Research from Professor Miriam Tanti is addressing an ongoing challenge in education: the shortage of high-quality teachers in disadvantaged, regional and hard-to-staff schools.
“A key factor is the disconnect between university-based teacher preparation and the realities of school contexts, leaving many graduates underprepared for high-need environments,” she explains.
Published in the International Journal of Educational Research, the study explores how La Trobe’s Nexus program is brokering partnerships between universities and schools in these communities.
The research shows that carefully designed institutional, pedagogical, community and knowledge-brokering practices can strengthen initial teacher education, better align teacher preparation with workforce needs, and ultimately improve outcomes in hard-to-staff contexts.
The impact is already clear. Since 2020, the Nexus program has supported 266 pre-service teachers across 109 partner schools, including 100 graduates and 174 current candidates. Notably, 91 graduates remain employed in these schools, a strong indicator of improved retention where it is needed most.
The next stage of Professor Tanti’s research will focus on strengthening and scaling the Nexus model across new regions and cohorts.
“A key priority is refining and extending the brokering practices identified in this study as the program grows.”
