy Goals, SABER-Teachers can help diagnose the key challenges that countries face in ensuring they have effective teachers. For each policy goal, the SABER-Teachers team identified policy levers (actions that governments can take to reach these goals) and indicators (which measure the extent to which governments are making effective use of these policy levers). Using these policy levers and indicators, SABER-Teachers classifies education systems’ performance on each of the eight teacher policy goals using a four-category scale (latent, emerging, established, and advanced), which describes the extent to which a given education system has in place teacher 2 SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS JAMAICA | TEACHER POLICY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Jamaica’s Teacher Policy System Results providing support to other teachers, collaborating on school plans or designing the curriculum, all tasks that could contribute to instructional improvement of the school. Goal 1: Setting clear expectations for teachers Emerging  Figure 2. Teachers’ official tasks related to school improvement Setting clear expectations for student and teacher performance is important to guide teachers’ daily work Singapore Shanghai Jamaica Mexico and align necessary resources to make sure that Japan teachers can constantly improve instructional practice. In addition, clear expectations can help ensure there is coherence among different key aspects of the teaching profession, such as teacher initial education, Mentor peers   professional development, and teacher appraisal. Collaborate on school plan     SABER-Teachers considers two policy levers school Design the curriculum   systems can use to reach this goal: (1) clear expectations for what students should know and be Participate in school able to do, and how teachers can help students reach evaluation    these goals; (2) useful guidance on teachers’ use of time Source: SABER-Teachers data to be able to improve instruction at the school level. (1) In Jamaica there are clear expectations for what students and teachers are supposed to do in the classroom. Jamaica has defined a set of standards which informs teachers of required subject content and measurable indicators of learning that should be achieved by students at different grades. The tasks that teachers are expected to carry out are officially stipulated. However, performance goals for teachers have not been established. (2) The statutory definition of teachers’ working time in Jamaica is not defined; however regulations regarding the use of teachers’ working time include tasks related to improving instruction. At present there are no expectations for what percentage of teachers’ working time should be dedicated to teaching or for other necessary activities that may contribute to instructional improvement. Relative to other country systems, primary and secondary school teachers’ officially stipulated tasks outside the classroom only include taking part in the internal evaluation system of the school. Other activities of teachers could be expanded to include 3 SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS JAMAICA | TEACHER POLICY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Goal 2: Attracting the best into teaching schools that comply with infrastructure standards, making it difficult to assess the extent to which this Emerging  factor may affect the quality of teacher entrants. (4) Career opportunities could be strengthened to The structure and characteristics of the teaching career attract talented individuals to the profession and to be can make it more or less attractive for talented better linked to performance and professional individuals to decide to become teachers. Talented standards; In particular, teacher’s pay and promotion people may be more inclined to become teachers if opportunities could be better linked to performance. At they see that entry requirements are on par with those present teachers can advance in their careers by of well-regarded professions, if compensation and applying to academic or administrative posts such as working conditions are adequate, and if there are lead teacher or principal. This form of advancement is attractive career opportunities for them to develop as similar to both Mexico, a developing education system, professionals. and Shanghai, a more advanced education system. SABER-Teachers considers four policy levers school systems can use to reach this goal: (1) requirements to Figure 3. Opportunities for Career Advancement enter the teaching profession; (2) competitive pay; (3) appealing working conditions; and (4) attractive career Singapore Shanghai opportunities. Jamaica Mexico Japan (1) Primary education teachers in Jamaica are required to have the same qualifications as many advanced Lead Teacher     country systems (e.g. Japan, Singapore, or Shanghai). Both primary and secondary education teachers are Principal     trained at the ISCED 5A level, meaning that their Source: SABER-Teachers data qualifications are awarded for tertiary education programs that are largely theoretically based, mainly designed to provide participants with sufficient credentials for entry into advanced research programs or for entry into professions with high skills requirements. Only concurrent models of pre-service teacher training exist, in which prospective teachers learn content and receive training in pedagogy somewhat simultaneously. (2) Teacher pay does not vary according to performance, although it does vary based on teachers’ educational attainment and seniority. Teachers are public servants in Jamaica and they are entitled to retirement and health benefits as well as additional benefits such as paid travel expenses, annual and sick leave, payment for extra responsibilities, and scholarships for further study. (3) There is limited information in data collected to determine the quality of working conditions. Student- teacher ratios were 27.7:1 according to UNDP (UNDP 2011). However, data are not available on the share of 4 SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS JAMAICA | TEACHER POLICY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Goal 3: Preparing teachers with useful in teaching quality (Darling-Hammond 2000). The more training and experience teachers try out their pedagogical theories, subject matter knowledge and classroom management skills on Established  a group of students, the better prepared they will be for their job. In Jamaica, student teachers can develop classroom experience both during their teacher initial Equipping teachers with the skills they need to succeed education program and during mentoring programs in the classroom is crucial. Teachers need subject once they have started their first job. Such training has matter and pedagogic knowledge, as well as classroom the potential to make teachers more effective in the management skills and lots of teaching practice in order classroom. to be successful in the classroom. In addition, preparation puts all teachers on an equal footing, giving Figure 4. Required classroom experience, primary them a common framework to improve their practice. school teachers SABER-Teachers considers two policy levers school Singapore systems can use to reach this goal: (1) minimum Shanghai Jamaica Mexico standards for pre-service training programs; (2) Japan required classroom experience for all teachers. 3 months or less (1) In Jamaica there is an accreditation process for pre- service teacher training programs, and specifications 12 months or less   on subject content have been established. In addition primary education teachers are required to have 12-24 months   qualifications (equivalent to a ISCED5A level). This is similar to high performing countries such as South More than 24 months  Korea and Shanghai. However, there is no specified Source: SABER-Teachers data requirement for minimum qualifications of secondary education teachers. Box 1. Jamaica’s Reforms—Teacher’s Council The Jamaica Teacher’s Council is currently being established through legislation. One of the tasks of this council is to provide licensing and registration of teachers. The licensing and registration system is meant to ensure that teachers meet minimum qualifications. The Teacher’s Council is also establishing a teacher management information system that will track teachers who have been registered and licensed and ensure regular re-licensing every five years. (2) Induction programs for teachers are sufficiently long enough, but teacher entrants could be required to have more classroom experience. Induction programs for teachers are six to twelve months. However, teacher trainees are only required to have between three and six months of classroom experience. Research has shown that practical experience is an important factor 5 SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS JAMAICA | TEACHER POLICY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Goal 4: Matching teachers’ skills with Figure 5. Incentives for teachers to teach in hard-to- students’ needs staff schools Latent  Singapore Shanghai Jamaica Mexico Japan Ensuring that teachers work in schools where their skills are most needed is important for equity and efficiency. Promotion First, it is a way of ensuring teachers are distributed as  efficiently as possible, making sure that there are no Higher basic salary   shortages of qualified teachers at any given grade, education level, or subject. Second, it is a means of Monetary bonus    ensuring all students in a school system have an equal Subsidized education  opportunity to learn. Without purposeful allocation systems, it is likely that teachers will gravitate towards Housing support  schools serving better-off students or located in more Source: SABER-Teachers data desirable areas, deepening inequalities in the system. Note: Singapore has no specific incentives to attract qualified teachers to hard-to-staff schools, but it does have a centrally- SABER-Teachers considers two policy levers school managed teacher deployment system that ensures an equitable and systems can use to reach this goal: (1) incentives for efficient distribution of teachers. teachers to work in hard-to-staff schools; and (2) incentives for teachers to teach critical shortage areas. (1) In Jamaica there are no incentives for teaching in hard-to-staff schools, and teaching experience is not a factor considered when deciding transfer priorities. Attracting effective teachers to work in these schools, which may serve students from disadvantaged populations, is a challenge for many countries, and often requires a complex set of incentives. (2) Jamaica has identified critical shortage subjects but has not created incentives for teachers to focus on them. However, this is not widespread throughout the country. In high performing and top-improving systems, various incentives exist to attract talented professionals, particularly from high-demand fields, to teaching critical shortage subjects. Overall, there are untapped incentives to get teachers to work in hard-to-staff areas and to teach critical shortage subjects. Jamaica could do more to provide incentives to teachers to teach in areas where living conditions may be less than satisfactory. Similarly, Jamaica could go further in attracting teachers to teach critical shortage subjects—school subject areas where there is a severe undersupply of available teachers. 6 SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS JAMAICA | TEACHER POLICY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Goal 5: Leading teachers with strong principals Box 2. Jamaica’s Reforms—National College for Education Leadership. Emerging The National College for Education Leadership (NCEL) is currently being established under the The quality of school heads is an important predictor of umbrella of the Teacher’s Council. The NCEL will: student learning. Capable principals can act as instructional leaders, providing direction and support to • Develop standards for school principals, the improvement of instructional practice at the school including instructional leadership level. In addition, capable principals can help attract and • Develop leadership through supervised retain competent teachers. internships and professional development for principals SABER-Teachers considers two policy levers school • Develop minimum standards for principals systems can use to reach this goal: (1) education system’s investment in developing qualified school Figure 6. Mechanisms to support the development of leaders; (2) decision-making authority for school principals’ leadership skills principals to support and improve instructional practice. Singapore Shanghai Jamaica Mexico (1) In Jamaica there are programs to support the Japan development of leadership skills through supervised internships. However, there is no specific coursework to promote leadership skills. Principals must have a Courses or other training minimum number of 3 years of professional teaching requirements    Mentoring or internship experience and possess educational qualifications   program equivalent to the ISCED 5A, meaning that principals are Source: SABER-Teachers data usually required to have an advanced research degree. High performing systems normally require specific coursework and participation in an internship or mentoring program for individuals interested in applying for a principal’s position to develop specific skills. (2) Principals do not receive monetary rewards for their performance in Jamaica, but they are expected to participate in a wide range of activities. For instance, principals are expected to provide support and guidance to teachers for the improvement of instructional practice. This is a practice that is quite common in high performing systems. Evidence from high-performing systems suggests that principal performance in Jamaica could be further enhanced by providing principals with specific coursework to promote leadership skills. 7 SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS JAMAICA | TEACHER POLICY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Goal 6: Monitoring teaching and learning of evaluating teacher performance is failsafe. Most high performing systems conduct teacher evaluations using a Established  multiplicity of mechanisms of data collection and varied criteria for assessment. In Jamaica both school principals and colleagues participate in teacher Assessing how well teachers are teaching and whether performance evaluations, and classroom observations students are learning is essential to devise strategies for are used. Criteria used to assess teacher performance, improving teaching and learning. First, identifying low- include: subject matter knowledge, teaching methods, performing teachers and students is critical for student assessment methods, and student academic education systems to be able to provide struggling achievement. classrooms with adequate support to improve. Second, teacher and student evaluation also helps identify good practices which can be shared across the system to Figure 7. Criteria to evaluate teacher performance improve school performance. SABER-Teachers considers three policy levers school Singapore Shanghai Jamaica systems can use to reach this goal: (1) availability of Mexico Japan data on student achievement in order to inform teaching and policy; (2) adequate systems to monitor teacher performance; (3) multiple mechanisms to evaluate teacher performance. Subject matter knowledge    Teaching methods     (1) In Jamaica student achievement data are collected and will soon be provided back to schools through Student assessment methods     Quality Education Cycles and the Department of School Services (DSS). The DSS is currently being Students’ academic established. It is unclear, however, to what extent achievement   student achievement data are made available to teachers to improve their classroom performance. Source: SABER-Teachers data Jamaica conducts annual assessments of student learning for all students in grades (classes) 1, 3, 4, and 6. However, student assessment data cannot be linked to teacher or student information, so it may not be used to inform teachers about the learning needs of their students. In addition, Jamaica has not participated in any international assessments of student achievement, thus making it difficult to assess its performance relative to other countries. (2) There are systems in place to monitor teacher performance through both internal and external evaluations. Both national and sub-national authorities monitor teacher performance, though no unique identification numbers are assigned to teachers making it possible to track and monitor their performance over time. (3) A variety of criteria are used to evaluate teacher performance. Research suggests that no single method 8 SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS JAMAICA | TEACHER POLICY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Goal 7: Supporting teachers to improve Box 3. Jamaica’s Reforms—Teacher’s Council instruction Professional Development Activities Emerging The Jamaica Teachers Council, currently being established, will be responsible for implementing Support systems are necessary to help improve professional development activities. These activities instruction at the school level. In order to constantly include: (a) Carrying out of training of teachers and improve instructional practice, teachers and schools administrative staff; (b) orienting teachers in the new need to be able to analyze specific challenges they face licensing process and procedures; (c) conducting a review of the existing mentoring program;(d) in- in classroom teaching, have access to information on service teacher training in areas required for licensing; best practices to address these challenges, and receive and (e) publishing of a journal describing best practices specific external support tailored to their needs. in teaching and school leadership. These activities are being implemented through some 60 Quality Education SABER-Teachers considers three policy levers school Circles (QECs), which are being established across the systems can use to reach this goal: (1) availability of country. opportunities for teacher professional development; (2) teacher professional development activities that are collaborative and focused on instructional improvement; (3) making sure teacher professional Figure 8. Types of professional development development is assigned based on perceived needs. Singapore Shanghai Jamaica (1) In Jamaica neither primary nor secondary school Mexico Japan teachers were required to participate in teacher professional development activities until recently. The Teachers Council has undertaken steps to improve professional development opportunities in the past Observation visits     academic year (Box 3.). In practice, many teachers also pay for their own professional development. The Teacher networks     content of professional development for both primary and secondary school teachers is extensive, including: School networks     (i) observation visits to other classrooms, (ii) participation in teacher and school networks, (iii) Research     opportunities for the analysis of instructional practices including research as well as mentoring. To date, it is Mentoring/coaching     unclear to what extent teachers benefit from the Source: SABER-Teachers data available opportunities for additional training. (2) Teacher professional development includes some activities that have been found by research to be associated with instructional improvement. Research suggests that effective teacher professional development is collaborative and provides opportunities for the analysis of instructional practice, as opposed to one-time workshops or conferences. Professional development in Jamaica includes such activities. 9 SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS JAMAICA | TEACHER POLICY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Goal 8: Motivating teachers to perform Figure 9. Mechanisms to hold teachers accountable Emerging  Singapore Shanghai Adequate mechanisms to motivate teachers are a way Jamaica Mexico Japan for school systems to signal their seriousness in achieving education goals, make the teaching career attractive to competent individuals, and reward good performance while ensuring accountability. Professional development  SABER-Teachers considers three policy levers school Performance Evaluations   systems can use to reach this goal: (1) linking career opportunities to teachers’ performance; (2) having Source: SABER-Teachers data mechanisms to hold teachers accountable; (3) linking teacher compensation to performance. (1) Promotion opportunities are linked to performance, and open-ended appointments are informed by performance history in Jamaica. There is a mandatory probation period for teachers before they are granted open-ended appointments, and performance on the job factors into whether or not teachers receive appointments. (2) There are hardly any minimum mechanisms in place to hold teachers accountable. Until recently, in Jamaica, primary and secondary school teachers were not required to participate in professional development or performance evaluations as a requisite to remain in the profession. Requiring teachers to meet some standards in order to remain in the teaching profession can facilitate the removal of ineffective teachers. Teachers can, however, be dismissed on several grounds, including: absenteeism, misconduct, child abuse, incompetence, and poor performance. (3) Teacher compensation is somewhat linked to performance. Performance reviews do not carry salary implications, but do matter for teacher promotion. High performing teachers do not receive monetary awards. 10 SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS JAMAICA | TEACHER POLICY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Policy Options teacher’s classroom needs and improving the quality of teaching. This SABER country report has offered a snapshot of Jamaica’s key policies on teachers and how they compare with those of top global performers in Goal 3: Preparing teachers with useful education. Building on that diagnosis, this section training and experience offers some options for further strengthening the teacher policy framework. There is an accreditation process with specified subject content for pre-service teacher training programs, but induction programs for teachers could be strengthened, Goal 1: Setting clear expectations for teachers requiring new teachers to have more classroom experience. There are clear expectations for what students and • Continue to support and strengthen the teachers are supposed to do. Guidance on teachers’ use Teacher’s Council and its efforts to improve of time, however, could be more focused on tasks teacher preparation. related to school improvement. • Ensure that the teacher management • Define a statutory definition for teachers’ information system covers all teachers and working time. In accordance with the practice tracks their performance over time. in higher-performing systems, this definition • Teacher preparation needs to include more should include both time in the classroom and experience in the classroom. The more teachers time spent on nonteaching activities, such as are able to try out their pedagogical theories, tasks related to improving instruction. Such subject matter knowledge, and classroom activities might include providing support to management skills on students, the better other teachers, collaborating on school plans, or prepared they will be for their careers. designing the curriculum—all tasks that could contribute to instructional improvement of the school. Goal 4: Matching teachers’ skills with • Set expectations for what percentage of students’ needs teachers’ working time should be dedicated to teaching and what percentage should be used There are untapped incentives to get teachers to work for other necessary activities that may in hard-to-staff areas where living conditions available contribute to instructional improvement. to teachers are less attractive and to teach critical shortage subjects. • Work to continue identifying hard-to-staff Goal 2: Attracting the best into teaching schools and critical shortage subjects. • Provide more incentives to teachers to teach Teachers are required to have qualifications formally on and work in hard-to-staff schools. Incentives par with those of other professions. Teacher pay and could include: promotion, higher salary, career opportunities may be attractive to competent scholarships for education, or housing. individuals, although working conditions may be less • Provide more incentives to teachers to teach attractive. critical shortage subjects in which there is an • Career opportunities could be strengthened to undersupply of available teachers. attract talented individuals to the profession. In particular, teacher’s pay and promotion opportunities could be better linked to teacher Goal 5: Leading teachers with strong performance. principals • Improve data collected on teachers’ working conditions. Understanding teachers’ working Principals are not explicitly expected to act as environments is imperative to understanding instructional leaders, and programs to support the 11 SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS JAMAICA | TEACHER POLICY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 development of principals’ leadership skills could be strengthened. Goal 8: Motivating teachers to perform • Continue to strengthen the National College for Education Leadership and the supervised There are minimum mechanisms to hold teachers internships for instructional improvement. accountable, and teacher compensation and • Principal performance in Jamaica could be appointments are informed by performance. further enhanced by providing principals with • Improve mechanisms for holding teachers specific coursework to promote leadership accountable. Continue requirements for skills. professional development or additional performance evaluations for teachers who underperform who need it. Goal 6: Monitoring teaching and learning • Reward high-performing teachers with desirable incentives—monetary or otherwise. There are systems in place to monitor teacher performance that rely on multiple criteria. Student achievement data are collected, but it is unclear to what extent they inform teachers about their performance in the classroom. • Ensure that Quality Education Cycles continue to provide student achievement data back to schools. In particular, data on student achievement should be provided to teachers, to improve their classroom performance. • Ensure that the Teacher’s Council assigns unique identification numbers to teachers to track them and their performance over time. Goal 7: Supporting teachers to improve instruction Teacher professional development includes some activities that are associated with instructional improvement. However, until recently teachers were not explicitly required to participate in professional development. • Continue to require that primary and secondary school teachers participate in professional development activities each year. Research suggests that effective teacher professional development is collaborative and provides opportunities for the analysis of instructional practice, as opposed to one-time workshops or conferences. 12 SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS JAMAICA | TEACHER POLICY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Acknowledgements This report was prepared by Mary E. Breeding (Consultant, HDNED), with inputs from Analia Jaimovich (Consultant, HDNED), Andrew Trembley (Consultant, HDNED), and Emiliana Vegas (former Lead Economist, HDNED), and under the direction of Halsey Rogers (Lead Economist, HDNED). The team would also like to thank Latoya Anderson for assistance with data collection.Finally, the report also benefited from the collaboration of Harriet Nannyonjo (Senior Education Specialist, LCSHE) and Winsome Gordon, Chief Executive Officer, Jamaica Teaching Council. Information and analysis is based on data and the conceptual model used in 2012. References Campante, F. & Glaeser, E. L. 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Cambridge, MA: Program on Education Policy Hanushek, E. & Woessmann (2007). “Education Quality and Governance (PEPG). and Economic Growth.� Washington, DC: The Rivkin, S. G., Hanushek, E. A., & Kain, J. F. World Bank. (2005)."Teachers, Schools and Student Hanushek, E. & Woessmann (2009). “Schooling, Achievement."Econometrica, 73(2), 417-458. Cognitive Skills, and the Latin American Growth Rockoff, J. E. (2004). "The Impact of Individual Teachers Puzzle.�NBER Working Paper 15066. Cambridge, on Student Achievement: Evidence from Panel MA: National Bureau of Economic Research Data." American Economic Review, 94(2), 247- (NBER). 252. Nye, B., Konstantopoulos, S., & Hedges, L. V. (2004). Sanders, W. L., & Rivers, J. C. (1996)."Cumulative and "How Large Are Teacher Effects?".Educational Residual Effects of Teachers on Future Student Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 26(3), 237-257. Academic Achievement."Research Progress Report. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Value-Added Research and Assessment Center. Vegas, E., et al. (2012) What matters most in teacher policies? A framework for building a more effective teaching profession. Washington, DC: The World Bank. 13 SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS JAMAICA | TEACHER POLICY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 www.worldbank.org/education/saber The Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) initiative produces comparative data and knowledge on education policies and institutions, with the aim of helping countries systematically strengthen their education systems. SABER evaluates the quality of education policies against evidence-based global standards, using new diagnostic tools and detailed policy data. The SABER country reports give all parties with a stake in educational results—from administrators, teachers, and parents to policymakers and business people—an accessible, objective snapshot showing how well the policies of their country's education system are oriented toward ensuring that all children and youth learn. This report focuses specifically on policies in the area of teacher policy. This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. THE WORLD BANK 14 SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS