Professional Standards for Christian Teachers

In Australia, a key policy response to the research into the impact of the teacher on student achievement has been the development of clearer standards and benchmarks for teachers that can be used to both describe and assess effective teacher performance and make explicit the qualities of effective teaching. The standards aim to “define the work of teachers and make explicit the elements of high-quality effective teaching in 21st century schools that will improve educational outcomes for students” (Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, 2011, p. 2). Whilst accepting the role that standards for teachers can play in school improvement, a number of groups, including the Christian schools sector, have recognised the need for such standards to be nuanced for specific contexts. Complementary to the AITSL standards, in 2012 work was done by Christian Schools Australia (in conjunction with Adventist Education Australia) towards the development of Christian Distinctive National Professional Standards for Teachers. Further updates were made to this document in 2023. Designed to sit alongside the AITSL standards, the Christian Distinctive National Professional Standards for Teachers seek to articulate the distinctive aspects of policy and professional practice associated with Christian education. The Christian Distinctive National Professional Standards for Teachers attempt to address philosophical gaps between Christian school Christian ethos and the broader education field in relation to the role of the teacher. The Standards aim to set expectations and benchmarks for teachers in Christian schools and to make clear that Christian schools have a clear and ‘distinctive’ Bible-based philosophical framework that purports to underpin all elements of practice and operation. The document is an attempt to highlight these and to emphasise the importance of the teacher’s role in the outworking of Christian school ethos. We encourage member schools to utilise this document for teacher development and review, strategic planning and school improvement initiatives.