In many countries throughout the world serious attention is being paid by policy makers and by the teaching profession itself to improving the quality of teaching practice as a means to improving the learning outcomes of students in schools. One strategy in this is describing in detail the practice of effective teachers. These descriptions are generally called professional teaching standards, but they are sometimes given different names such as professional competencies. In addition, some jurisdictions have developed processes whereby teachers and school leaders are assessed using the standards, and given special recognition or reward when they are shown to meet the standards at the different levels. Educational researchers in many countries have undertaken studies to investigate in a disciplined way the impact the professional standards, at any level, has on the quality of learning of school students. This symposium brings together some of this research in a dialogue that shares the work being done in different jurisdictions, to learn more about what is being done, and to identify ways of working together. The focus is on standards describing the work of accomplished, rather than beginning or merely competent, teachers. The symposium will comprise two ninety-minute sessions, each with four presentations bringing different perspectives to the topic. Part A will report and discuss recent research relating to models of accomplished teaching. Papers in Part B will explore theoretical bases for developing such models, with a focus on using research findings about effective teaching and effective schools. The two sessions will be of great interest to an international audience of researchers and policy-makers.

The authors of these papers have used a range of qualitiative and quantitative methodologies in investigating issues around teacher effectiveness, levels of accomplishment and school student learning, as well as in analysing the relationships between research and policy in relation to professional standards for teachers and for school leaders.

The issue of developing quality teaching through professional standards or competencies has been approached differently in different contexts and by different education and school authorities. There is also a great variation in both methodologies and rigour applied in using these statements for assessing teachers and school leaders for purposes of improvement, recognition or reward.