Julia Gillard wants to make us famous
“TONY EASTLEY: So if I interview you in 12 months time from today, you’ll be able to tell me that some of these problems, a lot of these problems have been alleviated and we’re around these problems of deficiencies in teacher expertise?
JULIA GILLARD: If you interview me in 12 months time, Tony, I’ll be able to go through with you each of the schools that’s got extra resources under our disadvantaged schools program where we’re making a difference. I’ll be able to give you the names of our Teach for Australia graduates who are out there teaching in schools. I’ll be able to tell you about how many students have gone into maths and science teaching induced to do so by our program to halve their HECS.”
Jokes aside though, I think this illustrates the stakes of this little experiment we’re a part of in Teach for Australia. This program has got national visibility, and while the Teach for Australia staff and the schools we go into will be doing everything they can to support us – there is still a definite sense that the success or failure of this program ultimately rests in the hands of the associates on the ground.