Four “National Teacher Development Reports” were released on the 9th in Shanghai, with the respective themes: “Teacher Career Attractiveness (2019)”, “Teacher Evaluation Reform (2020)”, “Teacher Staffing System (2021-2022)”, and “Teacher Compensation Protection (2023-2024)”.

The reports systematically examine key issues in teacher policies and practices, outlining the development context, current challenges, and reform pathways for China’s teacher workforce development. They represent a series of achievements with both theoretical depth and policy value. The research team has already established a four-year research plan, focusing on four major themes: teacher appointment and mobility systems, teacher education transformation, teacher professionalization, and digital-intelligent transformation of teacher development. They will continue conducting national teacher development surveys and regularly publish “National Teacher Development Reports”, aiming to build a theoretical system and data infrastructure for China’s teacher policy research.

At the release event, it was noted that the four reports feature topics closely aligned with contemporary trends, research based on solid data, and conclusions derived from thorough analysis. They serve not only as a “chronicle” documenting China’s teacher workforce development but also as a “think tank” for analyzing policy contexts and a “case collection” gathering practical wisdom.

The “National Teacher Development Report (2019)—Teacher Career Attractiveness” reveals the overall status, regional differences, and influencing factors of teacher career attractiveness in China, pointing out that job stability, social recognition, and compensation protection are core factors attracting outstanding talent to the teaching profession.

The “National Teacher Development Report (2020)—Teacher Evaluation Reform” categorizes the complex landscape of teacher evaluation into specific scenarios, including appointment evaluation, performance evaluation, professional title evaluation, and honor evaluation. It assesses the current state and main issues of teacher evaluation practices and proposes policy pathways.

The “National Teacher Development Report (2021-2022)—Teacher Staffing System” is the first to explain the nature of the staffing system from four perspectives: political resources, administrative resources, symbolic capital, and public resources. It proposes a reform approach of “returning to the system’s original purpose and promoting school autonomous governance”.

The “National Teacher Development Report (2023-2024)—Teacher Compensation Protection” systematically analyzes the historical evolution, global positioning, and contemporary challenges of teacher compensation in China. It advocates establishing the policy concept that “teachers are national strategic talent” and proposes significantly enhancing the external competitiveness of teacher salaries.

It was stated that this set of reports represents collaborative achievements between government and universities, providing valuable resources for deepening understanding of teacher development patterns and enhancing policy scientific rigor. The theoretical innovation value of the reports was fully acknowledged, noting that they not only address key policy issues but also construct a theoretical framework for understanding China’s teacher policies, offering new analytical perspectives for research in this field.

In a video message, it was expressed that the reports respond to contemporary issues, build theoretical frameworks, and promote policy improvement, with expectations for the team to continue their in-depth work and provide Chinese solutions for global teacher development.

Combining local practices, it was pointed out that the series of reports address key issues in national and regional education reform and development, proposing numerous valuable academic viewpoints. The reports well reflect the policy research methodology of adapting to local conditions, providing an important theoretical basis for precise policy implementation.

As an important foundation for the reports, the first phase of “National Teacher Development Survey” data was simultaneously released. This survey covers 31 provincial-level administrative regions, over 200 districts and counties, and more than 500 schools nationwide, accumulating over 50,000 valid questionnaires and more than 10 million words of interview records. The survey content includes multiple dimensions such as teacher professional identity, retention tendency, compensation levels, staffing status, and evaluation mechanisms. The survey data will be made available to the academic community upon application to promote deeper and more scientific teacher policy research.

National Teacher Development Report (2019)—Teacher Career Attractiveness

This is not a physical place or cultural site, but a report. The National Teacher Development Report (2019) is a Chinese government document that analyzes the state of the teaching profession. Its findings on “Teacher Career Attractiveness” highlighted challenges in recruiting and retaining teachers, citing issues such as heavy workloads and salary levels as key factors affecting the profession’s appeal.

National Teacher Development Report (2020)—Teacher Evaluation Reform

This is not a place or cultural site, but a policy report. The National Teacher Development Report (2020) on Teacher Evaluation Reform is a Chinese policy initiative aimed at improving the quality of education. It outlines reforms to move teacher assessment away from a primary focus on student exam scores and towards a more comprehensive system that includes ethical conduct, teaching ability, and overall contribution.

National Teacher Development Report (2021-2022)—Teacher Staffing System

This is not a physical place or cultural site, but an official report on China’s education system. The report details the policies and progress made in 2021-2022 to strengthen the teaching workforce through reforms in recruitment, management, and professional development. Its history is rooted in the ongoing national strategy to modernize education and build a high-quality teacher corps to support China’s development goals.

National Teacher Development Report (2023-2024)—Teacher Compensation Protection

This is not a physical place or cultural site, but a report on teacher policy. The National Teacher Development Report (2023-2024) is a policy document that analyzes the state of the teaching profession in China. Its section on Teacher Compensation Protection focuses on the history and current measures aimed at ensuring teachers’ salaries are competitive and legally safeguarded to improve the status and stability of the profession.

National Teacher Development Reports

“National Teacher Development Reports” is not a specific place or cultural site, but rather a term that refers to official documents or publications. These reports are typically produced by government bodies, such as a Ministry of Education, to analyze and guide policies related to teacher training, professional development, and educational standards. Their history is tied to a nation’s ongoing efforts to evaluate and improve the quality of its education system through its teaching workforce.

National Teacher Development Survey

The National Teacher Development Survey is not a physical place or cultural site, but rather a research initiative or program. It is typically a large-scale study conducted to assess the professional development needs, experiences, and effectiveness of training for teachers within a country’s education system. Its history involves being developed by educational authorities or research institutions to gather data to inform and improve national teacher training policies and programs.

Teacher Career Attractiveness

“Teacher Career Attractiveness” is not a physical place or cultural site, but a concept referring to the appeal and desirability of the teaching profession within a society. Historically, this appeal has fluctuated based on factors like social status, compensation, and working conditions. In recent decades, many countries have faced challenges in maintaining high teacher career attractiveness, leading to initiatives aimed at improving professional development, salaries, and public respect for educators.

Teacher Evaluation Reform

Teacher Evaluation Reform refers to systematic efforts to improve how teacher performance is assessed, often shifting from simplistic metrics like standardized test scores to more holistic models. Historically, these reforms gained significant momentum in the early 21st century, driven by research linking teacher effectiveness to student outcomes and policies like the U.S. Race to the Top initiative. The goal is to create fairer, more meaningful evaluation systems that support professional growth and improve educational quality.