Staff from the TRB had the opportunity to present papers at the International Forum of Teacher Regulatory Authorities (IFTRA) held in Brisbane from 17-19^th June. The papers share findings from two large research projects that explore different aspects of our teaching workforce in South Australia.

The Non-renewal of Teacher Registration project began in 2018 when approximately 3 721 teachers chose not to continue their Teacher Registration. To explore this decision, all non-renewing teachers were invited to complete a de-identified survey that focused on the reasons for this decision. In order to compare reasons across specific cohorts of teachers (i.e., early years, Temporary Relief Teachers), a series of demographic items were included. The survey has now been conducted over six consecutive renewal periods representing data from 3 182 teachers. Results from these analyses identifies that the reasons impacting teachers’ decisions not to renew registration vary depending on years of teaching, employment status, and the age of teachers. Each of these cohorts of teachers represent a diverse and highly experienced group of professionals with insights contributing to our understanding of the workforce. A copy of the comparative report for this project is available from: Non-renewal-of-teacher-registration-in-South-Australia.-Comparisons-across-2017-2023.pdf (trb.sa.edu.au)

The Teacher Unprofessional Conduct project set out to explore possible demographic patterns across 233 individual teacher cases investigated by the Investigations Unit between 2005-2022. The types of unprofessional conduct sanctioned by the TRB includes teacher incapacity, incompetence, and misconduct to ensure a duty of care for children. Insights from the extensive analysis of data identify areas of potential risk as alternative authorisations (e.g., Special Authorities to Teach [SAT]) escalate to meet workforce demands for remote, regional, and hard-to-fill sites in metropolitan areas (e.g., low SES backgrounds). These data patterns raise the question: How best can the TRB support employers meet workforce demands without creating regional, cultural, and demographic risk profiles that damage teacher retention, learners, and the profession longer term?

Presentation at the IFTRA conference provides an ideal avenue to share our research while also learning from other regulatory authorities from the UK, Ireland, Canada, African nations, the Pacific and New Zealand.