In the quest to provide every student with a world-class education, we often look for the “secret sauce” that makes some school systems outperform others. Is it the curriculum? The funding? The technology?
As it turns out, the answer is more human: it’s the educators. High-performing jurisdictions like Singapore, Finland, Canada, Shanghai, and Australia have built success by investing deeply in the people at the heart of the classroom. In Linda Darling Hammond’s Empowering Educators, she takes us on a deep dive into the policies and practices that empower their teachers and lead to exceptional student outcomes.
Why These Systems?
These five regions aren’t just high-ranking on international indicators like the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment); they are also incredibly diverse—linguistically, culturally, and racially. They share a common focus on two distinct but related goals:
- Teacher Quality: The personal traits and skills an individual brings to the job.
- Teaching Quality: The instruction that actually enables a wide range of students to learn.
1. Recruitment: Finding the Best and Treating Them Like It
One of the clearest patterns across these countries is the intentional recruitment of top candidates into the teaching profession. In these top-tier systems, teaching isn’t just a job; it’s a noble, high-status profession.
- Selective Entry: In Finland, only about 1 in 5 applicants is accepted into teacher education programs. In Canada, fewer than half of candidates are accepted.
- Competitive Compensation: Salaries in these countries typically range between 90% and 105% of what other college-educated workers earn. For comparison, in the U.S., teachers earn about 70% of their peers’ salaries.
- Subsidized Preparation: Many of these countries provide full funding for teacher preparation, ensuring that financial barriers don’t keep talented individuals out of the classroom.
- Teacher Preparation: Teacher preparation is equally rigorous. Programs emphasize:
- Deep content knowledge
- Strong pedagogical skills
- Extensive clinical experience
- Research-based practice
2. Supporting New Teachers Through Induction
High-performing systems don’t stop at preparation—they provide structured support for new teachers.
- Singapore offers a two-year, government-funded induction program.
- Shanghai reduces teaching loads so new educators can collaborate and grow.
- Canada and Australia provide mentoring and formal induction programs in many regions.
The message is clear: teaching expertise is developed over time, not expected on day one.
3. Professional Learning: Collaboration Over Isolation
One of the most striking differences between the U.S. and high-performing systems is how teachers spend their time. In these systems, professional learning is not optional—it is built into the job.
- The 19-Hour Average: Globally, teachers spend about 19 hours a week directly teaching. In the U.S., that number jumps to 27 hours.
- Built-in Collaboration: That extra time isn’t “off-time.” In Singapore and Shanghai, teachers have 15–17 hours of teaching a week, leaving ample room for “Open Classrooms” (peer observations), lesson planning groups, and action research.
- Teacher-Led Development: Professional development isn’t just a top-down mandate. In Ontario, unions provide “by teachers, for teachers” training, and in Singapore, teacher leaders are formally charged with leading professional learning communities.
Teachers in high performing systems regularly engage in collaborative planning, peer observations, data analysis, and workshops to build up content and grade level partnerships.
4. Teachers as Researchers and Leaders
Another defining feature is that teachers are seen as active contributors to educational improvement.
Across these systems:
- Teachers conduct action research to improve their practice.
- Professional learning is often teacher-led.
- Career pathways allow teachers to take on leadership roles without leaving the classroom.
In Shanghai, teacher research groups meet regularly to refine instruction. In Singapore, teachers participate in innovation projects to better meet student needs. This approach reinforces the idea that teachers are not just implementers of policy—they are creators of knowledge.
5. Feedback, Evaluation, and Growth
Teacher evaluation in high-performing systems is designed to support growth, not punish performance.
- In Finland, evaluation is largely informal and focused on professional dialogue.
- In Canada, formal evaluations occur infrequently but are paired with ongoing goal-setting.
- In Singapore and Shanghai, feedback may be tied to career advancement, but still emphasizes development.
Frequent feedback—through observations, collaboration, and even student input—helps teachers continuously refine their practice.
6. Equity: Supporting the Whole Child
Success in the classroom starts with stability outside of it. High-performing education systems recognize that student success depends on more than what happens in the classroom. These systems ensure that students are healthy, housed, and fed so they can show up ready to learn.
- Universal Supports: From “Baby Boxes” for new mothers in Finland to high-quality public housing connected to schools in Singapore, these jurisdictions treat child welfare as a prerequisite for education.
- Incentivizing High-Needs Schools: Rather than “punishing” struggling schools, these systems send their best. In Shanghai, teachers are often required to work in rural or high-needs schools before they can be promoted to senior roles.
The result is a more level playing field, where all students have the opportunity to succeed.
7. Leadership: A Career Path, Not an Exit Ramp
In many systems, the only way to “move up” is to leave the classroom for administration. These jurisdictions offer a different model:
- Multi-Track Careers: Singapore offers three distinct trajectories: Teaching, Leadership, or Senior Specialist. This allows master teachers to stay in the classroom while gaining status and higher pay.
- Principals as Pedagogical Experts: In Finland and Shanghai, principals are selected from the ranks of the most accomplished teachers and must complete specialized university coursework in leadership.
These systems are investing in developing strong school leaders, which keeps professionals in the field of education.
The 10 Common Themes of Success
To summarize the lessons learned from these global leaders, ten themes emerge:
- High social regard for the teaching profession.
- Careful selection into the profession.
- Financial support for preparation and ongoing development.
- Professional standards focused on student well-being.
- 21st-century curriculum focused on critical thinking.
- Research-informed practice.
- Collaboration as a professional norm.
- Continuous teacher development.
- Opportunities for leadership within the classroom.
- Systems that prioritize both quality and equity.
Final Thoughts
The success of these jurisdictions isn’t magic—it’s the result of a dynamic, deliberate policy system that is willing to learn and grow. As education continues to evolve in the 21st century, these systems are adapting with—shifting toward critical thinking, problem-solving, and real-world application of knowledge. Their success is not based on a single policy, but on a coherent system of support for educators and students alike. The lesson is clear: When we invest in teachers, we invest in the future of education. By shifting our focus toward empowering educators, we can create a more equitable and effective system for all students.
Works Cited:
Darling-Hammond, Linda. Empowered Educators: How High-Performing Systems Shape Teaching Quality Around the World. Jossey-Bass, 2017.