"There is strong evidence that the cognitive skills of the population - rather than mere school attainment - are powerfully related to individual earnings, the distribution of income and economic growth."
Hanushek & Woessmann, World Bank, 2007
THE NEEDAs one of the main factors in student achievement is teacher quality - this factor alone is more influential than race, class or school of the student in helping students achieve - there is a global need for quality teachers to improve students' career prospects, increase their quality of life and help reduce income inequality. Teaching quality has even shown to have both a cumulative effect and an increased effect on disadvantaged students, making it even more important in terms of national economic development.
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTSince replacing teachers is expensive, impractical and not always guaranteed to improve teaching quality, one of the key ways that schools can improve teacher quality at the local, regional or national level is through professional development. Professional development occurs both through formal means (such as courses and seminars) as well as informal means (through professional learning communities).
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SO WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
Professional development is generally costly (for both teachers and school administrators), localized (which excludes teachers in some countries from receiving needed professional development), and inconvenient for teachers who already face full teaching schedules.