Education is the key to the advancement of any society, but the quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers. By becoming the transformational teacher and influential leader we believe you can be, you can also be a real part of the solution, and make a powerful and lasting social impact.

From Socrates and Plato, to Dumbledore and Harry Potter, the story of the transformational teacher and the student has been continuously told and retold.

Everyone can remember a teacher whom, at some point in their lives, inspired them to pursue a career, change the way they see things, perhaps even change their lives forever. Whether in the classroom, in the home, or elsewhere, powerful teachers have both the responsibility and opportunity to nurture and transform their students.

The idea of teaching as leadership, and the power of exceptional teachers to transform the lives of their students, is not new. But it is increasingly backed by evidence. 

In 2008, a meta-study of 80 million students from around the world (directed by Melbourne Graduate School of Education’s Professor John Hattie) found ‘positive teacher-student interaction’ to be the single most important factor in better education outcomes. Similarly, concurring studies have concluded that a high performing teacher – in comparison to a low performing teacher - can lift a student more than 50 percentiles over three years.

In other words, the keys to addressing educational disadvantage and it’s social consequences are not new buildings, or the latest laptops, but passion, imagination and the relentless pursuit of excellence.

So as a Teach For Australia Associate, can you become one of these transformational teachers? The evidence, says 'yes'.