80061 Mali SABER Country Report TEACHERS 2012 Policy Goals Status 1. Setting clear expectations for teachers There are expectations for what teachers should do and what students should learn. Policies guiding teachers’ use of time are not focused on ensuring that their work conditions allow them to improve instruction. 2. Attracting the best into teaching Teacher qualifications are low relative to qualifications for entering other skilled professions. Teacher pay, career opportunities, and working conditions may not be attractive to competent and qualified individuals. 3. Preparing teachers with useful training and experience Classroom experience requirements for novice teachers are limited. Teacher trainees are required to gain practical professional experience in the classroom before teaching, but there is no induction program for new teachers. 4. Matching teachers’ skills with students’ needs There are few incentives for teachers to work in hard-to-staff schools and no incentives to teach critical shortage subjects. 5. Leading teachers with strong principals There are few requirements to become a principal, even though principals are expected to perform a variety of tasks, which include providing support and guidance to teachers for the improvement of instructional practice. 6. Monitoring teaching and learning There are national student learning assessments at the primary level, and data management systems and there is a system in place for monitoring teacher performance. 7. Supporting teachers to improve instruction Teacher professional development is not required, and it is unclear what professional development activities include. 8. Motivating teachers to perform Policies stipulate that teacher performance should affect teacher compensation and appointments, but there are few mechanisms to hold teachers accountable. THE WORLD THE WORLD BANK BANK MALI ǀ TEACHERS SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 detailed information organized along relevant Overview of SABER-Teachers categories that describe how different education systems manage their teacher force, as well as copies of There is increasing interest across the globe in supporting documents. The full database is available at attracting, retaining, developing, and motivating great the SABER-Teacher website. teachers. Student achievement has been found to correlate with economic and social progress (Hanushek Box 1. Teacher policy areas for data collection & Woessmann 2007, 2009; Pritchett & Viarengo 2009; 1. Requirements to enter and remain in teaching Campante &Glaeser 2009), and teachers are key: Recent studies have shown that teacher quality is the 2. Initial teacher education main school-based predictor of student achievement 3. Recruitment and employment and that several consecutive years of outstanding teaching can offset the learning deficits of 4. Teachers’ workload and autonomy disadvantaged students (Hanushe & Rivkin 2010; Rivkin, 5. Professional development et al. 2005; Nye et al. 2004; Rockoff 2004; Park & Hannum 2001; Sanders & Rivers 1996). However, 6. Compensation (salary and non-salary benefits) achieving the right teacher policies to ensure that every 7. Retirement rules and benefits classroom has a motivated, supported, and competent teacher remains a challenge, because evidence on the 8. Monitoring and evaluation of teacher quality impacts of many teacher policies remains insufficient 9. Teacher representation and voice and scattered, the impact of many reforms depends on specific design features, and teacher policies can have 10. School leadership very different impacts depending on the context and other education policies in place. To offer informed policy guidance, SABER-Teachers analyzes the information collected to assess the extent A new tool, SABER-Teachers, aims to help fill this gap to which the teacher policies of an education system by collecting, analyzing, synthesizing, and are aligned with those policies that the research disseminating comprehensive information on teacher evidence to date has shown to have a positive effect policies in primary and secondary education systems on student achievement. SABER-Teachers analyzes the around the world. SABER-Teachers is a core component teacher policy data collected to assess each education of SABER (Systems Approach for Better Education system’s progress in achieving eight teacher policy Results), an initiative launched by the Human goals: 1. Setting clear expectations for teachers; 2. Development Network of the World Bank. SABER Attracting the best into teaching; 3. Preparing teachers collects information about different education systems’ with useful training and experience; 4. Matching policy domains, analyzes it to identify common teachers’ skills with students’ needs; 5. Leading challenges and promising solutions, and makes it widely teachers with strong principals; 6. Monitoring teaching available to inform countries’ decisions on where and and learning; 7. Supporting teachers to improve how to invest in order to improve education quality. instruction; and 8. Motivating teachers to perform (see Figure 1). SABER-Teachers collects data on 10 core teacher policy areas to offer a comprehensive descriptive overview of the teacher policies that are in place in each participating education system (see Box 1). Data are collected in each participating education system by a specialized consultant using a questionnaire that ensures comparability of information across different education systems. Data collection focuses on the rules and regulations governing teacher management systems. This information is compiled in a comparative database where interested stakeholders can access SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 2 MALI ǀ TEACHERS SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 teacher policy goals using a four-category scale (latent, Figure 1: 8 Teacher Policy Goals emerging, established, and advanced), which describes the extent to which a given education system has in place teacher policies that are known to be related to improved student outcomes. The main objective of this assessment is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the teacher policies of an education system and pinpoint possible areas for improvement. For a more detailed report on the eight teacher policy goals, policy levers and indicators, as well as the evidence base supporting them, see Vegas et al. (2012). The main focus of SABER-Teachers is on policy design, rather than on policy implementation. SABER-Teachers analyzes the teacher policies formally adopted by education systems. However, policies “on the ground”, that is, policies as they are actually implemented, may differ quite substantially from policies as originally designed, and in fact they often do so, due to the political economy of the reform process, lack of capacity of the organizations in charge of implementing them, or the interaction between these policies and specific The eight teacher policy goals are functions that all contextual factors. Since SABER-Teachers collects high-performing education systems fulfill to a certain limited data on policy implementation, the assessment extent in order to ensure that every classroom has a of teacher policies presented in this report needs to be motivated, supported, and competent teacher. These complemented with detailed information that describes goals were identified through a review of evidence of the actual configuration of teacher policies on the research studies on teacher policies, and the analysis of ground. policies of top-performing and rapidly-improving education systems. Three criteria were used to identify This report presents results of the application of them: teacher policy goals had to be (i) linked to SABER-Teachers in Mali. It describes Mali’s student performance through empirical evidence, (ii) a performance in each of the eight teacher policy goals, priority for resource allocation, and (iii) actionable, that alongside comparative information from education is, actions governments can take to improve education systems that have consistently scored high results in policy. The eight teacher policy goals exclude other international student achievement tests and have objectives that countries might want to pursue to participated in SABER-Teachers. Additional detailed increase the effectiveness of their teachers, but on descriptive information on Mali’s and other education which there is to date insufficient empirical evidence to systems’ teacher policies can be found on the SABER- make specific policy recommendations. Teachers website. By classifying countries according to their performance on each of the eight teacher policy goals, SABER- Teachers can help diagnose the key challenges that countries face in ensuring they have effective teachers. For each policy goal, the SABER-Teachers team identified policy levers (actions that governments can take to reach these goals) and indicators (which measure the extent to which governments are making effective use of these policy levers). Using these policy levers and indicators, SABER-Teachers classifies education systems’ performance on each of the eight SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 3 MALI ǀ TEACHERS SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Mali’s Teacher Policy System Results Successful education systems such as Finland, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Ontario, Canada devote Goal 1. Setting clear expectations for teachers considerable time at the school level to such activities that are related to instructional improvement, such as Emerging zz|| collaboration among teachers on the analysis of instructional practice as well as mentoring and Setting clear expectations for student and teacher professional development (Darling Hammond & performance is important to guide teachers’ daily work Rothman 2011, Darling-Hammond 2010, Levin 2008). In and align necessary resources to make sure that addition, these systems tend to devote a smaller share teachers can constantly improve instructional practice. of teacher’s time to actual contact time with students, In addition, clear expectations can help ensure there is and a relatively larger share to teacher collaboration, coherence among different key aspects of the teaching on-site professional development, and research on the profession, such as teacher initial education, effectiveness of various teaching strategies. Japan, for professional development, and teacher appraisal. example, devotes about 40 percent of teachers’ working time to this type of activities, while Ontario SABER-Teachers considers two policy levers school currently devotes 30 percent (Darling Hammond & systems can use to reach this goal: (1) clear Rothman 2011). In other words, like Mali, these high expectations for what students should know and be performers generally include school-improvement tasks able to do, and how teachers can help students reach in the teachers’ responsibilities; the difference is that these goals; (2) useful guidance on teachers’ use of time Mali does not officially include non-teaching time for to be able to improve instruction at the school level. these tasks in the teacher workday (Figure 2). (1) In Mali, the tasks that teachers are expected to carry out are officially stipulated through the national Figure 2. Teachers’ official tasks related curriculum. Mali has defined a set of standards which to school improvement informs teachers of required subject content and Singapore Shanghai measurable indicators of learning that should be Benin achieved by students at different grades. The tasks that Mali teachers are expected to carry out are officially stipulated. Mentor peers 9 9 9 (2) Policies for guidance on teachers’ use of time are Collaborate on school plan 9 9 9 9 not focused on ensuring that their work conditions Design the curriculum 9 allow them to improve instruction. Teachers’ working Participate in school time in Mali is officially defined as the number of hours evaluation 9 9 9 spent teaching (contact time with students) as opposed to counting the overall number of hours spent at the Source: SABER-Teachers data. school. This fails to recognize that teachers normally need to devote some time to non-teaching tasks, such as lesson planning, the analysis of student work, and professional development, as well as administrative tasks. This definition is also inconsistent with some of the officially defined tasks that are stipulated for teachers. For instance, Mali has defined tasks for teachers related to instructional improvement. Primary and secondary school are expected to participate in: mentoring or providing support to other teachers, collaborating on the school plans, and taking part in the internal evaluation system of the school. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 4 MALI ǀ TEACHERS SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Goal 2. Attracting the Best into Teaching servants receive a pension and contribute to a health insurance program. Emerging zz|| (3) There is limited aggregate information in data The structure and characteristics of the teaching career collected to determine the quality of working can make it more or less attractive for talented conditions. The government does collect some data on individuals to decide to become teachers. Talented school infrastructure, but aggregate data and statistics people may be more inclined to become teachers if are not available. The student-teacher ratio in Mali was they see that entry requirements are on par with those last reported at 50.4 to 1 (World Bank 2011). However, of well-regarded professions, if compensation and data are not available on the share of schools that working conditions are adequate, and if there are comply with infrastructure standards, making it difficult attractive career opportunities for them to develop as to assess how these working conditions may affect the professionals. quality of teacher entrants. SABER-Teachers considers four policy levers school (4) Career opportunities could be strengthened to systems can use to reach this goal: (1) minimum attract talented individuals to the profession. In requirements to enter the teaching profession; (2) particular, teachers’ pay could be better linked to competitive pay; (3) appealing working conditions; and performance. At present, teachers can advance in their (4) attractive career opportunities. careers by applying to academic or administrative posts such as lead teacher or principal. This form of (1) Initial education standards for primary teachers in advancement is similar to those of both Gambia, a Mali are low relative to standards for teachers in many developing education system, and Shanghai, a more higher-performing systems. Both primary and advanced education system (Figure 3). secondary education teachers are trained at the ISCED1 4A level, meaning that their qualifications are awarded for completing pre-degree foundation courses or short Figure 3. Opportunities for career advancement vocational or technical programs. Only concurrent Singapore models of pre-service teacher training exist, in which Shanghai prospective teachers learn content and receive training Benin Mali in pedagogy somewhat simultaneously. Low requirements for teachers may signal teaching as a low status profession as compared to other career options Lead teacher 9 9 9 teacher trainees could choose. Improving standards for teachers could make teaching a more attractive career Principal 9 9 9 choice. Source: SABER-Teachers data. (2) Teacher pay in Mali does not vary according to performance, although it does vary based on teachers’ educational attainment and seniority. Moreover, incentives to enter the profession are low. Many teachers do not receive any benefits such as retirement pensions or health benefits, but teachers who are civil 1 UNESCO developed the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) to facilitate comparisons of education statistics and indicators across countries. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 5 MALI ǀ TEACHERS SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Goal 3. Preparing Teachers with Useful classroom management skills on a group of students, Training and Experience the better prepared they will be for their job. Latent z||| (3) In Mali, pre-service teacher training could be strengthened by introducing a formal mentoring or Equipping teachers with the skills they need to succeed induction program. Such training has the potential to in the classroom is crucial. To be successful, teachers make teachers more effective in the classroom (Figure need subject matter and pedagogic knowledge, as well 4). as classroom management skills and lots of teaching practice. Adequate preparation puts all teachers on an Box 2. Best Practice: Pre-service Teacher equal footing, giving them a common framework to Qualifications in Singapore improve their practice. Singapore has multiple programs for becoming a teacher ranging from a one year post-graduate SABER-Teachers considers two policy levers school program after completion of a BA degree to a systems can use to reach this goal: (1) minimum minimum of a two-year diploma program after standards for pre-service training programs; (2) completion of secondary school. Pre-service programs required classroom experience for all teachers. are rigorous and include education studies, curriculum studies, subject knowledge, a practicum, and language (1) In Mali, primary and secondary teacher initial enrichment skills training (Ministry of Education education takes place at the ISCED 4A level, which is Singapore 2012). low relative to many education systems. Virtually all high-performing countries, for instance, require that teachers have an educational level equivalent to ISCED Figure 4. Required classroom experience, 5A (a bachelor’s degree), and some systems, such as secondary school teachers Finland, require in addition a research-based master’s Singapore degree (OECD 2011). In Mali, primary school teachers Shanghai are considered qualified to teach after completing the Benin Mali equivalent of vocational courses. Candidates take these courses after completing secondary education. Primary school teachers must complete nine years of basic 6 months or less education and then four years of teacher training at the 12 months or less 9 9 9 Institut de Formation des Maitres (IFM)—Teacher Training Institute. Primary teachers with a 12-24 months 9 baccalaureate (BAC) must have two years of teacher More than 24 months training. Secondary school teachers need a master’s Source: SABER-Teachers data. (typically a BAC plus four additional years of schooling). Both primary and secondary school teachers must attend a minimum two-year training school before entering the profession. (2) Teacher trainees are required to gain classroom experience in initial teacher education programs, but there is no formal induction or mentoring program. Research has shown that practical experience is an important factor in teaching quality–either through direct classroom engagement or mentoring programs (Darling-Hammond 2000). Teacher trainees in Mali are required to have between six and 12 months of classroom experience. The more teachers try out their pedagogical theories, subject matter knowledge, and SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 6 MALI ǀ TEACHERS SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Goal 4. Matching Teachers’ Skills with Box 3. Best Practice: Mississippi, USA Students’ Needs The Mississippi Department of Education has worked Latent z||| to identify critical shortages areas and offers incentives to teachers to teach these subjects, including: more Ensuring that teachers work in schools where their skills benefits, higher salary, and forgiveness of student are most needed is important for equity and efficiency. loans. Such incentives can draw quality teachers who First, it is a way of ensuring teachers are distributed as would otherwise not teach these subject areas efficiently as possible, making sure that there are no (Mississippi Department of Education 2012). shortages of qualified teachers at any given grade, education level, or subject. Second, it is a means of ensuring all students in a school system have an equal Figure 5. Incentives for teachers to teach in hard-to- opportunity to learn. Without purposeful allocation staff schools systems, it is likely that teachers will gravitate towards schools serving better-off students or located in more Singapore desirable areas, deepening inequalities in the system. Shanghai Benin Mali SABER-Teachers considers two policy levers school systems can use to reach this goal: (1) incentives for teachers to work in hard-to-staff schools; and (2) Better chances of promotion 9 incentives for teachers to teach critical shortage areas. Higher basic salary (1) In Mali, there are monetary incentives for teaching Monetary bonus 9 9 9 in hard-to-staff schools, and teaching experience is not Subsidized education 9 a factor considered when deciding transfer priorities. Housing support Attracting effective teachers to work in hard-to-staff Source: SABER-Teachers data. schools (typically schools that are in disadvantaged locations or serve underprivileged populations) is a Note: Singapore has no specific incentives to attract qualified teachers to hard-to-staff schools, but it does have a centrally managed teacher challenge for many countries, and often requires deployment system that ensures an equitable and efficient distribution of specific incentives (Figure 5). Without such incentives, teachers. teachers tend to gravitate towards schools that have more appealing working conditions. Possible ways to improve the quality of teachers in hard-to-staff schools include giving accelerated promotion opportunities or providing housing allowances to teachers who have worked in such schools (McEwan 1999). Basing teacher transfer priorities on factors other than just experience can also help, by reducing the concentration of the least experienced teachers in the neediest areas. (2) Mali has not identified critical shortage subjects, or subject areas in which there is a severe shortage of qualified teachers. It is important to assess different subject areas and identify areas in which there may be a shortage of qualified teachers who are willing to teach particular subjects. In high-performing and top- improving systems, various incentives exist to attract talented professionals, particularly from high-demand fields, to teach critical shortage subjects. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 7 MALI ǀ TEACHERS SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Goal 5. Leading Teacher with Strong Principals Figure 6. Mechanisms to support the development of principals’ leadership skills Latent z||| Singapore Shanghai The quality of school heads is an important predictor of Benin Mali student learning. Capable principals can act as instructional leaders, providing direction and support to the improvement of instructional practice at the school Courses or other training level. In addition, capable principals can help attract and requirements 9 9 retain competent teachers. Participation in mentoring or SABER-Teachers considers two policy levers school internship program 9 9 systems can use to reach this goal: (1) education Source: SABER-Teachers data. system’s investment in developing qualified school leaders; (2) decision-making authority for school principals to support and improve instructional practice. Box 4. Best Practice: School Leadership in Ontario, Canada (1) In Mali, there are no programs to support the “In response to the pressures facing Ontario development of leadership skills through supervised principals, the Ontario government launched the internships. Additionally, there is not any specific Ontario Leadership Strategy in 2008. One facet of this coursework to promote leadership skills. Principals are strategy includes increased mentorship for new not required to have minimum qualifications—either in principals. Mentors can play a vital role, given that terms of education or professional teaching experience. nearly half of Ontario principals have five years of Higher performing and improving systems normally experience or less” (People for Education 2011). require minimum educational qualifications, years of experience, and specific coursework and participation in an internship or mentoring program for individuals interested in applying for a principal’s position to develop specific leadership skills. (2) Principals do not receive monetary rewards for their performance in Mali, but they are expected to participate in a wide range of activities. For instance, principals are expected to provide support and guidance to teachers for the improvement of instructional practice—a task for which they receive no particular training to perform. (3) Evidence from high-performing systems suggests that principal performance in Mali could be further enhanced by providing principals with a mentoring program or specific coursework to promote leadership skills. Principals’ leadership skills can be developed through supported work experience or through specific training courses. High-performing systems such as in Japan, South Korea, Shanghai, and Singapore require the participation of applicants to principal positions in specific coursework and/or a specialized internship or mentoring program aimed at developing essential leadership skills (OECD, 2012; Darling-Hammond 2010). SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 8 MALI ǀ TEACHERS SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Goal 6. Monitoring Teaching and Learning Figure 7. Criteria to evaluate teacher performance Established zzz| Singapore Shanghai Benin Assessing how well teachers are teaching and whether Mali students are learning is essential to devise strategies for improving teaching and learning. First, identifying low- performing teachers and students is critical for Subject matter knowledge 9 9 9 education systems to be able to provide struggling Teaching methods 9 9 9 classrooms with adequate support to improve. Second, teacher and student evaluation also helps identify good Student assessment methods 9 9 9 Students’ academic practices which can be shared across the system to achievement 9 9 9 improve school performance. Source: SABER-Teachers data. SABER-Teachers considers three policy levers school systems can use to reach this goal: (1) availability of data on student achievement in order to inform teaching and policy; (2) adequate systems to monitor teacher performance; (3) multiple mechanisms to evaluate teacher performance. (1) In Mali, student achievement data are collected, but are not used to inform teaching or policy. Mali conducts annual assessments of student learning for all students after completion of grades six and nine. However, student assessment data cannot necessarily be linked to teacher or student information, so they may not be used to inform teachers about the learning needs of their students. (2) There are systems in place to monitor teacher performance through both internal and external evaluations. Local authorities monitor teacher performance, and national authorities in the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Fonction Publique assign unique identification numbers to teachers, making it possible to track and monitor their performance over time. (3) A variety of criteria are used to evaluate teacher performance. Research suggests that no single method of evaluating teacher performance is fail-safe. Most high-performing systems conduct teacher evaluations using a multiplicity of mechanisms of data collection and varied criteria for assessment. In Mali, both school principals and colleagues participate in teacher performance evaluations, and classroom observations are used (Figure 7). Criteria used to assess teacher performance include subject matter knowledge, teaching methods, student assessment methods, and student academic achievement. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 9 MALI ǀ TEACHERS SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Goal 7. Supporting Teachers to Improve (3) Teacher professional development is formally Instruction assigned based on perceived needs. Assigning professional development to teachers when they score Latent z||| low on performance evaluations can be one way of improving instructional practice. In that way, teacher Support systems are necessary to help improve professional development can be targeted to the needs instruction at the school level. To improve instructional of specific teachers, rather than being deployed to all practice continuously, teachers and schools need to be teachers regardless of their needs. able to analyze specific challenges they face in classroom teaching, have access to information on best Box 5. Best Practice, Japan Lesson Study System practices to address these challenges, and receive specific external support tailored to their needs. Japan has a unique professional development system that uses a lesson study approach. Teachers work SABER-Teachers considers three policy levers school together in small groups and collaborate with one systems can use to reach this goal: (1) availability of another. They meet regularly to discuss learning goals, opportunities for teachers’ professional development; develop actual classroom activities, and to observe (2) teacher professional development activities that are how their plans work in practice. They then report on collaborative and focused on instructional their performance so that other teachers can benefit improvement; (3) assignment of teacher professional (Colinson et al. 2001). development based on perceived needs. (1) In Mali, neither primary nor secondary school Figure 8. Required or suggested days of teacher teachers are required to participate in teacher professional development per year professional development activities. National authorities pay for teacher professional development Japan 12 activities when they occur. However, the content of professional development activities appears weak. Shanghai 33 (2) It is unclear what professional development Benin 0 activities in Mali actually include (Figure 8). Research suggests that the most effective teacher professional Mali 0 development is collaborative and provides opportunities for the in-school analysis of instructional 0 10 20 30 40 practice, as opposed to being limited to one-time Source: SABER-Teachers. workshops or conferences. For instance, effective teacher development activities may include observation visits to other schools, participation in teacher networks, or participation in school networks. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 10 MALI ǀ TEACHERS SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Goal 8. Motivating Teachers to Perform performance. Linking either longer-term compensation or shorter-term bonuses to teacher performance can be Emerging zz|| one way to improve teacher performance, if the system has in place an adequate system of performance Adequate mechanisms for motivating teachers are a evaluation. way for school systems to signal their seriousness in achieving education goals, make the teaching career Figure 9. Requirements to remain in the profession, attractive to competent individuals, and reward good primary and secondary school teachers performance while ensuring accountability. Singapore Shanghai SABER-Teachers considers three policy levers school Benin systems can use to reach this goal: (1) linking career Mali opportunities to teachers’ performance; (2) having mechanisms to hold teachers accountable; (3) linking Primary school teachers: teacher compensation to performance. Professional development 9 9 (1) Promotion opportunities are linked to performance Performance evaluations 9 9 9 in Mali, but open-ended appointments are not informed by performance history. There is no Secondary school teachers: mandatory probation period for teachers before they Professional development 9 9 are granted open-ended appointments. Performance evaluations 9 9 9 (2) There are few mechanisms in place to hold Source: SABER-Teachers data. teachers in Mali accountable. Requiring teachers to meet some standards to remain in the teaching profession can facilitate the removal of ineffective teachers. One minimum standard is consistent teacher attendance. Research in both developed and developing countries indicates that teacher absenteeism can reach high levels, worsening student outcomes (Chaudhury et al. 2005; Herrmann & Rockoff 2009; Miller, Murnane & Willett 2008; Rogers & Vegas 2009).Education systems can encourage teacher attendance by taking it into account in teacher evaluations, providing teachers with incentives to be present in school, and dismissing teachers if they are consistently absent. In Mali, primary and secondary school teachers are not required to participate in professional development or performance evaluations to remain in the profession (Figure 9). Requiring teachers to meet some standards in order to remain in the teaching profession can facilitate the removal of ineffective teachers. Teachers can, however, be dismissed on several grounds, including: absenteeism, misconduct, child abuse, incompetence, and poor performance. (3) In Mali, teacher compensation is officially linked to performance. Performance reviews in Mali carry salary implications, but high-performing teachers do not receive monetary bonuses for good individual SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 11 MALI ǀ TEACHERS SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 SABER Teachers Policy Options ¾ Enforce entry requirements to ensure that teachers have necessary qualifications when entering pre- Goal 1. Setting Clear Expectations for service teacher training. According to the law, for Teachers instance, secondary school teachers must have a BAC. In practice, very few secondary teachers have The national curriculum sets expectations for what completed the BAC. students are supposed to learn and teachers are ¾ Pre-service teacher training could be strengthened supposed to do. There is no official guidance on by introducing a formal mentoring or induction teachers’ use of time, which could help ensure that program. teachers are focused on tasks related to school improvement. Goal 4. Matching Teachers’ Skills with ¾ Revise the statutory definition of teacher’s working Students’ Needs time to include the overall number of hours There are untapped incentives to get teachers to work teachers spend at the school. In accordance with in hard-to-staff areas where living conditions are less the practice in higher-performing systems, this attractive and to teach critical shortage subjects. definition should include both time in the classroom as well as time spent on nonteaching activities, such ¾ Work to identify hard-to-staff schools. as tasks related to improving instruction. Such ¾ Provide incentives to teachers to teach and work in activities might include: providing support to other hard-to-staff schools. Incentives could include: teachers, collaborating on school plans, or designing promotion, higher salary, monetary bonuses, the curriculum—all tasks that could contribute to scholarships for education, or housing. instructional improvement of the school. ¾ Identify subject areas in which there may be a ¾ Set expectations for what percentage of teachers’ shortage of qualified teachers who are willing to working time should be dedicated to teaching and teacher particular subjects, and provide incentives what percentage should be used for other to teachers willing and qualified to teach those necessary activities that may contribute to subjects. instructional improvement. Goal 5. Leading Teachers with Strong Goal 2. Attracting the Best into Teaching Principals Career opportunities could be strengthened to attract Principals lack necessary support to carry out their talented individuals to the profession. activities in an effective manner. ¾ Link teacher’s pay and promotion opportunities ¾ Provide programs to support the development of more directly to teacher performance. principals’ leadership skills. These may include ¾ Improve data collected on teachers’ working mentoring, training, or induction programs. conditions. Understanding teachers’ working ¾ Set higher requirements for becoming a principal. environments is imperative to understanding Such qualifications may include having minimum teacher’s classroom needs and improving the educational qualifications equivalent to a bachelor’s quality of teaching. degree, increasing the years of experience required, and/or designing specific coursework for individuals Goal 3. Preparing Teachers with Useful interested in working as a school principal. Training and Experience ¾ Consider monetary bonuses or increased pay, which are other ways to attract individuals to principal In Mali, primary school teachers are considered positions. qualified to teach after completing the equivalent of vocational courses. Candidates take these courses after Goal 6. Monitoring Teaching and Learning completing secondary education. Primary school teachers must complete nine years of formal schooling There are systems in place to monitor teacher and secondary teachers must complete 11 years and performance that rely on multiple criteria. Student have a baccalaureate (BAC). SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 12 MALI ǀ TEACHERS SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 achievement data are collected, but are not used to inform policy or teachers’ classroom instruction. ¾ Make use of student achievement data collected from annual exams. Use outcomes of these data to determine educational needs. ¾ Provide results of student achievement data to school principals, so they may know how their school performs relative to other schools. If data can be made available to teachers, use the data to inform teachers about student performance and to help teachers improve their own instruction. Goal 7. Supporting Teachers to Improve Instruction In Mali, neither primary nor secondary school teachers are required to participate in teachers’ professional development activities. ¾ Set a required number of days for teachers to participate in professional development activities throughout the school year. ¾ Offer professional development activities in which teachers can learn from one another and improve their classroom instruction. Research suggests that the most effective teacher professional development is collaborative and provides opportunities for the in-school analysis of instructional practice, as opposed to being limited to one-time workshops or conferences. Goal 8. Motivating Teachers to Perform Promotion opportunities are linked to performance but there are few mechanisms to hold teachers accountable. ¾ Require primary and secondary school teachers to participate in professional development and performance evaluations to remain in the profession. ¾ Reward high-performing teachers with incentives. Linking either longer-term compensation or shorter- term bonuses to teacher performance can be one way to improve teacher performance, if the system has in place an adequate system of performance evaluation. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 13 MALI ǀ TEACHERS SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Acknowledgements Levin, B. (2008) How to Change 5000 Schools. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press. This report was prepared by Mary Breeding (Consultant, HDNED), with inputs from Andrew Trembley McEwan, Patrick J. (1999), “Recruitment of rural (Consultant, HDNED), and under the direction of Halsey teachers in developing countries: an economic Rogers (Lead Economist, HDNED). We are especially analysis”, Teaching and Teacher Education 15 (8): grateful for the assistance of Linda English (Lead 849-859. Education Specialist, AFTHD), Pierre Joseph Kamano (Senior Education Specialist, AFTEW) and Cheick Oumar Miller, R. T., Murnane, R. J., & Willett, J. B. (2008). "Do Fomba (Consultant). Teacher Absences Impact Student Achievement? Longitudinal Evidence From One Urban School District." Educational Evaluation and Policy References Analysis, 30(2), 181-200. Chaudhury, N., Hammer, J., Kremer, M., Muralidharan, Ministry of Education Singapore. (2012). “Teacher K., & Rogers, F. H. (2005). "Missing in Action: Training.” Accessed 7/2/2012, Teacher and Health Worker Absence in Developing http://www.moe.gov.sg/careers/teach/career- Countries." PEPG Working Paper Series. info/training/. Cambridge, MA: Program on Education Policy and Governance (PEPG). Mississippi Department of Education. (2012). “Mississippi Teacher Center: Critical Shortage Darling-Hammond, L. (2010). “Steady Work: How Areas.” Accessed 6/18/2012, Countries Build Successful Systems.” In Darling- http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/teacher-center. Hammond, L. (2010). The Flat World and Education: How America’s Commitment to Equity Nye, B., Konstantopoulos, S., & Hedges, L. V. (2004). Will Determine Our Future. New York, NY: Teachers "How Large Are Teacher Effects?". Educational College. Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 26(3), 237-257. Darling-Hammond, L.; & Rothman, R. (2011) Teacher Park, A., & Hannum, E. (2001). "Do Teachers Affect and Leader Effectiveness in High-performing Learning in Developing Countries?: Evidence from Education Systems. Washington, DC: Alliance for Matched Student-Teacher Data from China." Paper Excellent Education. presented at the Conference Rethinking Social Science Research on the Developing World in the Hanushek, E. A., Kain, J. F., O'Brien, D. M., & Rivkin, S. G. 21st Century. Park City, Utah: Social Science (2005). "The Market for Teacher Quality." NBER Research Council. Working Paper 11154. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). People for Education. (2011). “People for Education Annual Report on Ontario’s Public Schools 2011.” -----. (2004). "Why Public Schools Lose Teachers." The Accessed Journal of Human Resources, 39(2), 326-354. 6/18/2012,http://www.peopleforeducation.ca/wp- Hanushek, E. A., & Rivkin, S. G. (2006). "Teacher content/uploads/2011/07/Principals-in-Schools- Quality." In E. A. Hanushek & F. Welch (Eds.), 2011.pdf. Handbook of the Economics of Education (Vol. 2). Rockoff, J. E. (2004). "The Impact of Individual Teachers Amsterdam: Elsevier. on Student Achievement: Evidence from Panel Herrmann, M. A., & Rockoff, J. E. (2009). "Work Data." American Economic Review, 94(2), 247-252. Disruption, Worker Health, and Productivity: Evidence from Teaching." New York, NY: Columbia Business School. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 14 MALI ǀ TEACHERS SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 Rogers, F. H., & Vegas, E. (2009). "No More Cutting Class? Reducing Teacher Absence and Providing Incentives for Performance." Policy Research Working Paper 4847. Washington, DC: The World Bank. Sanders, W. L. (1998). "Value Added Assessment." School Administrator, 11(55), 24-27. Sanders, W. L., & Rivers, J. C. (1996). "Cumulative and Residual Effects of Teachers on Future Student Academic Achievement." Research Progress Report. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Value-Added Research and Assessment Center. Vegas, E., Loeb, S., Romaguera, P., Paglayan, A. S., Goldstein, N., & Ganimian, A. J. (2010). "SABER - Teachers: Objectives, Rationale, Methodological Approach, and Products." Washington, DC: The World Bank. Vignoles, A., Levacic, R., Walker, J., Machin, S., & Reynolds, D. (2000). "The Relationship between Resource Allocation and Pupil Attainment: A Review." Report 228. London, UK: Centre for the Economics of Education, London School of Economics and Political Science. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 15 MALI ǀ TEACHERS SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2012 www.worldbank.org/education/saber The Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) initiative produces comparative data and knowledge on education policies and institutions, with the aim of helping countries systematically strengthen their education systems. SABER evaluates the quality of education policies against evidence-based global standards, using new diagnostic tools and detailed policy data. The SABER country reports give all parties with a stake in educational results—from administrators, teachers, and parents to policymakers and business people—an accessible, objective snapshot showing how well the policies of their country's education system are oriented toward ensuring that all children and youth learn. This report focuses specifically on policies in the area of teacher policies. This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. THE WORLD BANK SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 16