"Outstanding Teachers Are Made, Not Born": Views From Highly Effective Schools in England

• In Event: Learning Environment and School Effectiveness

Abstract

This study seeks to increase our understanding of the views about teacher quality put forward by leaders and teachers of highly effective schools. The paper presents findings from a mixed-methods study: Drawing on data from interviews with leaders of highly effective schools in England, we identified eight characteristics of an outstanding teacher. To date, N = 404 survey participants ranked these properties from most to least important. Comparing perspectives from highly effective and improving schools to those from averagely effective schools, our findings indicate a significantly higher importance of a teacher’s focus on personal development and improvement in highly effective schools, which may lend credence to the belief that “good teachers are made, not born.”

Authors

• Roland Bernhard, University of Teacher Education Vienna/Krems

• Maria Tulis, University of Salzburg

• Christina Hasenhüttl, University of Oxford