High Achieving Teachers program evaluation

Interim report

October 2021
Introduction
The Department of Education, Skills and Employment has commissioned dandolo to evaluate the High Achieving Teachers
program.
The Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) has commissioned dandolo to evaluate the Section Page
implementation and impact of the High Achieving Teachers (HAT) program.
Key findings and indicative assessment 3-4
HAT program
High level evaluation framework 5
The objective of the HAT program is to support the growth of alternative, employment-based pathways
into teaching as a mechanism for improving access to quality teaching and education for all Australian Areas for further analysis 6
students, regardless of their location.
Section 1: What is the HAT program? 7-11
The program funds two different employment-based pathways that recruit high-achieving university
graduates and places them in secondary schools while they complete an initial teacher education course Section 2: HAT schools 12-15
with a view to becoming fully-qualified teachers:
• Teach for Australia (TFA)’s Leadership Development Program (LDP) – three participant intakes over Targeting schools 13-14
2020, 2021 and 2022
• La Trobe University’s Nexus program – three participant intakes over 2020, 2021 and 2022 Meeting school needs 15

Interim report
Section 3: HAT participants 16-28
DESE asked dandolo to provide an early interim report on the HAT program (Wave 1) before commencing
the substantive evaluation, which will run from October 2021 to mid-2023 (Wave 2). The purpose of this
Participant distribution and demographics 17-18
interim report is to provide an update on the implementation of the program to date and highlight any
areas for further analysis.
Recruiting participants 19-20
We engaged with HAT participants and state and territory education departments to inform this interim
report. We also analysed data provided by TFA and La Trobe University. Supporting participants 21-24

Participant completions 25-26

Participant effectiveness and impact 27-28

1
Access to information for the interim report
We acknowledge that the timing of this interim report has implications for the information that is currently available to us on the
LDP and Nexus.

Quantitative and qualitative data indicates We acknowledge that Nexus is a brand-new

At the time of writing, the 2020 and 2021 that COVID-19 responses in participating program that commenced in 2020, whereas the
LDP and Nexus intakes had not completed jurisdictions had – and continue to have – a LDP is a well-established program that has run
their respective programs. This means that significant impact on program for over 10 years with several iterations.
we did not have access to comprehensive implementation and participant views (for
data for a full cycle of either program (that example, moving intensives online).*
falls within the HAT funding period).
For the LDP, we have used pre-2020 data
In some cases, 2021 data is not yet where possible to contextualise our findings. We did not directly engage with schools due to
available, which limits our ability to make For Nexus, however, we do not have the time constraints for the interim report, although
observations about the 2021 intakes. benefit of pre-COVID data because the we did have access to some school data such as
program only commenced in 2020. principal surveys.

We plan to address these factors as part of the broader evaluation

* In addition, one of our data sources for the LDP – the 2020 Principal Survey – does not contain responses from about half of LDP partner schools due
to the Victorian education department’s decision to suspend research in schools during 2020. 2
Key findings
The LDP appears to be an effective employment-based teacher pathway. It’s too early to make the same conclusion about
Nexus, but the early signs are promising.
Section LDP Nexus Page

• Jurisdictions and schools participate in the LDP and Nexus programs to help boost both the supply and quality of teachers in schools.
Targeting schools • Participants are placed in the most disadvantaged schools in Australia. Most are placed in regional and remote schools, and a large proportion 13-14
teach in STEM-related subject areas (but a very small number in languages).

• Overall, schools are highly satisfied with LDP and Nexus participants. 15
Meeting school needs
• A large majority of principals would take on LDP and Nexus participants again and recommend them to other schools.

• The LDP has a rigorous recruitment process that focuses • The Nexus recruitment process emphasises values and knowledge.
Recruiting participants on skills-based competencies. The program is very • The process is somewhat competitive. Early evidence suggests that the 17-20
competitive and recruits high-performing people. process is recruiting high-performing people.

• Participants may need more support than graduate teachers in their first 6-12 months due to a lack of teaching experience and high workload.
Supporting participants • Participants are generally positive about the different types of support they receive as part of their respective programs. 21-24
• However, it appears the usefulness or quality of that support differs depending on the support type and school context.

• LDP and Nexus completions are tracking consistent with – or higher than – average completions for postgraduate ITE courses.
Participant completions • Withdrawals for both programs were likely impacted by COVID. The LDP’s intensity and workload is likely to drive some attrition, whereas 25-26
income constraints and personal circumstances may be driving attrition for Nexus.

• Initial evidence suggests that the LDP program produces • It’s too early to tell the extent to which Nexus produces effective
Participant effectiveness highly effective teachers that perform as well or better than teachers, although initial evidence shows a large majority of participants 27
graduate teachers. feel very prepared to start teaching.

• Principal views suggest that LDP participants are having a

• We do not yet have sufficient data on Nexus to make similar
Participant impact positive impact on student outcomes and broader school 28
observations.
culture.

Note: Separate Nexus analysis is contained in pink boxes through this interim report where findings differ significantly from the LDP .
3
Indicative assessment against program objective
Our initial work suggests that the HAT program is achieving its objective. We plan to explore several areas in more detail in
Wave 2 of the evaluation.
The objective of the HAT program is to: Indicative assessment based on current evidence:

• The HAT program is supporting TFA to grow the LDP in several jurisdictions
Support the growth of alternative, as an employment-based pathway into teaching.
employment-based pathways into the • The program has also enabled the establishment of the Nexus program,
teaching profession… which serves as an alternative model that introduces participants to the
classroom more incrementally.

• Initial evidence suggests that LDP and Nexus participants are high-quality
…as a mechanism for improving teachers in the classroom who start from a lower base compared to graduate
access to quality teaching and teachers but develop rapidly over the course of their respective programs.
education… • Participants are also likely to have a positive impact on their broader school
culture, including their colleagues’ quality of teaching

• The HAT program is currently delivering for students in secondary schools

…for all Australian students, across five jurisdictions in Australia.
regardless of location. • Almost all LDP and Nexus participants are placed in disadvantaged schools,
and most are placed in regional and remote schools.

• There are several areas we explored for this interim report that we plan to
However, we still need to explore a number of areas in examine in more detail.
Wave 2 before making a comprehensive assessment: • There are also several areas we have earmarked as a focus for Wave 2,
particularly the effectiveness, impact and retention of program participants as
well as scalability and value for money.

4
High level evaluation framework and report structure
This interim report assesses the HAT program against government policy objectives based on initial perceptions from schools,
program participants and state and territory jurisdictions.

Included in this interim report Partial view included in this

interim report
Section 1
Focus for Wave 2 of the evaluation
What is HAT?

Were appropriate
Section 2 Were schools’ needs met?
schools targeted?
Schools

Recruitment and Impact /

Support Completions Retention
selection effectiveness
Section 3
Participants
Mentoring and
Academic
peer support

What was the impact on

student outcomes?

Students
Lenses for analysis

Government policy HAT program v. HAT HAT program v. comparator non- Implications for employment
Scalability Value for money
objectives program HAT program based pathways

5
Areas for further analysis
We plan to further analyse several areas as part of Wave 2 fieldwork.
Section Area for further analysis Why it’s important to analyse further
Meeting school needs School-level view on whether LDP and Nexus participants are being matched to • No school-level data as part of Wave 1
schools' needs effectively
Meeting school needs Reasons for some jurisdictions not participating in the LDP. • Better understanding these reasons could be important in the context of
scaling up the HAT program
Targeting schools How the HAT program can be improved to meet supply challenges within • Some jurisdictions do not consider the HAT program to be designed to
specialist / special needs teachers address supply challenges for special needs teachers

HAT participants The quality of Nexus participants and diversity of LDP participants • We have heard that Nexus recruits high-quality people, but did not have
significant access to relevant data in Wave 1
• One jurisdiction told us that that LDP participants lack some diversity, but we
need to explore this issue further
Recruiting participants Why there were significantly less Nexus offers made and accepted in 2021 • The recruitment process may have impacted the size of the placed cohort

Supporting participants Effectiveness of the ACU master’s course for LDP participants and the La Trobe • The master’s course is a key program component
course for Nexus participants • We did not have significant access to relevant data in Wave 1
• There was some sentiment in our focus groups that the courses could be
improved

Supporting participants The consistency of support provided to LDP and Nexus participants • The level of support given to participants is a key program component

Participant completions The factors that contribute to program withdrawals and completion, as well as • Retention rates are key to determining the sustainability of the programs
longer-term retention

Participant impact Whether LDP and Nexus participants are having a positive impact on student • We did not have significant access to relevant data in Wave 1
outcomes and broader school culture

6
Section 1: What is the HAT program?

7
 What is HAT?
What is the HAT program?
The HAT program currently provides funding to TFA and La Trobe University to provide alternative employment-based
pathways into teaching.
HAT program
Department of Education, Skills & Employment

The HAT program’s objective is to provide alternative, employment-based pathways into teaching to improve access to quality education
for students and schools, regardless of their location.

Funding Funding
$22.4 million as part of the Australian Government’s 2018-19 $6.3 million as part of the Australian Government’s 2018-19
budget to TFA for three intakes in 2020, 2021 and 2022. budget to La Trobe for three intakes in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Leadership Development Program Nexus Program

TFA La Trobe University
Effectively running since 2009 Two-year course New program in 2020 Option of 18 month or two-
120 funded participants per Focus on developing future year Masters course
80 funded participants across
annual intake school leaders three intake years Recruitment focus on passion
Operating in VIC, TAS, NT, Based on intensive learning for social justice
Operating in VIC only
SA and WA and early classroom More incremental introduction
experience to the classroom
Supplemental funding through
participating States and More information on More information on
Territories page 9 page 10

(Total number of participants across the HAT program is 440 over three years)

8
LDP delivered by TFA
What is HAT?

The LDP aims to break the cycle of educational inequity by recruiting, developing, supporting and placing high achievers in
remote and disadvantaged areas across Australia. Over two years, participants with at least a Bachelor degree (or graduating
that year) become teachers in their respective fields through concurrent study and paid placements.
Participants graduate at the end of the program with a
Masters of Teaching (Secondary) from the Australian Currently operates in VIC, TAS, NT, SA and
Catholic University through full-time study and WA. Previously operated in the ACT.
intensives.

Participants undertake concurrent study and 0.8 full-

Two-year program, with initial study and support
time equivalent (FTE) teaching throughout the
beginning the October prior to first teaching year.
program.

Pre-placement Year 1 Year 2 Future

Initial national/regional
Recruitment Masters of Placement Intensive programs
intensive
/ Selection Teaching

Mentoring and peer support

Teaching and Leadership Advisor ACU Academic Mentor School Mentor LDP network
Experienced teacher who provides one- University professor who monitors Teacher at placement schools who Associates and alumni who share
on-one coaching and observation. progress throughout degree. provides practical support. experiences and support.

Academic components
Masters of Teaching (Secondary) National / Regional Initial Intensive Intensive programs
Foundational knowledge, skill Connect with associates and alumni who 9
Participants graduate with a degree from
Australian Catholic University. development, networking. share experiences and support.
Nexus program delivered by La Trobe University
What is HAT?

Nexus aims to recruit, develop, support and place participants with a passion for social justice in low socioeconomic schools in
Victoria. Participants study full-time and gradually increase their teaching load to become full-time paraprofessional teachers
by their second year.
Participants graduate at the end of the program with a
Masters of Teaching through full-time study and Operates in Victoria only.
intensives.

• 0.2 FTE teaching support role in Year 1, Term 2

• 0.4 FTE teaching support role in Year 1, Terms 3 and 4 Offers two-year or accelerated 18-month courses.
• Full-time paraprofessional teacher in Year 2 (with 0.8
teaching load)

Pre-placement Year 1 Year 2 Future

Recruitment Masters of Placement Intensive

/ Selection Teaching

Mentoring and peer support Academic components

Classroom mentor Nexus network Masters of Teaching (Secondary) Intensives
Experienced teacher at placement school Associates and alumni who share Participants graduate with a degree from Three one-week intensives to build
who provides observation and support. experiences and support. La Trobe University. knowledge, skills and networking.

10
Choosing to participate in the LDP and Nexus
What is HAT?

Jurisdictions consider the LDP to be a “tried and tested” employment-based teacher pathway that plays a relatively small but
important role in their teacher workforce strategies, but they also are exploring other models that are more similar to Nexus.

Reasons for participating in the LDP and Nexus: Continued participation in the LDP:
We heard that jurisdictions choose the LDP as their preferred We heard that in jurisdictions where TFA is more established, those jurisdictions are likely to
employment-based teacher pathway because: continue supporting the LDP. In jurisdictions where the LDP is less established, however:
- It is already well-established and “tried and tested” compared - Jurisdictions are aware that there is an increasingly diverse range of employment-based
to similar models pathway options.
- TFA chooses high-quality participants through a rigorous - Jurisdictions are exploring options that provide more “bespoke” models tailored to the
selection process context of their own jurisdictions (e.g., working with local universities to develop
- TFA has a particular focus on regional and disadvantaged employment-based pathways for local people in local communities).These models are
schools, which is where jurisdictions face the biggest teacher similar to Nexus, with a more gradual introduction to the classroom.
supply challenges

Reasons for non-participation in the LDP:

HAT’s broader role
Jurisdictions who do not have the LDP cited a number of reasons for their decision:
In jurisdictions with the LDP and Nexus, employment-based pathways form one of
- TFA associates are “expensive” compared to other policy responses to address
several policy responses to teacher supply challenges as part of their broader teacher
teacher supply challenges
workforce strategies. Other policy responses include:
- Perceived poor retention
- Accelerated postgraduate initial teacher education programs
- Perceived quality issues, given the intensive and employment-based nature of
- Employing final-year pre-service teachers
TFA training
- Encouraging existing teachers to change subject specialisations
- “Industrial push back” from teacher unions and principal associations
- State and territory legislative / regulatory barriers relating to teacher registration
There is general sentiment that employment-based pathways play an important role, but can
- One jurisdiction was concerned about a perceived lack of cultural diversity in
only be scaled to a certain threshold given:
TFA cohorts
• They target a very specific “type” of person in a limited pool (i.e. motivated, high-achieving
people with specialised knowledge in specific subject areas).
These jurisdictions are actively exploring and / or using several alternative
• Schools have limited capacity to take on these people, who may require more intensive
employment-based pathways, including:
support compared to graduate teachers (particularly in more disadvantaged schools).
• Scholarships and employment-based pathways for mid-career professionals
• Teacher cadetships for Year 12 students
• Teacher aide roles for pre-service teachers

Source: Interviews with education departments of Victoria, WA, SA, NT, Tasmania (HAT jurisdictions) and NSW, Queensland and ACT (non-HAT jurisdictions). 11
Section 2: HAT schools

12
Targeting schools
Schools

Jurisdictions and schools participate in the HAT program to help boost both the supply and quality of teachers in schools.

Schools participate in the LDP and Nexus programs primarily because Jurisdictions told us they participate in the LDP and Nexus programs primarily to help
they can access high-performing people with demonstrated academic address teacher supply challenges in two key areas:
success and a high-level of enthusiasm for and dedication to teaching. • Regional, rural and / or remote areas
They are relatively less concerned about filling vacancies and • Specific subject areas, particularly STEM and languages other than English.
developing their leadership pipeline.
Jurisdictions also experience supply challenges with specialist / special needs teachers,
but they do not consider the HAT program to be designed to address this need. We will
explore this further in Wave 2.

Why principals would choose to recruit LDP participants in the future (2018-2020)
90.0 85.0
Proportion of principals who selected option (%)

80.0 73.3
68.8
70.0 62.2 62.7 64.4
57.5 57.3
60.0 50.7 53.3
48.0 49.3
50.0 45.0
37.8 40.0
40.0 36.3 35.6
28.0 28.8 30.7 26.7
30.0 22.2
18.8
20.0 13.3
7.5 10.7
10.0
0.0
0.0
They bring a high- They are high- They provide good They provide specific They bring a depth of They are more They contribute to the They fill vacancies we Other
level of enthusiasm performers with value for money subject matter life experience which effective in getting our schools leadership otherwise could not fill
and dedication to demonstrated expert ise we would helps them relat e to students to engage pipeline
teaching and the academic success otherwise be unable to students and perform
school obtain

2018 2019 2020

Source: Annual principal and school mentor surveys (2018-2020)

13
Targeting schools
Schools

HAT participants are placed in the most disadvantaged schools across Australia.
ICSEA percentile of schools hosting LDP participants (2019-2021)
20

Proportion of placements (%)

Almost all LDP placements are in the
bottom two ICSEA quartiles (below the 15
national ICSEA median score of 1000).
10
About half of placements are in the bottom
quartile, which represents the most 5
disadvantaged schools in Australia.
0

00
9

9
4.9

9.9

4.9

9.9

4.9

9.9

4.9

9.9

4.9

9.9

4.9

9.9

4.9

9.9

-1
-1

-1

-2

-2

-3

-3

-4

-4

-5

-5

-6

-6
0-

5-

70
10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65
ICSEA Percentile Range

2019 2020 2021

ICSEA percentile of schools hosting Nexus participants (2020-2021)

12 11
9
Number of placements
Almost all Nexus placements are also in 10
8 7
the bottom two ICSEA quartiles. Nearly 6 6
three quarters of Nexus placements are in 6 4 4
4 3
the bottom quartile, including some of the 1 1 1
2
most disadvantaged schools in Victoria.*
0
9

9
4.9

9.9

4.9

9.9

4.9

9.9

4.9

9.9

4.9

9.9

4.9

9.9

4.9

9.9

4.9

9.9
-1

-1

-2

-2

-3

-3

-4

-4

-5

-5

-6

-6

-7

-7
0-

5-

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75
ICSEA percentile
* Note – ICSEA scores were unavailable for three schools (Greater
Shepparton College, Rubicon Outdoor College and the Pavilion. Bottom two quartiles

Source: Participant Data (Cohorts 2018 – 2021)

14
Meeting school needs
Schools

Overall, schools are highly satisfied with LDP and Nexus participants.
Principal satisfaction with LDP participants (2018-2020)
100
LDP:

Proportion of principals that selected option

80 73.8
Schools are very satisfied with the LDP 64.4
56.0
participants in their schools. 60
36.0
40 28.9

(%)
23.8
88% of schools would hire LDP participants 20
2.7 4.4 2.5 2.7 2.7 2.2
again and most are highly likely to 0.0 0.0 0.0
0
recommend hiring participants to a friend or Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly disagree
colleague.
2018 2019 2020

Principal satisfaction with Nexus Principal likelihood of taking Nexus

participants overall (2020) participants in the future (2020)*
Nexus: 100 100
90 20 90 25

Proportion of responses (%)

Proportion of responses (%)
Schools appear very satisfied with 80 80
Nexus participants, although we do not 70 70
have comprehensive data. 60 60
50 50
Three quarters of schools have indicated 40 80 40 75
they would be very likely to take on 30 30
Nexus participants in the future. 20 20
10 10
0 0

5 out of 5 4 out of 5 Very likely Likely

* The sample size for this data set is small. We plan to undertake further fieldwork on school satisfaction as part of Wave 2.
Sources: 15
Annual principal and school mentor surveys (2018-2020)
Nexus School Satisfaction Survey Data (Dec 2020)
Section 3: HAT participants

16
 Number of LDP and Nexus participants
Participants

LDP and Nexus currently operate in five jurisdictions, but most current placements are in WA and VIC.

Placement distribution of LDP*

HAT participation is
concentrated in two
LDP and Nexus participants who LDP placements Percentage of jurisdictions:
by jurisdiction LDP placements
commenced placement (2019-2021) (2020 – 2021) by jurisdiction • 21.5% placed in
180 WA schools
LDP not operating
160 • 56% placed in
in this jurisdiction
VIC schools
140

120 39 13%
100

80
79 26%
60

40
3 1%
20

0
2019 2020 2021

Leadership Development Program Nexus program

120 LDP participants per intake

funded through HAT All 64 Nexus participants across 2020
and 2021 intakes were placed in
All Nexus participants are funded through HAT
Victoria. 141 47%

40 13%

Sources:
Applicant Data (Pipeline 2017-2020)
Participant Data (Cohorts 2018-2021) 17
Demographics of HAT participants
Participants

Both TFA and Nexus participants typically come from STEM backgrounds, have a prior interest in teaching, and were drawn to
the ‘hands-on’ approach of the program. Nexus participants also mentioned the focus on social justice as an attractive feature.
“I am originally from regional Victoria,
“I identify as a female Australian and
LDP participants (2020-2021) Nexus participants (2020-2021) raised near Wodonga. I have
I’m from Victoria. I graduated 2 years previously gained experience teaching
ago with a degree in Maths, and since through a variety of experiences,
graduating, I’ve worked in the including tutoring for La Trobe.
43% female, 37% male, 10% Engineering industry. 59% female, 39% male
undisclosed or prefer not to say (1 non-binary) I took part in Nexus because I wanted
My placement with TFA was in the
a meaningful way to contribute to our
Melbourne metropolitan area for a
collective future, and I believe teaching
school with an ICSEA score of 946.
is an excellent way to do this. I also
I teach STEM – Maths and Physics wanted the chance to return to teach in
22% career professionals and I’ve enjoyed my experience so 29% recent graduates and 71% the area I grew up, so I took a
(graduated 6+ years ago), 49% much that I would now like to pursue a ‘career changers’ placement based on the Albury-
early career (graduated 1-5 career in teaching. I didn’t think that I Wodonga Campus.
years ago) and 29% graduates would before my TFA experience.”
I teach Humanities and English.”
(graduating in the year of
application) Almost all applicants from Victoria (97%)
“I started my Nexus Placement in my
“I identify as a male Australian and I’m final year at La Trobe. I am studying
from Northern Territory. I will be for Bachelor of Science.
Highest proportion of
completing university this year with a Average age 31 years old*
applicants from Victoria (29%) Originally from Gippsland, I
Bachelor of Arts degree.
passionately believe that high-quality
I’ve always wanted to pursue a career teachers are needed in rural areas.
in teaching, even before I’d heard of The COVID-19 pandemic had a huge
1 participant identifying as the TFA program. 1 participant identifying as effect on the way we teach,
Aboriginal or Torres Strait I am from the city but my placement is Aboriginal or Torres Strait transitioning from face-to-face to online
Islander in remote NT at a school with an Islander learning. The experience gave me
ICSEA score of 829. I am teaching insight into what aspects of online
English and my experience has teaching work, and do not work, and
confirmed my desire to pursue a create lesson plans accordingly.
career in the profession.” I am teaching Biology and Chemistry
at a school near Mildura.”

Sources: 18
‘Typical’ participant profiles * Age profile not available for LDP
Participant Data (Cohorts 2018 – 2021)
Nexus Participant Database & Nexus Application Statements
Recruiting participants – LDP
Participants

The LDP has a rigorous recruitment process that focuses on skills-based competencies and recruits very high-performing
people. The program is very appealing and highly competitive.

The LDP…

Has a rigorous recruitment process that assesses a range of skills-based Is very appealing and highly competitive for prospective participants (see
competencies* across three key stages: graph below). Only about 10% of applicants ended up commencing the
1. Online application: Candidates are scored against answers and overall, for program in 2021. HAT participants in focus groups told us that they were
written communication. attracted by:
2. Virtual interview: Candidates are scored based on a 45-minute online interview. • The program’s “hands on” approach and support networks
3. Selection day: Candidates are scored during a five-hour virtual selection day • The ability to ”hit the ground running”
including a sample teaching lesson, group activity and parent-teacher interview. • The ability to earn an income in the early stages of the program

LDP applicant stages (2017-2020)*

Recruits very high-performing people:
• Jurisdictions told us that the quality of candidates recruited through a rigorous 1800
1568
process was one of the LDP’s greatest strengths. 1600
• Data shows that candidates who are eventually placed through the program score 1400
about 10% higher against the competencies compared to the average candidate,

Number of applicants
1200
particularly on communication and influencing ability.**
1000 878
800 602
600
330
Has applicant numbers that reduce evenly during the recruitment process, 400 179
but we plan to undertake more fieldwork to determine whether there are any 200
meaningful barriers to participation (e.g., reasons for applicant withdrawals). Initial 0
data suggest that the LDP recruitment process is better than or at least equivalent Applications Phone or Virtual Select ions Day Program of fers Placements by
to similar recruitment processes for other programs. submitted Interviews held Part icipants made application year
Stage of recruitment process

2017 2018 2019 2020

* Commitment to TFA’s mission and values (including educational equity); communication and influencing ability; humility, respect and empathy; leadership;
learning and self-evaluation; planning and organisation; problem-solving; and resilience.
** Applicant Data (Pipeline 2017-2020). 19
** Example figures represent 2020 application data for the 2021 intake.
Recruiting participants – Nexus
Participants

The Nexus program has a standard recruitment process that emphasises values and knowledge. The process is somewhat
competitive and initial evidence suggests that it is reasonably successful at recruiting high-performing people into the program.

The Nexus program…

Social justice is something that I have always really cared about. I liked that the program
Has a recruitment process that: focused on addressing those specific needs in students and schools. - Nexus participant
• Comprises standard written statement and interview
stages.
• Assesses a range of values and knowledge-based criteria, According to our interview with Victoria, Nexus recruits
including a demonstrated passion for social justice and high-performing people into the program. We plan to undertake
demonstrated understanding of cultural diversity.* further fieldwork in Wave 2 to better understand cohort profiles.

Nexus recruitment (2020-2021)

Is somewhat competitive for prospective participants (see
graph to right): 160 147 146
• Nexus has received around 150 applications in each of its 140
first two years. About 22% of applicants end up commencing

Number of applicants
120
the program on average. 100
• In addition to the factors on the previous page, Nexus
80
participants told us they were attracted to the program by the 58
60 51 47
more gradual introduction to the classroom and “focus on 41
social justice”. 40 29 24
20 6 5
Had different recruitment patterns in its first year compared 0
Applications Applicants Offers made and Withdrawals prior Beginning cohort
to the second. In 2020, a large majority of candidates received interviewed accepted to strength
interviewed were eventually placed. In 2021, significantly fewer commencement
offers were made and accepted, which impacted the size of the Stage of recruitment process
placed cohort. We plan to undertake more fieldwork in Wave 2 to
determine the factors that caused this (e.g. quality of applicants). Cohort One (2020 Intake) Cohort Two (2021 Intake)

* Other criteria includes: Previous university degree with good results; knowledge in high-needs areas, such as STEM and Special Education; strong
interpersonal skills, resilience and the drive to become a high-quality secondary teacher in Victoria; undergraduate degree in a discipline other than teaching;
20
permanent resident or citizen of Australia.
Source: Final Nexus Progress Report - May 2020, November 2020 & May 2021
Supporting participants – LDP
Participants

LDP participants may have high support needs initially, but jurisdictions and schools are generally satisfied with the level and
diversity of support provided.
Support for LDP participants that schools find most valuable (2019-2020)

84.0 80.0

Proportion of principals who selected

Jurisdictions and schools were generally satisfied with 70.7
64.4
the level and diversity of support provided to LDP 57.3
46.7 48.9
participants by TFA, although some jurisdictions 42.7
suggested that TFA should provide more support in the

option (%)
first six months of the program. We plan to explore this
issue further in Wave 2.
Teaching and Leadership School Mentor (provided in Academic Mentor Being connected to a
See page 9 for a summary of LDP support Adviser conjunction with the cohort of like-minded
school) individuals

2019 2020

Jurisdiction interviews, focus groups and survey data Schools views on whether LDP participants need extra support (2019-2020)*
suggest that LDP participants may need more support
70.7
than graduate teachers in their first 6-12 months due to 66.7

Proportion of principal responses (%)

their lack of teaching/work experience and their high
work/study load (see graph to right) but also the nature of
the schools in which they teach. 29.3
33.3

Participants and jurisdictions told us that associates need

the most support with behaviour management, special
needs and cultural responsiveness, as well as instruction
2019 2020
and curriculum development.
Yes No

* Note: In this survey it appears principals interpreted ‘extra support’ variously as support provided in addition to that usually
provided to graduate teachers / teachers generally and that provided by TFA. 21
Source: Annual principal and school mentor surveys (2018-2020)
 Supporting participants – LDP
Participants

Overall, LDP participants are positive about the support they received from peers and mentors; however, views tend to differ
by support type and school context.
LDP participants in our focus groups considered their peer “The National Initial Intensive is possibly the most important part of my TFA experience, because it set me up
network was the most effective and reliable source of with the cohort relationships and peer support that have ultimately gotten me through this program.” – LDP
support, despite being more ad hoc and informal. participant

Participant views on whether “My school mentor…”*

LDP participants generally rated school mentor support 100
highly (see graph to right). However, participant views in our
90
focus groups about all three types of mentor varied

Participants that answered "Yes" (%)

80
significantly depending on the participant and school.
70
Some participants considered their mentors very supportive whereas 60
others thought their mentors could be more helpful or present (in some 50
cases there was regular “switching” or roles being left vacant). School 40
mentors appear to be the most inconsistent support offered to 30
participants, but we also acknowledge they were the support most likely
20
to have been significantly impacted by COVID responses
10
(e.g., closed schools, higher workload).
0
understands the advocates for has a time is respected by is an outstanding helps facilitate has a positive teaches in the
TFA progr am the TFA program allowance to do staff at our teacher my lear ning relationship with same curriculum
“Everyone's experiences of each kind of mentor
the mentor role school me area as me
offered in the LDP are extremely variable and not
consistently positive.” – LDP participant May- 19 Oct-19 Jun-20

Support from TLAs was also rated highly.

See page 9 for a summary of LDP support

* Note: These results are largely consistent with results from November 2020 and August 2021, which were reported
differently.
22
Source: Associate Support Survey Data (2018-2020)
Supporting participants – LDP and Nexus
Participants

Overall, LDP participants were positive about the support they received We plan to undertake more fieldwork on
during TFA and regular intensives. the effectiveness of the LDP and Nexus
masters programs in Wave 2.
LDP participants were generally positive about the learning intensives run throughout the
program (see graph below). Participants were particularly positive about practical classroom
We did not have access to significant
content such as the Berry St Education Model.
quantitative or qualitative data on the respective
masters courses for this interim report.
Our focus groups indicated some concerns about session structuring, the lack of reflection time and general
information overload.
There was some sentiment in our focus groups
Overall, the delivery of intensives over 2020 and 2021 appears to have been impacted to some extent by
that courses could be better integrated into the
COVID responses (e.g., the need to move intensives online). Respondents most often considered
overall program and focus more on practical
introduction to peers and networking as the most beneficial aspect of intensives, and that the transition to
content that prepares participants for the
online has made those connection difficult.
classroom immediately.
Participant views on whether intensives met their needs (2019-2021)*
5.5 5.5 3.6 2.3 1.2 2.9 Some participants indicated that course content
Participants who responded to statement (%)

9.2 9.5
12.5 12.7
13.1 17.4 could be more challenging, to better justify the
17.6 17.1
15.6 15.6 heavy workload outside of teaching hours.

59.1 50.4
47.3 53.4 52.4 50.9
Participants were positive about the support
provided through faculty. For the LDP, we do not
yet have direct quantitative data on the
effectiveness of ACU mentors. We plan to collect
22.4 26.7 21.0 17.6 19.8 17.9 more data in Wave 2.
MYI2019 RI2020 MYI2020 NII2021 RI2021 MYI2021
Intensive and Year

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Source: Associate Surveys – Intensives (2018-2021)

See page 10 for a summary of LDP support 23

Supporting participants – Nexus
Participants

Nexus participants appear positive about the support they received during the program.

Nexus participants were generally positive about the learning intensives run throughout Nexus participant satisfaction with intensive (2020-2021)
the program. They said the intensives were well structured and well run – giving 68.8

Proportion of responses (%)

63.6
participants the opportunity to connect and network with each other. Some participants
said the intensives could have been more challenging.
36.4
25
Similar to the LDP, we did not have access to significant quantitative or qualitative data on
6.2
the La Trobe course in Wave 1. We plan to undertake more fieldwork on this in Wave 2.
Very satisfied Satisfied Neutral Not satisfied Very dissat isfied
“I have enjoyed the opportunities to tell, listen to, and discuss specific events and incidents with other
Nexus teachers, particularly early in the program. This is incredibly useful for building confidence and Jun-20 Jul-21
unpacking the very complex interactions that occur in the school environment.” – Nexus participant

Nexus participant satisfaction with mentor (2020)

A large majority of Nexus participants were satisfied or very satisfied 53.9

Proportion of responses (%)

with their mentors (see graph to right).
30.8
A large majority of Nexus participants were satisfied or very satisfied
that the Nexus program had supported their learning generally. Most 15.3
felt well prepared to start teaching after the first year of the program.

Very satisfied Satisfied Neutral Not satisfied Very dissat isfied

Nexus participants found the incremental nature of teaching to be positive “Having been at the school for the year prior (to starting full-time teaching) I knew the staff and I knew
in terms of preparation for the role, but some found it difficult to feel who I should approach if I have questions. I also had a general idea of the student cohort and what to
integrated with the school community in their first year with only 1-2 days expect. This made my transition to paraprofessional and eventually graduate teacher much
per week on campus. smoother... I feel that this system would really benefit long term teacher retention.” – Nexus participant

Sources: See page 10 for a summary of Nexus support

Survey Report-Cohort 1 May 2021
Student Satisfaction Report – June 2020 & July 2021 24
 Participant completions
Participants

LDP and Nexus completions are tracking consistent with – or higher than – average completions for postgraduate initial
teacher education courses in Australia.

LDP completion rates are generally high, however the 2020 intake has been somewhat impacted The first and second intakes of Nexus participants are yet to
by COVID responses (see graph below). Completions are on track to recover. complete the program, but there have been some withdrawals to
date.

Overall, however, LDP completions in 2020 and 2021 are tracking higher than the average These withdrawals have increased over the duration of the
completion rates for undergraduate (51%) and postgraduate (78%) initial teacher education program (see graph below) but are still broadly consistent with
courses in Australia.* average completion rates for postgraduate initial teacher
education courses.

LDP participant completions and withdrawals (2018-2021)**

Nexus participant withdrawals (2020-2021)
100 100.0
Proportion of participants remaining after each stage

87.5

Proportion of cohort remaining (%)

95.3 75.6
95
94.1

92.8
90 91.2 91.2
90.2 89.4
88.9 88.9

85
Commenced placement Withdrawn (in first year) Withdrawn (in second year) Completed
Stage of withdrawal / completion Cohort 1 (2020 Intake) Cohort 2 (2021 Intake)

Current cohort strength

2018 2019 2020 2021

* [Link] Sources:
** Based on the number of participants that commenced their placement in a school. Participant Data (Cohorts 2018-2021)
Nexus Participant Database 25
Participant completions
Participants

We need to better understand the factors that contribute to program withdrawals and completion, as well as longer-term
retention, which we will explore in Wave 2.
More work is needed on factors that contribute most to completion and non-completion. We plan to explore longer-term retention in Wave 2.

About three quarters of LDP participants are consistently satisfied with their LDP experience overall We heard that many LDP participants remain at their
(see graph below). schools after the program or move to other
disadvantaged schools. Some participants also
progress to school leadership roles (e.g., head of
Early evidence suggests that LDP attrition at times results from TFA’s “all or nothing” approach, which subject area, assistance principal) and roles in local
effectively requires associates to manage full time study and work from the early stages of the program. education departments.
Some LDP participants also cited a lack of integration into their school community and culture, which was
exacerbated by COVID responses (e.g., school closures). We also heard some concerns about the retention of
HAT participants, particularly in jurisdictions that
receive a lot of LDP participants from other locations.
Some stakeholders have suggested that Nexus withdrawals are largely due to COVID responses and Some jurisdictions, however, noted low retention
Nexus’s more diverse participant cohort (“They are not always young people who can drop everything and across first-year teachers more broadly. Some
move on short notice” – stakeholder interview). Nexus participants also indicated that their income was too jurisdictions are addressing low retention by offering
low and that specific details of reimbursement were not always made clear to participants. longer contracts, permanent contracts, High Achieving
and Lead Teacher (HALT) certification and other
LDP participant views on whether they were satisfied overall with the entirety of their program incentives.
experience*
HAT participants in focus groups indicated that their
70 intentions to continue teaching at their current school
Proportion of participants that selected option (%)

60 are closely linked to the level of support they receive in

50 their specific context.
40
30
“In five years’ time, I see myself in a leading teacher role at
20
school in a low socioeconomic or rural area. I hope to work at
10
0 my current school for a couple of years after the program before
RI 2018 MYI 2018 NII 2019 RI 2019 MYI 2019 MYI 2019 NII 2020 RI 2020 MYI 2020 NII 2021 RI 2021 MYI 2021 moving to another school where I can further develop my
c2018 c2019 career.” – Nexus participant
Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

* As measured at each intensive.

Source: Associate Surveys – Intensives (2018-2021)
26
 Participant effectiveness
Participants

Evidence suggests that the LDP program produces highly effective teachers. It is too early to tell the extent to which the Nexus
program produces effective teachers, but the early evidence is reasonably positive.

LDP Nexus
It’s too early to tell the extent to which the Nexus
Jurisdictions highlighted the quality of LDP participants as one of the program’s greatest strengths, despite program produces effective teachers.
some understandable inconsistency between LDP participants.
However, initial evidence for the first intake suggests
that a large majority of participants feel very prepared
Effectiveness of first year LDP participants to start teaching in the second year of the program
against APST compared to graduate teachers (see graph below).
Jurisdictions told us that LDP (2019-2020)
Extent to which Nexus participants feel
participants generally start at a
5.3 4.8 prepared to start teaching (2020)

Proportion of principals that selected option (%)

lower base compared to graduate 9.5
10.7
teachers, but progress more 4.3
rapidly over the medium term 17.4
(particularly from the 6-12 month 35.7

Percentage of Responses (%)

point). 49.3
21.7

28.6
In 2020, half of principals surveyed 34.8
said that LDP participants towards 24.0
the end of their first year were more 21.4
or much more effective than 9.3
17.4
graduate teachers against the 2019 2020
Australian Professional Standards 4.3
Much more effective More effective Score out of 10
for Teachers (see graph to right).
About the same A little less eff ective
5/10 6/10 7/10 8/10 9/10 10/10
Much less effective Unsure

Source:
Annual principal and school mentor surveys (2018-2020)
School Preparedness Survey Data Cohort 1 27
Participant impact
Participants

There is early evidence to suggest that LDP participants are having a positive impact on student outcomes and broader school
culture, but we will explore this more in Wave 2.
Student outcomes School culture outcomes
In 2020, an overwhelming number of principals agreed that LDP participants had been
successful in improving their students’ academic, non-academic and socio-emotional In 2020, half of principals surveyed said that LDP participants were
outcomes. more or much more effective than graduate teachers “as involved and
Principal views on whether LDP participants have been successful in participating members” of school staff. Over a third said they were more
improving their students’ academic outcomes (2019-2020) or much more effective in building school capacity.*
Proportion of principals that selected option (%)

2.3
1.3 1.3
5.3 7.0
Further, principals overwhelmingly agreed that participants had been
successful in:*
60.0 55.8 . Demonstrating leadership among school staff
. Improving the teaching practice of other teachers
. Contributing to the professional culture of the school

30.7 34.9 About a third of principals generally agreed that partnering with TFA led
to the following being more frequent in their school*, however these had
2019 2020 been impacted by COVID:
. Classroom observation and feedback
Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree . Mentoring of early career teachers
Disagree Strongly disagree Unsure . Induction of new teachers
. Professional development in mentoring and coaching

We do not yet have sufficient data on the Nexus program to make “The experiences they've had often are “TFA associates bring values that
observations on whether participants are having a positive impact on student able to be capitalised on in other areas they are courageous in demonstrating
outcomes and broader school culture. within school life and improvement, other and hold others to account in a
than just in the classroom” – Principal positive way” – Principal

Source: Annual principal and school mentor surveys (2018-2020) 28