Teacher Career Ladders in Britain. A Study of Their Structure and Impact.

A career ladder for teachers has been used in Great Britain for over 40 years. The ladder contains five steps with teachers progressing up the ladder by competitive promotion. This study investigated the historical development, structure, and consequences on teacher behavior of the career ladder system used in the United Kingdom. The study was designed to gather information for policy makers who are considering and designing career ladders for teachers across the United States. Four questions provided the primary focus for the study: (1) How are the British career ladders organized? (2) Do career ladders improve teacher performance directly by providing incentives or indirectly by placing good teachers in leadership roles? (3) How does the presence of a career ladder for teachers affect work relationships among teachers and between teachers and administrators? and (4) Do career ladders improve the teacher work force by affecting occupational and career decisions of people considering teaching or currently teaching? (JD)