What does genuine professional respect look like?

At The Age Education Summit held recently, the Deputy Premier and Minster for Education. The Hon. Ben Carroll MP announced the revision of the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM) along with the requirement for all government schools to implement systematic synthetic phonics as a part of teaching reading in Foundation to Year 2 classes.? These changes will occur from the commencement of 2025, with schools having 3 years to implement them.

Governments have the right to set policy and in conjunction with the Department of Education, school principals will lead their staff in implementing new initiatives as they are announced.?

Following the initial announcement, I was excited that we were now discussing teaching and learning, as this is at the core of what school leaders are passionate about.

This excitement has faded slightly!? Through listening at regular Victorian Principals Association Network meetings, face-to-face discussions with colleagues, and many emails and phone conversations, along with reflecting on my professional and personal beliefs, I believe that much of the current angst being shared by colleagues is a result of feeling a lack of respect once more.? This is not just a lack of respect, but a lack of professional respect.

There has been much professional debate with colleagues about this announcement over the past two weeks, as the teaching of reading is an issue about which we are all incredibly passionate.? Many have undertaken rich and ongoing research throughout their careers and have strong beliefs and understandings based on research and lived experience.? Importantly, we talk about student agency and voice as being critical in learning.? Equally important is principal agency and voice, as is that of teachers and staff in our schools.? Fundamentally, this is where educators use their skills, knowledge, and insight to determine the point of need of their students.? This is based on summative and formative assessment to then plan and choose the teaching strategy to elicit the best learning outcomes for all.? This is where the nuance and complexity of teaching blends so that highly skilled teachers can meet the needs of individuals, and their entire class.

The debate about what works best in the teaching of reading is far from over, despite what is claimed by some, and will continue to be discussed intellectually by the profession with a focus on current and evolving research. ?This is driven by a passion for achieving the best possible outcome for all students.?

This is what all great professions do. They strive for continual improvement.

The greatest frustration expressed by colleagues since this announcement has been the lack of professional respect given to teachers and principals.?There has been commentary within the broader community inferring that currently, teachers and principals can ‘choose their adventure’ when selecting strategies to teach reading; and that ‘explicit teaching’ and ‘research-informed practice’ will be used in the teaching of reading. There is also an underlying sentiment that the current approach has ‘failed students’ in Victoria.

This is a total lack of professional respect, as it infers that the use of phonics does not occur in our schools, explicit teaching and research are not used by principals and teachers and we are not successfully teaching students to read. The evidence against which schools are held accountable at a national level would suggest differently.? Victorian primary schools lead the nation in almost every aspect of the national assessment program.? I must stress, that this does not mean that we cannot do better.? Every educator and school Principal strives to ensure every child has high-level literacy skills.

In my role as the President of the Victorian Principals Association, and as an educator myself, I feel that I must defend our profession publicly.? The inference that Victorian government school education is failing is simply wrong, and it offends me personally and professionally.

I often wonder what some people think teachers and principals do.? I have been privileged to have worked with many passionate and skilled educators in both my current role and as a school principal for many years. They are professionally informed and well-researched on current practice. Critically, this knowledge is shared with their peers to support the improvement of all.? Their impact is evidenced by remarkable outcomes for children they have taught and colleagues they mentor and coach along the way.?

The lack of professional respect for educators is wrong and must be corrected and challenged. It impacts our teachers and school leaders in so many negative ways and sadly, becomes one of the reasons why great people choose to leave this profession. ??

While listening to the radio over the past week, I must admit to becoming even more frustrated as I reflected on the difference between being respected and being professionally respected.?

Two such items spring to mind.? One, was a discussion about youth crime in Victoria, with a previous Chief Commissioner of Victorian Police claiming that “the education system is failing us… and that schools should be teaching right and wrong”.? Out of professional respect, I would not dream of telling a Chief Police Commissioner, or a police officer what they should or should not be doing in their job. If I did, I’m sure I would be counselled for the error of my ways by friends who are in the force.? And rightly so.

The next morning, I heard a news item stating, “An education expert says that schools should be teaching students about artificial intelligence”, due to the deepfake images being circulated recently.? While there was no reference as to who this ‘education expert’ was, I once again questioned why some feel that it is ok to tell schools what they should or should not be doing.

These are just two recent examples of commentary about our schools and their effectiveness, or what they should or should not be teaching. Frustratingly this is a regular occurrence. ???

Now, more than ever, we need a bipartisan approach that addresses the role and purpose of contemporary primary school education.?

Then we can achieve co-design of policy and program implementation, involving researchers, policymakers, and professional educators to ensure successful implementation.? Without it, there will continue to be a divide between the policymakers and those in schools required to implement changes.? This divide needs to be closed with increased trust and professional respect at every opportunity, and not as an afterthought.?

This would demonstrate genuine professional respect, and I strongly believe it, encourages more people to enter the teaching profession and shape the future of our nation.

To all staff in our school, especially our school leaders - Be proud of the work you do daily.? It changes lives!

Andrew Dalgleish is the President of the Victorian Principals Association which represents government primary school leaders.

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