Dan Tehan backs the teacher education orthodoxy on ATARs

Education Minister Dan Tehan repeated his opposition to higher ATARs for entry to teacher training courses at a deans of education seminar Friday. ““We will not enhance our teaching profession by putting higher and higher ATARs in place to limit the amount of teachers who can enter the teaching profession,” Mr Tehan said.

This is in-line with his predecessors, Christopher Pyne and Simon Birmingham, who argued that it was the skills and knowledge teacher ed students graduate with that matter, not their uni entry scores. Both acted to ensure, that teacher education graduates are certified classroom ready. And it is way-different to Labor education shadow minister Tanya Plibersek’s (albeit qualified) commitment to a top 30 per cent ATAR as minimum entry to initial teacher. education course (CMM January 14).  Her assistant shadow minister for schools Andrew Giles reiterated the message at the dean’s seminar. “A future Labor government will target entry to teaching degrees to the top 30 per cent of academic achievers. This is in line with top performing systems around the globe. … We want to work cooperatively with you in the university sector to get the balance on entry into ITE courses right. However, as Tanya Plibersek has made clear, ultimately she would have the ability to cap places in teaching degrees.”

A Liberal minister agrees with the education establishment and Labor’s deputy leader doesn’t. It’s enough to make a dean’s brain blow-up.