2010年-世界发展银行全球_Jordan___Teachers_12页_963kb

Jordan Teacher Policy Summary

Core Content

Jordan's teacher policy is characterized by a structured framework aimed at improving the quality of education through various established and emerging initiatives. The country has a well-defined education system with a focus on pre-service training, performance evaluation, and the development of a comprehensive teacher policy. However, challenges remain in areas such as attracting the best candidates, matching teacher skills with student needs, and utilizing assessment data effectively for instructional improvement.

Main Policy Goals and Status

1. Setting Clear Expectations for Teachers

Status: Established

• Clear expectations for both teachers and students are defined through the national curriculum and professional standards.
• Teachers are required to perform a range of duties, including teaching, grading, and administrative tasks.
• Official time allocations may limit teachers' ability to fulfill non-teaching responsibilities effectively.
• Jordan's teaching hours (780 hours per year) are higher than those in top-performing countries, but the definition of working time does not fully account for time spent outside school hours.

2. Attracting the Best into Teaching

Status: Established

• Competitive pay and benefits are offered, with starting salaries equivalent to 162% of GDP per capita.
• Selection processes are not sufficiently rigorous, as a high proportion of applicants are admitted based on secondary school leaving examination scores.
• There is a lack of performance-based incentives, which may deter high-achieving individuals from entering the profession.
• The Ministry of Education has introduced a reform to incentivize teachers to work in hard-to-staff schools, but its impact needs further evaluation.

3. Preparing Teachers with Useful Training and Experience

Status: Established

• Pre-service reforms are in progress to systematize training requirements.
• There is no structured pre-service training system; instead, teachers join the civil service roster and wait for a teaching position.
• Some training programs include pedagogical theory and subject matter knowledge, but they are not systematically applied across all institutions.
• Classroom experience is required (3–6 months), but this is less than in high-performing systems where it ranges from one to three years.

4. Matching Teachers' Skills with Students' Needs

Status: Emerging

• There are identified critical shortage subjects, such as mathematics, science, and technology.
• Incentives for teaching in these areas are limited, and the current system does not encourage qualified individuals to choose these subjects.
• Monetary and non-monetary incentives could be introduced to attract teachers to hard-to-staff schools and shortage subjects.
• Transfer policies based on teaching experience may inadvertently discourage experienced teachers from moving to disadvantaged areas.

5. Leading Teachers with Strong Principals

Status: Emerging

• Principals are required to have a tertiary degree and five years of teaching experience.
• They play a central role in evaluating teacher performance and guiding instructional practices.
• Performance-based pay for principals is absent, despite their higher salaries and generous compensation packages.
• The Queen Rania Award for Excellent Principals is a recognition initiative, but its reach is limited.
• Principals could be empowered to use assessment data for teacher development and compensation decisions.

6. Monitoring Teaching and Learning

Status: Established

• Jordan has a robust national assessment system that includes annual, census-based exams in key subjects.
• These assessments provide valuable data for evaluating student and teacher performance.
• There is potential to better utilize this data to inform and improve teaching practices.
• Jordan regularly participates in international assessments like PISA, TIMSS, and PIRLS, allowing for global benchmarking.

Key Information

• Education System Overview:

  • Jordan's education system includes a two-year pre-school cycle, ten years of compulsory basic education, and two years of secondary education.
  • The teaching force is predominantly female and based in urban areas.
  • Public education spending is high (4.5% of GDP), with 80.9% of the education budget allocated to teacher salaries.
  • Private schools account for 30% of the teaching force, with a higher proportion of female teachers (81%) compared to public schools (61%).

• Teacher Workload and Time Allocation:

  • Teachers work 195 days a year with 6 hours per day, which is more than many high-performing systems.
  • The statutory definition of working time includes time on school premises, but not time spent on lesson planning or grading outside of school hours.
  • Jordan's teaching hours (780 per year) are higher than those in top-performing countries, but the system could benefit from a more comprehensive definition of working time.

• Teacher Recruitment and Selection:

  • Teacher selection is based on a civil service roster, which is not aligned with performance or subject-specific needs.
  • There is a high proportion of teachers who do not meet the required qualifications for their level.
  • Alternative entry routes and more flexible training programs could be explored to attract diverse talent.

• Principal Leadership and Performance Evaluation:

  • Principals have a significant influence on teaching and learning through evaluations and instructional guidance.
  • There is a lack of performance-based incentives for principals, which could affect their motivation and effectiveness.
  • Empowering principals to use assessment data for teacher development and compensation may enhance school quality.

• Challenges and Opportunities:

  • The system needs to address the underutilization of assessment data, the lack of performance incentives, and the need for more inclusive teacher recruitment processes.
  • Strengthening the role of principals and improving the definition of working time could lead to more effective teacher support and school leadership.