This report is the third in a series of thematic comparative reports which brings together findings from the OECD Review of Policies to Improve the Effectiveness of Resource Use in Schools (School Resources Review). The first report, The Funding of School Education: Connecting Resources and Learning, was published in 2017 and analysed school funding policies. The second report, Responsive School Systems: Connecting Facilities, Sectors and Programmes for Student Success, published in 2018, analysed the organisation of school infrastructure and services. This third report in the series analyses human resource policies defined as those actions that shape who school staff are and what they do, through decisions on careers, staff distribution, and professional learning.

This report constitutes the third in a series of thematic comparative reports which brings together the findings of the OECD Review of Policies to Improve the Effectiveness of Resource Use in Schools (School Resources Review). It provides ideas for governments to design effective human resource policies and achieve their education policy objectives.

The staff working in schools are probably the most important resource for today’s education systems – both educationally and financially. There is a solid evidence base indicating that teachers are key in improving learning opportunities for students, likely more than anyone else in children’s lives outside their families (Kraft, 2019[1]; Jackson, 2018[2]; Chetty, Friedman and Rockoff, 2014[3]; Rivkin, Hanushek and Kain, 2005[4]).

This report analyses policies that can help countries strengthen, recognise and preserve the positive impact that teachers, school leaders and other school staff have on their students. This chapter introduces and provides the context for the subsequent analysis. First, it highlights the importance of school staff for student learning and well-being. Second, the chapter sets out the report’s conceptual framework of human resource policies, emphasising the broad range of objectives human resource policies should contribute to and the importance of adopting a vision of collective improvement in schools. It also discusses the design, resourcing and implementation challenges of human resource policy reforms. Finally, the chapter lays out the report’s methodology and evidence base. The annex to this chapter describes the broad range of staff that work in and with schools internationally and in individual OECD review countries.

This chapter analyses how entry requirements, career structures, compensation and working conditions can help to attract, retain and motivate effective staff working in schools and specifically teachers and school leaders. It explores how the horizontal and vertical structure of teachers’ careers can provide opportunities for professional growth within the classroom and offer clear pathways to positions of educational leadership. The chapter also considers how policies can shape working conditions in ways that enable teachers and leaders to employ their skills effectively, as well as the role that autonomy and teachers’ voice play in strengthening the profession. The chapter emphasises implementation challenges and considers under which conditions employment reforms are most likely to have the desired effect on staff, schools and students. The chapter concludes with a set of ideas that policy makers may consider as they develop responses for their particular contexts, challenges and goals.

This chapter analyses the effective and equitable staffing of schools. All schools need competent teachers, school leaders and other staff to ensure a quality student experience. Schools however vary in their location, the student population they serve and how they are organised. As a result, they may require a different mix of staff that fits their particular context. The chapter begins by describing potential challenges in ensuring an adequate supply of high-quality staff, before discussing approaches to managing resources for the staffing of schools. It then discusses the recruitment of staff, highlighting the potential of collaboration between schools and authorities for the effective matching of staff with organisations. Finally, the chapter highlights the role of within-school sorting and the ways in which staff in schools work together to ensure high‑quality teaching for all students.

Professional learning for teachers, school leaders and other staff is essential to prepare students for success in a rapidly changing world. The chapter first addresses initial teacher preparation, from initial education to induction. Next, it embeds teacher learning, often defined narrowly as professional development, as part of larger continuing adult learning processes in schools. The chapter highlights the particular potential of evaluation to serve as a formative tool for most teachers and leaders. Recognising the centrality of school leadership for quality teaching and learning, the chapter devotes a separate section to leadership capacity development, from principals and middle leaders to teachers. The chapter documents the importance of moving beyond simplified models for improvement to consider professional learning as an evolutionary process. It concludes with a series of policy options that school systems may consider valuable.