Main profession

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Many factors have an impact on the quality of teaching and learning. The main are out of school factors (such as family socioeconomic status, parental education, number of books at home, and access to resources), and school factors (such as teacher education and qualifications, school management and principal leadership, school resources and facilities, and class size). Numerous empirical studies prove that the most important factor in student performance and achievement is a TEACHER. Many developed education systems base policy decisions on evidence, i.e., research, and therefore continue to focus its efforts on the importance of teachers and the quality of teaching and learning.

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Since less developed countries still have problems with access to secondary education, underfunded and under-equipped schools, and lack of basic resources (like safe toilets and availability of textbooks), the quality of teaching and learning is not always on the list of reform priorities, so the quality of education suffers more. But those countries that realize the importance of teachers in improving the entire education system are beginning to pay more attention and invest more resources on who is entering the teaching profession, how teacher education and training is conducted, and what social status the profession has.

Research over the past 20 years in this area provides us with an evidence base to understand why reforms in some countries in improving teacher quality have not resulted in significant systemic changes in teaching and learning. Often fragmented approach is taken, and isolated elements of quality improvement are implemented, such as increases in teacher salaries or principal rotation. There is no direct link between an increase in teachers' salaries or a change in school leadership and an improvement in the quality of teaching.

Kazakhstan passed the Law on Teacher Status in 2019 to raise the status of teachers. It is a rare case in the post-Soviet region where large-scale measures were taken at the national level to raise teacher salaries across the country. A huge state budget has been allocated and a plan has been created to raise every teacher's salary by 2025. This proves that the teachers are a priority for the state and the education system. However, since this law was passed, there has been no empirical research conducted in Kazakhstan on the extent to which the teacher pay raise and the introduction of the new law have affected changes in the quality of teaching and learning.

Based on the international experience of other countries and the research conducted there in this area, I would like to describe how a systematic approach to teacher improvement has positively influenced, and continues to influence, the quality of teaching and student achievement. Based on the experience of Finland, Singapore, Canada, and Australia, where teacher quality is among the highest in the world, there are several key elements of the education system. They are interrelated and produce results when implemented systematically and simultaneously.

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Here are the main elements of teacher quality system:

1. Who enters the profession. The higher the competition for admissions to teacher training institutions is, the more opportunities the admissions committee has to select the best applicants. If teacher status is high and the teaching profession is valued in society, school graduates, seeing the example of their teachers, decide to become teachers. Tuition grants and fellowships motivate talented and successful high school graduates to enroll in a teacher training college rather than other programs.

2. The quality of education in teacher education institutions. What and how students are taught during their 3-5 years of study is directly related to how prepared they will be when they start working in schools. The closer the curriculum for future teachers is to that in school, and the more students understand the realities of the school, the better prepared they will be. In developed education systems, teacher education institutions actively and continually work with schools and take a practice-oriented approach. In the U.S., for example, teacher- students teach in schools and receive feedback from teacher mentors in their first year, and they do full time internships in a school in their last year.

3. Selection of the best graduates of teacher education institutions s for teaching positions. Not all graduates can go to work as teachers when they graduate from a pedagogical university. Only after passing the qualification exam and only the best graduates can become teachers. This practice is applied in Finland, for example.

4. Continuous professional development at the school level and a systematic approach to improving pedagogical practices that meet the requirements of schools, students, and parents are critical. Teachers continually work on their development, receive feedback from colleagues and mentors, and implement new methods and improved practices in daily basis. Teachers are given regular feedback and time for reflection. International evidence proves that the most effective professional development takes at the school throughout the year, and short courses outside the school are ineffective.

5. Mentorship and teacher support of one another. Many teachers are mentors and mentees (who receive support) at the same time regardless of the number of years of service. Younger teachers receive mentoring from their «seasoned» colleagues. And those who have been in the profession for some time form teams with colleagues to enhance their subject knowledge and pedagogy.

6. Clear «rules of the game» for career development. Any graduate of a pedagogical university and a teacher understands where one can grow, what positions one can take when improving one's qualifications, if a teacher wants to take a leadership position in a school, at the regional, provincial, or national level. When these rules of the game work and they are clear to everyone, any teacher has the opportunity to continually grow both horizontally and vertically.

7. An attractive benefits package to retain teachers in the profession. When highly qualified young teachers come to schools after receiving a quality education and the system invests in their professional development, they love their jobs and are willing to invest in their students, it becomes important for policy makers to retain such personnel in the profession. A good social package, salary, high status in society, a clear understanding of career development, and other social benefits motivate teachers to stay in the profession.

8. Providing teachers the opportunity to do their job – To teach and inspire children. When teachers are highly qualified, the autonomy given to them helps them do what they came into the profession for - to teach children. If teachers are burdened with extra work that is not directly related to teaching children, their motivation to stay in the profession diminishes. The entire system and regulations should work to support teachers at all levels. Involving teachers in shaping and implementing policies helps maximize results at the statewide level, since teachers know more than anyone else what the needs of his (or her) students, parents, and school are.

There are other elements of the system that exist in well-developed education systems that emphasize the quality of the teaching profession, but these eight are basic systemic measures that need to be implemented systematically, which in turn will lead to improvements in the quality of teaching and learning. If the fragmented approach continues and only some elements are introduced into the state's educational policy, there will be no systemic improvement. Talented school graduates will not come to the teaching profession, teacher training universities and colleges will not provide quality education, and those who already work will not be motivated to improve and stay in the profession. The teacher is not only the most important school factor in student achievement. It is perhaps one of the most important professions of any society, as the teacher invests in the most important capital we have - our children and the future of any nation.