"When the Wattle Comes Out, the Turtles are Ready": Success of the Enhanced Teacher Training Program

Teacher preparation and preparedness have been the focus of much research connecting quality teaching and learning, retention, and teacher satisfaction (Halsey, 2005; Hayes, Mills, Christie, & Lingard, 2006; MCEETYA, 2006). The successful recruitment and retention of teachers to rural and remote schools Australia-wide has been problematic for all states and territories (Vinson, 2002). Education departments have implemented a number of immersion programs with success (Halsey, 2005) in order to empower new teachers with the cultural and classroom awareness necessary for teaching in Indigenous communities. In 2006, the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Education and Training (DET) implemented the Enhanced Teacher Training (ETT) scholarship program. This paper reflects on the experiences and retention of the first five teachers to graduate through the UNE ETT scholarship program, three years since successfully entering the teaching profession in indigenous communities in NSW.