Flemish Teachers and School Leaders Examined: Analysis and Valorization of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) and Starting Strong 2024 in Flanders

Flemish education faces a series of persistent challenges in 2024. Many of these concern teachers. 

Flanders is struggling with a teacher shortage, increasing part-time work, a high workload and psychosocial problems within the teaching profession. These challenges are also recognised in the policy note 2024-2029 (Demir, 2024). In doing so, the policy note highlights the need for structural professionalisation and reducing plan burden to better support teachers.

At the same time, schools are facing declining learning outcomes and increasing diversity among their student population.

This is evidenced by, among other things, the rise in the proportion of pupils with different home languages and increasing socio-economic inequalities.