Interrogating management
Questions, criticisms and suggestions for better teacher aide managers
During the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan consultation, Anonymous #027 notes:
“Pay capped below administrators means we lose educators to roles that in my opinion should not be done by teachers”
Or more uncharitably as Reddit user KiwasiGames states:
“…[the] learning support leader was often used as ‘baby’s first management role’”.
Certainly, the role description for Head of Student Engagement in Queensland states key capability 4 as “[c]apacity to effectively manage human, financial and physical resources to deliver high quality organisational outcomes”.
Not “demonstrated capacity” per all other key capabilities but merely “capacity”;
This means that teachers are not required to have management or corporate experience or training.
They are assumed to have sufficient management skill in rostering, processes, systems planning, change implementation, staff training, risk management, grievance resolution, and evidence-based decision-making.
They are assumed to have sufficient administrative skill in utilising systems such as OneSchool, Teams, OneNote, Sharepoint, shared drive; Microsoft excel, PowerPivot, PowerQuery, PowerBI.
They are also assumed to have experience in managing adults.
Managing a classroom of children is entirely different, to managing a staffing cohort of adult teacher aides.
Similarly, the role description for Head of Special Education Services in Queensland states:
“[c]apacity to effectively manage human, financial and physical resources to deliver high quality organisational outcomes” and;
“[c]apacity to use analytical skills to contribute to educational outcomes at the school level”.
Once again, “demonstrated capacity” is not required.
However, a mandatory requirement for both roles is “[c]urrent full registration, or current provisional registration with eligibility for full registration, as a teacher in Queensland”.
But why?
You do not have to be a medical doctor, to manage doctors in a hospital setting.
You do not have to be an academic, to manage academics in a university setting.
Only one of the key capabilities refers to “[d]emonstrated teaching competence and capacity to provide leadership leading to the achievement of quality and improved learning outcomes for all students”.
Is there NO other way to ensure “quality and improved learning outcomes” EXCEPT through a teaching qualification and to the detriment of all other management capabilities?
Management comprises an entirely different set of skills, expertise and training. To conflate management with teaching is to do both professions a disservice.
Additionally, in a teaching crisis, shouldn’t we have as many teachers as possible “on the floor”?
To be clear, there are FANTASTIC Heads of Student Engagement and Heads of Special Education Services - those who have undertaken additional studies or come to teaching from corporate backgrounds; with skills, knowledge and expertise to manage effectively. This post is not about individuals but instead, the systemic management issues which impact teacher aides and subsequently, students.
Teacher aides: the forgotten cohort
From the framing of the position descriptions, you might infer that teacher aides are considered little more than “resources”; an after-thought; and peripheral to the business of learning. This positioning misses: an opportunity for teacher aides to meaningfully contribute to the learning of students; development of teacher aide work as a profession; and an holistic understanding of student support.
Contrasting this position in her thesis, Dr Bourke recommended that: “[t]he support roles of teacher aides for students with disabilities and learning difficulties are acknowledged and respected in educational policy documents, leadership teams and the school community”.
Her recommendation continues with: “[t]he roles and responsibilities of case managers, HOSES and LSTs are examined in relation to their impact and influence on inclusive practice in schools”.
Proposed Solutions
Change reporting lines so that teacher aide management comes under a Business Services Manager who is informed by the Learning Support Team (comprising specialist teachers, Deputies and Heads).
Managers would look after psychosocial safety, professional development, leave approval, staffing, performance management, teacher aide consultation, resources, office space, grievances, induction/training, processes and standards, allowances/entitlements, meeting agendas/minutes;
Managers could advise the Learning Support Team on streamlining processes by leveraging computer capabilities; as well as appropriate change management implementation.
Fixed term contract positions as suggested by Anonymous #021:
“All promoted positions need to be advertised as contracts - you fill the position for a set number of years, and then you need to reapply and show cause as to why you should keep that position.”
Staff satisfaction as a metric for promotion or a 360° review - this could be informed by survey results, staff turnover, staff sick days, exit interviews and also teacher aides as referees.
Mandatory management training specific to role. This could mean that anyone who manages teacher aides is quizzed on teacher aide requirements per the enterprise bargaining agreement.
ALL managers should be mandated to undertake grievance resolution training especially since psychosocial safety has been added to WH&S legislation and the reported costs of $500 million over 10 years for Queensland school staff compensation.
Regular in-school reviews. Yes, schools must undertake school reviews to fulfil Department requirements, but these tend to focus on “initiatives and programs” and overlook the mechanisms which underpin them.
An explicit improvement agenda should also include internal communication, administration, systems, corporate memory, processes and standards:
How is data collected and stored?
How is effectiveness measured? Are our success measures appropriate?
How do we control for bias? What are our assumptions? Whose voice has been included/excluded?
What systems do we use? Is everyone trained in the use?
How do we communicate with each other?
What is best practice? Are we all on the same page?
How do we collect and implement feedback?
Hire staff at higher levels. Teacher aide advertisements almost always pitch the payment at the lowest possible level, even when a higher level of skill/experience/knowledge is required.
This means the person hired is expected to work at higher capacity for less money OR;
This means the rest of the teacher aide cohort must work at a higher capacity to compensate for inadequate staffing levels.
The net result is a constant influx of junior staff who lack the confidence, time and ability to question managerial impropriety and provide meaningful change to systemic issues.
Change leadership style. As Anonymous #005 states:
“Schools are not democratic and often, they are autocratic”
This style of leadership is no longer appropriate given Education Queensland’s long-term strategic vision of inclusion, diversity and social justice.
In my opinion, a transformational leadership style would be much more appropriate.
Safe Work Australia lists 14 common psychosocial hazards, of which 9 can be clearly attributed to the current state of poor management practices for teacher aides:
Low autonomy: job demands, low job control.
Lack of clarity: lack of role clarity, poor support.
Ineffective management: poor organisational change management, inadequate reward and recognition, poor organisational justice, conflict or poor workplace relationships and interactions, bullying.
With such high risks, and financial costs - how can we, in good faith, continue WITHOUT addressing management change?
Let me know your thoughts teacheraideqld@gmail.com