Empowered Educators in Singapore: How High-Performing Systems Shape Teaching Quality

BEST PRACTICES FROM SINGAPORE'S HIGH-PERFORMING SCHOOL SYSTEM Empowered Educators in Singapore is one volume in a series that explores how high-performing educational systems from around the world achieve strong results. The anchor book, Empowered Educators: How High-Performing Systems Shape Teaching Quality Around the World, is written by Linda Darling-Hammond and colleagues, with contributions from the authors of this volume. Empowered Educators in Singapore delves into the country's rapid rise to educational excellence on a global scale and the national effort that drives it. Singaporean students routinely outperform their peers from around the world, placing first or second in international assessments, particularly in math and science. In 2015, Singaporean students topped the league table for both the Programme in International Student Achievement (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). With educators around the world clamoring for the "Singapore secret," the reality is that Singapore's excellence is the result of a 25-year drive to improve education through systemic, long-term and ongoing, consistent, and deliberative reform with an emphasis on teacher quality. This book describes the interwoven strategies that merge context, quality, governance, and continual evolution into a consistently high-achieving student population.

Table of Contents:
Foreword v Acknowledgments ix About the Sponsoring Organizations xi About the Authors xiii Online Videos and Documents xv Singapore: From “Who?” to “Who’s Who!” 1 Singapore in Brief: Background and Essential Information 3 The Singapore School System: Many Pathways, One Goal 4 Educational Governance and Policy Initiatives 11 Theme 1: A Clear Vision and Belief in the Centrality of Education for Every Individual, the Economy, and Nation Building 16 Theme 2: A Systemic Approach to Innovation, Reform, and Change 25 Theme 3: Investing in a High-Quality Teaching Force 30 Recruiting Quality 30 Perceptions of Teaching as a Career 36 Teacher Distribution across Schools 40 Preparing Quality 41 Practicum and Field Experience 52 Theme 4: Developmental and Educative Appraisal for Ongoing Learning 56 Nurturing and Retaining Quality: Beginning Teacher Induction 56 Professional Learning and Recognition 64 Professional Learning beyond Induction 72 Professional Development along Differentiated Career Tracks 94 Theme 5: Learning System and Learning Profession 102 Review and Enhancement of Initial Teacher Preparation Programs: Maintaining Quality 102 Discussion 106 A Clear Vision and Belief in the Centrality of Education 106 A Systemic Approach to Innovation, Reform, and Change 106 Building and Sustaining a High-Quality Teaching Workforce 107 Appraisal That Is Educative and Developmental 108 A Learning System and a Learning Profession 108 Conclusion: Future Challenges and Directions 109 Notes 111 Appendix 113 References 115