Raising the Bar: Standards Matter in Elevating Teaching as a Profession

I was catching up with a good friend—an incredible math teacher living in Singapore—when she made that comment that stopped me in my tracks. At first, we laughed. But the more we talked, the more I realized how true it was.

Think about it:

🩺 No one tells a surgeon which tool to use mid-surgery.

📊 No one argues with their accountant about which formula they should use in a spreadsheet.

🚀 No one storms into an engineering firm demanding they design a bridge differently based on a quick Google search.

Yet, in education, it’s common—almost expected—for people outside the profession to have strong opinions on how teachers should teach. To be clear, family and community involvement is essential for a thriving school environment. But it raises an important question: Why is teaching—arguably one of the most impactful professions—not afforded the same professional trust as medicine, law, or engineering?

Thought leaders in education have long advocated for teaching to be viewed as a rigorous, research-based profession. It’s not that teachers don’t take their work seriously—we do, every single day. But the systems around us don’t always reflect that.

Doctors follow strict medical protocols. Lawyers adhere to legal codes of ethics. Engineers operate within rigid safety regulations. These professions have clear, non-negotiable standards that earn them public trust.

Now, imagine a world where teaching was universally viewed in the same way—where educators operate within a framework of internationally recognized professional standards, and where decisions about education are rooted in expertise rather than opinion. This isn’t just wishful thinking—research shows that the most effective education systems are actually built on rigorous professional teaching standards.

📖 The OECD Education and Skills , the Learning Policy Institute , and the RAND Corporation have all highlighted that nations with the strongest student outcomes—like Finland and Singapore—invest heavily in professional development, career pathways, and structured accountability.

📖 Linda Darling-Hammond’s research on teacher quality consistently finds that the best-performing education systems treat teachers as professionals, giving them autonomy and support within clear, evidence-based standards.

📖 Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan argue that when teaching is recognized as a high-autonomy profession, teachers are more satisfied, retention rates improve, and student outcomes rise.

Yet, in many places, these structures are weak or nonexistent—leaving teachers open to public scrutiny rather than being trusted as skilled professionals. If we want to build credibility in education, we need to actively reinforce teaching as a standards-driven profession—just like medicine, law, and engineering.

One of the most powerful ways to elevate the profession? Adopting, upholding, and making visible the professional teaching standards that already exist. When I worked at a start-up school as a principal, we introduced a structured set of professional teaching standards—and it completely transformed our school culture.

Here’s what happened:

✅ Teachers felt more confident and empowered. They no longer second-guessed themselves; they had a clear roadmap for professional growth.

✅ There was consistency across the school. Everyone—teachers, students, and parents—understood what quality teaching looked like, reducing confusion and misalignment.

✅ It built trust with families. Parents didn’t have to rely on personal opinions to gauge a teacher’s effectiveness; they could see that educators were held to rigorous, well-defined professional standards.

Surprisingly, many educators don’t realize that international teaching standards already exist. Organizations like the OECD Education and Skills , the Principals' Training Center (PTC), and the International Task Force on Child Protection (ITFCP) have created professional benchmarks for teachers, school leaders, and operational staff—but these frameworks often stay buried within education circles.

If we made them more transparent and accessible, it wouldn’t just support teachers—it would strengthen trust, collaboration, and clarity between educators, school leaders, parents, and policymakers.

If your school doesn’t currently operate with professional teaching standards—or if you do, but they’re not clearly defined—here’s where to start:

🔍 Look at research-backed global standards. Frameworks from the OECD, ITFCP, PTC, and national education ministries offer well-researched, adaptable guidelines for high-quality teaching.

🎯 Personalize it for your school’s context. Once you find a set of standards that resonate, don’t just copy-paste—adapt them to fit your school’s mission, student demographics, and educational philosophy.

💡 Make it meaningful. Standards shouldn’t just be a checklist for evaluation—they should shape teacher development, coaching conversations, and a culture of continuous learning.

🗣 Ensure transparency with stakeholders. A well-communicated framework builds trust with parents and students. It reassures families that teaching isn’t based on personal preference, but on professional best practices.

🏫 Use it to drive leadership decisions. If teachers are held to professional standards, school leaders should be, too. This isn’t just about accountability—it’s about ensuring a shared vision for educational excellence.

If we want teaching to be respected as a profession, leadership plays a critical role in setting the tone. This means:

📣 Making professional standards public—so that parents and students understand what educators are accountable for.

🎯 Creating real accountability measures—ensuring teachers and school leaders are evaluated based on clear, research-backed benchmarks, not just subjective opinions.

🤝 Fostering open dialogue—so that reimagining education becomes a shared effort, rather than a one-sided debate.

Teaching is both an art and a science—but like any true profession, it thrives on clear standards, accountability, and trust. If we want education to be seen as a respected field, we must champion the structures that uphold its professionalism.

So maybe, the next time someone asks: “Why don’t teachers just do ______?”—we don’t just defend, we educate. We set the narrative, communicate our expertise, and reinforce that great teaching isn’t about personal opinion—it’s about research, practice, and continuous growth.

Because when we elevate the profession, we elevate the learning experience. And when expertise and trust go hand in hand, the biggest winners will always be our students.