The role of the teacher education officer in a country regional office

Master of EducationPolicy statements on decentralization of the Education Department of Victoria preceded the establishment of educational regions, initially on a trial basis, in 1972. The establishment of the Australian Schools Commission and the granting of autonomy to teachers' colleges led to changes in the administration of pre-service and in-service training for teachers. In recognizing these changes the Education Department established positions for teacher education officers in the regions . Few of the duties proposed for teacher education officers had been made the direct responsibility of the regional director. The practice of regionalization was new to Victorian education, and an opportunity was provided to investigate a group of persons across the state located in decentralized units. As a divisional representative in a regional office the teacher education officer had a dual responsibility to the division and to the region. The administration of in-service development programs and the performance of other duties of teacher education officers provided a focus for this study. This study concentrated on country teacher education officers and looked at the task requirements, job specification and perception of performance for these officers. A number of possibilities were suggested for the study. Because of the small number of individuals in the group a field study was chosen. The group of teacher education officers was scattered across the state and operated from regional offices. Material was collected using a questionnaire and a telephone interview. Because of the small number of subjects in the study, it was not possible to use statistical analysis on the findings. The information provided in the study is of a descriptive nature