Why is teaching quality so inconsistent? The reasons are many: a teacher’s experience, training, mindset, wellbeing, time management skills, content knowledge, repertoire of pedagogies, classroom management skills, personal circumstances, the students in front of them, the colleagues around them; the list goes on.
No leader can possibly know the detail of every teacher’s practice or personal situation. Much of teaching happens behind closed doors. Unless a complaint is made, teachers are often left to their own devices. Planning is done in isolation, doors are closed, and the real impact on student learning is glimpsed only through results, complaints, or surface-level observations and anecdotes.
It is even harder now to achieve consistency across a school when we have a teacher shortage on our hands. My colleagues in the regions are always struggling to find someone, let alone a quality teacher.
This “black box” of teaching breeds inconsistency and leaves leaders struggling to influence what matters most.
The introduction of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2011) was a step in the right direction. The standards articulate what great teaching looks like and provide a roadmap for growth. But here’s the challenge: how can school leaders create the conditions where feedback actually promotes growth, and where every teacher feels supported to get better?
The answer begins with leadership itself.
Michael Fullan (2014) reminds us that principals are culture-shapers: their daily behaviour sets the tone and expectations for everyone else. Is the culture one of the school one of collaboration or isolation? Does it encourage risk-taking, the foundation of all learning, or does it default to control and compliance? Do leaders see potential in people, or do they focus only on faults? Leaders can shape culture in powerful ways, but only if they themselves are open to growth.
A positive culture, built on trust, is the foundation for improvement. When teachers feel safe, they are far more likely to reflect, seek feedback, and engage in coaching and professional development and grow. Helen Timperley’s work (2011) shows that professional growth is most powerful when it happens in a culture of inquiry, trust, and ongoing feedback. Yet too often, teachers only receive feedback in negative forms: complaints from parents or criticism after something goes wrong. A leader’s first responsibility is to build a culture of trust, where growth is possible.
From there, leaders can put structures and practices in place that support teacher development and reduce inconsistency. These might include:
- Rethinking staff meetings. Are they simply for distributing information, listen to lectures, or are they opportunities to have conversations about professional practice? Information can be shared in other ways. A better use of time is to run Professional Learning Circles.
- Making time for collaborative planning. Where time is tight, technology can enable virtual collaboration.
- Pairing teachers in coaching or mentoring relationships. Less experienced teachers can learn directly from Highly Accomplished or Lead teachers.
- Normalising feedback practices. Hattie and Timperley (2007) show that feedback is one of the most powerful influences on achievement. Lesson observations, student surveys, colleague feedback, and even parent insights can all provide valuable perspectives, if framed constructively.
- Create an agreed school pedagogical framework. An evidence-based, well-supported, and clearly communicated framework provides a shared approach to teaching across a school. When implemented effectively, it reduces uncertainty for students, ensures consistency in learning experiences, and gives teachers a common language and set of practices to work from. Research shows that schools with an agreed-upon pedagogical framework achieve greater consistency in teaching quality and improved student outcomes (Timperley, 2011).
Inconsistency in teaching is another of the challenges schools face. But with trust, culture, and deliberate structures, leaders can turn the “black box” into a shared space for growth. At the heart of this work is equity: every student deserves access to great teaching, no matter which classroom they walk into. While inconsistency will never be eliminated entirely, school leaders can create the culture, systems, and supports that make quality the norm rather than the exception.
References
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). (2011). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2000). Teacher Quality and Student Achievement: A Review of State Policy Evidence.Education Policy Analysis Archives, 8(1).
Fullan, M. (2014). The Principal: Three Keys to Maximizing Impact. Jossey-Bass.
Hattie, J. (2009). Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement. Routledge.
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). “The Power of Feedback.” Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81–112.
Timperley, H. (2011). Realizing the Power of Professional Learning. McGraw-Hill Education.
Vivedus helps principals turn the challenge of teaching inconsistency into a manageable, structured process. By providing a shared pedagogical framework, collaborative planning tools, and embedded coaching and feedback mechanisms, the platform makes teaching practice visible without intrusive oversight. It empowers leaders to monitor and support teacher growth, identify areas for professional development, and ensure that every classroom aligns with the school’s vision for learning. In this way, principals can create consistency, reduce uncertainty for students, and build a culture where every teacher has the tools and support to succeed.
