School Leaders’ Perspectives on Educating Teachers to Work in Vulnerable Communities: New Insights from the Coal Face - Article 2

Oct 15, 2026

Classroom teacher quality directly shapes student learning outcomes and engagement, particularly in low socioeconomic status (SES) schools. The NETDS (National Exceptional Teaching for Disadvantaged Schools) programme, delivered by Deakin University in the Geelong/Werribee area, prepares high-achieving pre-service teachers for disadvantaged placements. The study examines school leadership team perspectives on an exemplary teacher and the understandings and skills required for PST placements, informing NETDS enhancement, collaborative professional learning models, and long-term mentoring for new graduates.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Policy context for teacher education and disadvantaged communities

NETDS programme and research focus

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 42
Issue 4 Teacher Education for High Poverty Schools | Article 2 | | --- | --- | | 2017
School Leaders’ Perspectives on Educating Teachers to Work inVulnerable Communities:
New Insights from the Coal Face
Lynette Longaretti
Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University, [lynette.longaretti@deakin.edu.au](lynette.longaretti@deakin.edu.au)
Dianne Toe
Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University, [dtoe@deakin.edu.au](dtoe@deakin.edu.au) | | Recommended Citation Longaretti, L., & Toe, D. (2017). School Leaders’ Perspectives on Educating Teachers to Work inVulnerable Communities: New Insights from the Coal Face. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 42 (4). [http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2017v42n4.2](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2017v42n4.2) This Journal Article is posted at Research Online. [http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol42/iss4/2](http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol42/iss4/2) Australian Journal of Teacher Education Title: School Leaders’ Perspectives on Educating Teachers to Work in Vulnerable Communities: New Insights from the Coal Face Lynette Longaretti Dianne Toe Deakin University Abstract: Classroom teacher quality can significantly impact student learning outcomes. Increased access to skilled teachers in low socioeconomic status (SES) schools could substantially improve the learning outcomes and engagement levels of young people. The National Exceptional Teaching for Disadvantaged Schools (NETDS) programme is a university based Teacher Education programme that has been implemented by Deakin University in the Geelong/Werribee area. It seeks to prepare high achieving pre-service teachers (PSTs) to teach in low SES school settings. This project investigated the views of school leadership teams in low SES schools including their views of an exemplary teacher, and the understandings and skills deemed necessary for pre-service teachers undertaking placements in low SES schools. These findings will be used to develop and enhance the NETDS programme at Deakin University, build new models of collaborative professional learning and guide schools in mentoring new graduates for a longer-term commitment to disadvantaged school communities. Introduction There is a recurring theme that has recently dominated discussion about education and teachers in both local and global contexts. Teaching and teacher education are broken and they need to be fixed (Cochran-Smith, Piazza, & Power, 2013, p.7) . Government policymakers and the media have engaged in sustained criticism of teacher and teaching quality, along with an indictment of higher education providers for teacher education in both the USA (Cochran-Smith et al., 2013, Darling Hammond, 2012, Darling-Hammond, AmreinBeardsley, Haertel & Rothstein, 2012), and in the UK (Siraj, Taggart, Melhuish, Sammons, & Sylva, 2014; Ko & Sammons, 2013). In Australia, this discourse is being rapidly translated into new policy. The Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group (TEMAG) released their recommendations for teacher education in 2015, Action Now: Classroom Ready Teachers (TEMAG, 2015) with a set of recommendations that were largely adopted by the Australian Government, resulting in substantial changes to the future preparation of teachers in Australian universities and colleges. Key elements of this policy include more rigorous accreditation processes for teacher education programmes, stronger evidence of classroom readiness and closer working relationships between universities and schools. On this last point the Action Now report states: Higher education providers, school systems and schools working together to achieve strong graduate and student outcomes. Partnerships ensuring initial teacher education meets the needs of employers and schools. Professional Vol 42, 4, April 2017 – Special Issue: Teacher Education for High Poverty Schools 1 Australian Jou

FAQs

What problem does the article address about teacher education in disadvantaged schools?

It addresses the need for effective classroom teacher quality and improved preparation of teachers for low SES settings, where learning outcomes and engagement can be weaker.

What is the NETDS programme and where is it implemented?

NETDS is a university-based teacher education programme implemented by Deakin University in the Geelong/Werribee area to prepare pre-service teachers to teach in low SES school settings.

What does the project investigate from the perspective of school leaders?

It investigates school leadership team views on an exemplary teacher, along with the understandings and skills considered necessary for pre-service teachers undertaking placements in low SES schools.

Oct 15, 2026

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