Saturday February 4 2012: Sydney, Australia SCHOOLS WORRIED OVERHAUL WILL CUT DISABILITY FUNDS As parents and teachers await the release of the O'Farrell Government’s funding arrangements for NSW students with disabilities, concern is growing that the changes will make it difficult to maintain teacher aids in many schools. Suggestions that support for students with autism will be tied to average incidences rather than specific cases, and that online teacher training may replace teacher aids has caused many to fear that students with the greatest needs will lose out. Final endorsement of the proposals by the federal government as part of the National Partnership for Students with Disabilities is required before the changes can go ahead. Read more... Saturday February 4 2012: Melbourne, Australia PARENTS LOBBY VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT TO BAN BIBLE IN CLASSROOMS The Fairness in Religion in Schools (FIRIS) lobby group has installed a billboard along a Melbourne road asserting that Special Religious Instruction is a divisive force in our schools. The move comes as parents are in the process of bringing a case before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal questioning whether religious classes should be run in state schools. Read more... Saturday February 4 2012: Canberra, Australia GOOD PROGRESS IN IMPROVING SCHOOL ENROLMENT AND ATTENDANCE IN QUEENSLAND AND THE NORTHERN TERRITORY In a joint media release, Minister for School Education Peter Garrett and Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Jenny Macklin have publicised early results of the Improving School Enrolment and Attendance through Welfare Reform Measure (SEAM). According to a 2010 program evaluation, SEAM ensured that participating students were enrolled in school and was responsible for increases in participants' overall attendance in both Queensland and the Northern Territory. Ninety-two of the 4 688 parents involved in SEAM trials had welfare payments suspended for not complying with enrolment or attendance requirements. Read more... Saturday February 4 2012: Melbourne, Australia SECRET REPORT REVEALS UNDERFUNDING OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS The Australian Education Union (AEU) is calling for the allocation of state and federal funding of schools to be reviewed. The plea is in response to a report by Professor Richard Teese from the University of Melbourne which claims that funding is responsible for inequality in our schooling systems. AEU Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos pointed to the fact that public schools continue to educate the majority of students with more complex educational needs as a key reason why government schools need to be better funded. Read more... Saturday February 4 2012: Melbourne, Australia NEW VIDEO FROM CANCER COUNCIL AIMS TO INCREASE HPV VACCINATION Although the human papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation program is now in its fifth year, only 73 per cent of 12-13 year old girls are completing the three dose course of the vaccine. In an effort to increase participation rates, Cancer Council Victoria has released a free online film that schools can use to help promote the benefits of the vaccination scheme. Early results of the immunisation program indicate that the number of girls under 18 with high-grade abnormal pre-cancerous cells on the cervix has halved. Read more... Tuesday January 31 2012: Sydney, Australia QUEENSLAND TEACHERS MULL ACTION OVER USE OF SCHOOL LEAGUE TABLES The Queensland Teachers Union is considering industrial action over the publication of school ratings based on a recent government audit. The tension comes in the lead-up to negotiations for a new enterprise bargaining agreement, which is due for completion by 1 July. State Education Minister Cameron Dick has underscored the importance of the audit data in driving school improvement measures. Read more... Tuesday January 31 2012: Sydney, Australia CHRISTOPHER PYNE VOWS TO OPPOSE SCHOOL FEES INCREASE In anticipation of the findings of the Gonski review of education funding, Opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne has expressed support for the current funding model. While Mr Pyne stated that the Coalition will consider proposals put forward by the review, arrangements that have the potential to raise private school fees would be opposed. Read more... Tuesday January 31 2012: Melbourne, Australia BONUS PAY A SORE POINT FOR TEACHERS A Herald Sun survey of 816 teachers has revealed that 80 per cent of respondents oppose the government's proposed performance pay scheme. Teachers also view the My School website unfavourably, although 87 per cent support the new Australian Curriculum. Only one per cent of teachers surveyed rated federal Education Minister Peter Garrett's performance as excellent. Read more... Tuesday January 31 2012: Sydney, Australia EXPERTS CRITICISE HSC SUBJECT AVAILABILITY Concern has been expressed over the range of subjects on offer to year 12 students, especially in lower socio-economic areas. Both the head of the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority and a Melbourne University academic believe that although theoretically schools are offering a broad range of subjects, in reality, funding arrangements see some schools opt for subjects that are cheaper to provide. In many cases, students in disadvantaged reasons do not have access to higher level subjects, even though they are capable of completing them. Read more... Tuesday January 31 2012: Sydney, Australia MALLESONS SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS ANNOUNCED Legal firm Mallesons Stephen Jaques has awarded five scholarships to year 11 students across the country. The scholarships, worth $9 000 each, support disadvantaged students to finish year 12 and move into tertiary studies. Recipients are also allocated a mentor from Mallesons to give them guidance as they continue their studies. Read more... Saturday January 28 2012: Brisbane, Australia REPORT CARD: HOW YOUR SCHOOL STACKS UP The results of a Queensland State Government audit which rated schools on eight teaching and learning criteria have been released. The government asserts that the audits rate schools against world-class benchmarks and have already been used to help schools identify areas for improvement. However, many schools are upset that the results, which were originally to remain confidential, are being publicly released. The area that schools performed most poorly in was curriculum delivery. Read more... Saturday January 28 2012: Melbourne, Australia RIFT ON YEAR 12 FIGURES Claims in the National Report on Schooling in Australia 2009 that year 12 or equivalent completion rates in Victoria are just 64 per cent have been disputed by the Education Department. A spokeswoman explained that the data in the report does not include young people who have completed apprenticeships or other equivalent qualifications, and an analysis by a Melbourne University professor found the methodology used to calculate the figure, which the state government puts at around 87 per cent, to be questionable. The report also highlighted the discrepancy in completion rates between advantaged and disadvantaged boys. Read more... Saturday January 28 2012: Sydney, Australia EDUCATION CHIEF BLASTS PLAN FOR REFORM The director of the Education Standards Institute, Kevin Donnelly, has responded to the latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development statistics which show Australia's results are slipping by questioning the Gillard Government's education policies. Dr Donnelly believes that the Building the Education Revolution program has not helped improve results and that the focus should be on proven strategies to lift standards, such as moving away from an academic curriculum and giving schools greater autonomy. Prime Minister Gillard has just announced $48 million in funding to support disabled students in NSW. Read more... Saturday January 28 2012: Sydney, Australia SYLLABUS OVERHAUL REIGNITES RACE ROW Changes to the Australian Curriculum that see National Sorry Day and the Stolen Generation included in the history syllabus at primary school level have drawn both support and criticism from key stakeholders. The Greens education spokeswoman expressed cautious approval of the revisions, while the National Sorry Day Committee's non-indigenous co-chairwoman acknowledged the new inclusions to be a positive step, but questioned whether they go far enough. On the other side, Conservative historian Keith Windschuttle contends that commemorating Sorry Day is likely to cause racial tension and the Coalition's education spokesman suggested that the content would be better covered in later years of schooling. Read more... Tuesday January 24 2012: Sydney, Australia JULIA GILLARD BLAMES JOHN HOWARD FOR EDUCATION REVOLUTION STALL Prime Minister Julia Gillard has attributed the blame for the lack of progress made by the government's education revolution to the Howard government's failure to adequately invest in the sector. Ms Gillard highlighted initiatives such as the My School website and the new national curriculum as measures taken by the government to institute education reform, however literacy and numeracy results have not improved since the government took office. Opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne suggested that the government has spent education funds in the wrong areas. Read more... Tuesday January 24 2012: Melbourne, Australia SCHOOL TEST RESULTS NOT IMPROVING A new report shows that the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) has failed to raise the level of student achievement. According to the NAPLAN national report for 2011, results show that students who have now sat the tests over two year levels such as year 3 and 5 performed at a comparative level over the two time periods in areas including reading and numeracy, while achievement at particular year levels had also not improved over time. The government acknowledges that more work needs to be done to improve our education systems, and has come under fire from critics who believe NAPLAN is leading to a narrowing of the curriculum. Read more... Tuesday January 24 2012: Sydney, Australia POLITICAL GAMES STALK CURRICULUM As NSW postpones implementation of the new Australian Curriculum until 2014, Queensland's Education Minister has lamented what he believes is political game-playing being entered into by state Liberal-National Party governments. The Queensland Opposition education spokesman has countered by accusing the state government of rushing to implement the curriculum before all the necessary resources are ready. All other states and territories will begin implementing the curriculum in some form this year, with the exception of Western Australia. Read more... Tuesday January 24 2012: Sydney, Australia CHILDREN LESS LIKELY TO MAKE THE GRADE IF THEIR PARENTS LEFT SCHOOL EARLY An analysis of National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) data has revealed that parents' education levels are an indicator of student achievement. In particular, the report identified that students' whose parents had not completed year 12 had lower mean scores with, for example, only 81.2 per cent of year 9 students in that category reaching the minimum benchmark as against 98 per cent of students whose parents were well educated. The head of the School of Education at the University of NSW said that the figures exemplified the increasing achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students. Read more... Saturday January 21 2012: Canberra, Australia HIGH CALIBRE GRADUATES PLACED IN DISADVANTAGED SCHOOLS Minister for School Education Peter Garrett has announced funding for a further 50 associates to be accepted into the Teach for Australia program over the next two years. The announcement comes as graduates who have just completed their six weeks of intensive training as part of Teach for Australia are set to start working in disadvantaged secondary schools in Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory on reduced teaching hours while they complete their Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching. Teach for Australia aims to encourage graduates from disciplines such as maths and science into the teaching profession. Read more... Saturday January 21 2012: Sydney, Australia NAPLAN CHEATING AND SECURITY BREACHES LISTED The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority has released details of reported cheating and security breaches incidents associated with the 2011 National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests. Examples in NSW include a school principal assisting a student to complete a test, and language conventions and writing test booklets disappearing from secure storage at a school. Opponents of the high stakes being placed on NAPLAN results suggest that these incidents are indicative of the pressure schools are feeling to produce increasing NAPLAN scores. Read more... Saturday January 21 2012: Perth, Australia ANZAC LEGEND INSPIRES STUDENTS' GEOSCIENCE WIN An interactive map of Albany's ANZAC Avenue of Honour was the winning entry in this year's Spatial Technology in Schools Compeition. Created by a group of students from John Calvin School using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the map featured switchable layers which included photos and information about soldiers and their military careers. The GIS technology used by competition entrants was donated by geospatial specialists Esri Australia. Read more... Saturday January 21 2012: Sydney, Australia BULLYING A PRIMARY ‘BACK TO SCHOOL’ CONCERN A Facebook survey conducted by Life Education has identified bullying as a key area of concern for both parents and teachers in 2012. Nutrition and hydration, childhood obesity and road safety were other issues that were highlighted in the survey, which sought to find major health and safety concerns that young people face. Life Education has released a list of top tips for parents to deal with these issues based on their research. Read more... Tuesday January 17 2012: Perth, Australia SHY STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO TWEET THEIR TEACHER IN CLASS, STUDY FINDS A study by Southern Cross University has concluded that Twitter offers university students reluctant to ask questions in class a way to better engage with lesson content. Business lecturer Jeremy Novak believes that the technology could be successfully used in secondary and even primary classrooms. Mr Novak also warned that Twitter use would need to be carefully monitored to ensure that students were not using it for other purposes during lesson time. Read more... Tuesday January 17 2012: Melbourne, Australia TEACHERS COOL ON BONUS PAY Trials of three performance pay schemes in Victoria have attracted little interest from schools with only 49 signing up to participate, well under the goal of 70. One trial pays the top 30 per cent of teachers a bonus, while a second identifies the top 20 per cent of schools based on improvement, and allocates a bonus that is equally shared between staff. With the federal government cutting funding to its proposed bonus scheme, the Victorian government is investigating why schools were unwilling to volunteer to trial their programs. Read more... Tuesday January 17 2012: London, UK UK: PARENTS PAY A FORTUNE FOR SUPER TUTORS High calibre graduates from top universities in the UK are commanding fees of up to $1500 an hour to prepare students for university and private school entrance requirements. While most clients are of secondary age, students as young as three are being tutored to ensure that they are accepted into the top preparatory schools. Specialist agencies offer tutors in areas such as memory and study skills, and are becoming increasingly popular with celebrities and wealthy parents. Read more... Tuesday January 17 2012: Adelaide, Australia WHO IS GOING TO TEACH THE TEACHERS? An Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) review paper has raised concerns of a potential shortage of academic staff in universities. With a high proportion of academics in the education field over the age of 50, it is likely that there will be insufficient numbers to cater to future demands. The ACER report suggests universities should offer more roles for early career academics and work to retain younger researchers working in education. Read more... Tuesday January 17 2012: Canberra, Australia MORE THAN $260 MILLION FOR SMARTER SCHOOLS ACROSS AUSTRALIA School Education Minister Peter Garrett has announced an extra $263.3 million in funding under the Smarter Schools program. The bulk of the money will go to Low SES School Communities National Partnerships, with $25 million allocated to the Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership, and $6 million to the Closing the Gap National Partnership. This brings total spending on the Smarter Schools initiative to more than $1 billion. Read more... Saturday January 14 2012: Brisbane, Australia SCHOOL CURRICULUMS PACKED WITH ACTION Schools in Queensland are gearing up to be among the first to start teaching from the new national curriculum this year. According to Education Queensland's website, topics such as construction of fences, scuba diving and a rodeo program will be undertaken in different schools. Queensland schools will be following the Australian curriculum in three subject areas: English, mathematics and science. Read more... Saturday January 14 2012: Sydney, Australia PUBLIC SCHOOLS 'LOSE OUT' ON FUNDS AS RISES FAVOUR WEALTHY The head of Save Our Schools, Trevor Cobbold, has found that total government independent school funding has increased by 82 per cent in the last seven years, but public school funding only increased by 48 per cent over the same period. Mr Cobbold, who used the National Report on Schooling 2009 as a basis for the findings, pointed out the inequity in the arrangements, especially given that around 80 per cent of students from a variety of disadvantaged backgrounds are educated through the public system. The government is due to release its response to the recently completed review of school funding early in the school year. Read more... Saturday January 14 2012: Melbourne, Australia TEACHERS JUMP OFF THE FAST TRACK The government's Teach for Australia program, that takes high calibre non-teaching graduates and places them in the classroom after six week's training, has seen only 25 of the pilot group of 45 opting to stay in a teaching role after the first two years. While schools have been happy with the quality of the candidates, the scheme has come under fire from teacher unions. The chief executive of the program is pleased with its progress, highlighting the fact that it is attracting teachers who would not have otherwise considered the profession. Read more... Saturday January 14 2012: Sydney, Australia CAUTION ON SCHOOL FUNDING Despite the federal opposition suggesting imminent cuts to private school funding, Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett, asserts that any changes to funding in the wake of the Gonski review will consider the school system as a whole. While Mr Garrett has not ruled out funding cuts, current arrangements will be maintained until the end of next year. Read more... Tuesday January 10 2012: Sydney, Australia MORE SCHOOLS OPTING FOR SECULAR WORKERS INSTEAD OF CHAPLAINS An increasing number of schools is choosing to employ secular welfare workers rather than chaplains after the federal government changed the program guidelines. In the ACT, 28 per cent of schools that previously had a chaplain have now applied for welfare worker funding. The Gillard government reforms also include a minimum qualification for workers employed under the scheme. Read more... Tuesday January 10 2012: Adelaide, Australia CONCERN AS JUNIOR PRIMARY CLASS SIZES RISE Parents and the Australian Education Union (AEU) SA have expressed concern over increasing class sizes in the junior years in some areas of Adelaide. The AEU state president attributes the trend to changes to funding which see money allocated per student rather than per class. An Education Department spokeswoman said that although average class sizes across the state have remained steady, the issue would be monitored. Read more... Tuesday January 10 2012: Sydney, Australia INDIGENOUS SCHOOLS GET AUTONOMY AS PRINCIPALS ARE GIVEN CONTROL The NSW State Government is supporting 15 remote indigenous schools to provide an integrated education experience, encompassing everything from maternal health services through to employment and training. Schools will be given the freedom to develop a model best suited to their own communities, with autonomy over budgets allowing higher salaries to be offered to attract quality staff. The Connected Communities program draws on strategies used in the Northern Territory. Read more... Tuesday January 10 2012: Brisbane, Australia EDUCATION APP A FLASH WAY TO LEARN The Queensland State Government has released an app to help students learn the first 100 sight words. 'Out and About' presents users with a series of flashcards to read. If the child is unfamiliar with the word, they can tap the screen to hear it. The app has been designed for parents to use at home with their children. Read more... Saturday January 7 2012: Melbourne, Australia NO JOB SECURITY FOR NEW TEACHERS Although Teaching Minister Peter Hall pledged to investigate how to improve the situation a year ago, 58 per cent of new teachers in Victorian government schools are on fixed-term contracts. An Australian Education Union survey has found that the lack of job security is leading many to consider alternative professions. Around 45 per cent of the positions listed on the state government's recruitment website list 'potential excess' as the reason for a fixed contract being offered. Read more... Saturday January 7 2012: Sydney, Australia BABIES IN BIG SCHOOL - IS YOUR CHILD READY? New South Wales primary schools are reporting an increase in the number of four-year-olds being enrolled in kindergarten when they are not ready to start school. The trend is being attributed to higher child care costs, with parents able to save up to $10 000 in a year by sending their children to school rather than day care; some parents enrol their child in one school for kindergarten, then have them repeat the year at another school, where they will continue their primary education. The cut-off for school entry in New South Wales is July 31. Read more... Saturday January 7 2012: Melbourne, Australia REALITY LOOKS REWARDING FOR THIS BRIGHT STUDENT The International Baccalaureate diploma course will be offered at a state secondary school in Victoria for the first time in 2013, and will this year be available to students at the Sophia Mundi Steiner School. As the year 12 alternative grows in popularity, students such as Melissa Paciepnik, who achieved a near perfect score in 2011, are seeing it as a scholarly alternative. In addition to studying six subjects, students must also complete community service and physical and creative components to qualify for the diploma. Read more... Saturday January 7 2012: Washington, USA BIG STUDY LINKS GOOD TEACHERS TO LASTING GAIN A US study by economists has revealed that the quality of elementary and middle years teachers has an impact on students' life earnings and social wellbeing. Following 2.5 million students, the study ranked teacher quality in terms of value adding to test scores. While there is concern about how the results can be effectively used to improve education without changing teacher practice in negative ways, such as teaching to the test, the study suggests that incompetent teachers can harm students' long-term outcomes and should be removed as soon as possible. Read more... Tuesday January 3 2012: Brisbane, Australia TEACHER SUSPENSIONS RISE Nearly twice the number of teachers and employees in Queensland state schools were suspended in 2011 compared with 2010. Many of the suspensions have been on full pay, resulting in more than $800 000 in payouts. Read more... Tuesday January 3 2012: New York, USA IN WASHINGTON, LARGE REWARDS IN TEACHER PAY A new merit pay system in Washington has seen some teachers receiving large bonuses and pay rises. Designed to attract and retain competent teachers, the program offers incentives to educators who are rated as highly effective. However, to participate, teachers must waive job security provisions in their contracts. The scheme has been criticised by some, particularly because requirements to achieve the top salary and bonus of around $130 000 per annum are believed to be unattainable. Read more... Tuesday January 3 2012: Sydney, Australia INDIGENOUS STUDENTS DENIED HIGH SCHOOL IN THEIR LANDS, CABINET PAPERS SHOW Despite the need to establish secondary schools in remote communities being identified in a 1981 Northern Territory cabinet paper, it took until 2001 for action to be taken. Students wanting to continue their education had boarding school or distance education as their only options, which limited access for many indigenous students. Although schools such as Kalkaringi now offer classes up to year 12, current NT Education Minister Chris Burns asserts that the delay has resulted in reduced educational opportunities for two generations of indigenous students. Read more... Tuesday January 3 2012: Sydney, Australia SURGE IN DEMAND FOR HELP WITH BACK-TO-SCHOOL COSTS Sharp rises in the cost of living are expected to generate higher numbers of calls for assistance with school costs to organisations such as State Schools' Relief. The increase in applications for support may result in struggling families having to provide a higher co-payment for essential items such as school uniforms. Read more... Saturday December 31 2011: Sydney, Australia GRADUATE SCIENCE AND MATHS SCHEME FALTERS Despite the offer of a fee reduction of $1500 a year for tertiary students who go on to work in fields including secondary maths and science teaching, the take-up rate for the federal government's HECS-HELP benefit scheme has been relatively low. Only 64 graduates had applications approved in the first year of the program, and 232 in the second, and the body representing Australia's top universities has called for a review. The federal government expects participant numbers to increase further over the next few years as more eligible candidates graduate. Read more... Saturday December 31 2011: Adelaide, Australia SOCIAL MEDIA CAN HELP YOUNG TEACHERS COPE Social media has been identified as an effective tool to support teaching graduates as they face issues in their first jobs in a study by UniSA PhD candidate Lisa Papatraianou. Between 25 and 40 per cent of graduates do not stay in the profession for more than five years, and research shows that online networking helps increase teacher resilience. The study also found that teachers understand the risks associated with using social media for professional purposes, and are concerned that increased regulation may restrict their access to a professional online community. Read more... Saturday December 31 2011: Sydney, Australia CYBER BULLYING SPIRALLING OUT OF CONTROL IN NSW SCHOOLS An academic from Edith Cowan University claims that around 10 per cent of students have reported being cyber bullied. According to Professor Donna Cross, the problem is most severe in students in years 5, 7 and 8 and is often initiated by children who have other behavioural issues. The issue has been highlighted recently with a number of violent incidents linked to cyber bullying occurring in NSW schools. Read more... Saturday December 31 2011: Sydney, Australia SCHOOLS TO BE QUIZZED ON CALLS FOR HSC HELP With figures indicating that 52 percent of applications for special provisions in HSC exams came from non-government schools, but three quarters of students with disabilities attend public schools, the NSW Ombudsman will investigate the disparity. It is unknown if the proportion of HSC exam disability provisions is lower in government schools because many students with disabilities opt for an HSC alternative which does not require exams, or whether particular schools are over- or under-utilising the system. Special provisions might include the use of a computer or extra exam time. Read more... Tuesday December 27 2011: California, USA THE HAVES' CHILDREN ARE HEALTHIER THAN THE HAVE-NOTS' The annual Physical Fitness Test administered to schools in California has revealed that there is an alarming gap between the health of students from disadvantaged schools and those from wealthier areas. The difference is attributed in part to the fact that many schools in low-socio economic areas do not have specialist physical education teachers, with only 15 shared between 76 elementary schools in the San Francisco Unified School District . Fundraising contributions by parents also ensure that equipment and facilities are better in well-off areas. Read more... Tuesday December 27 2011: Sydney, Australia ENROLMENT FAILURES RESOLVED, DJARRAGUN ABORIGINAL COLLEGE INSISTS Following allegations that it fraudulently claimed funding for 150 'phantom' students, Djarragun College in Gordonvale is getting back on its feet. Now under the guidance of Cape York indigenous leader Noel Pearson, with a new principal installed, the school has passed an audit of its revised enrolment and attendance procedures. The results of an investigation into the fraud charges are pending. Read more... Tuesday December 27 2011: Adelaide, Australia SEXTING ISSUE 'EXAGGERATED' An American cyber safety study has concluded that the vast majority of teenagers understand the implications of sexting and would not send revealing photos of themselves. Australian academic Collette Snowden broadly agreed with the findings, suggesting that people's behaviour is not changed by technology. Dr Snowden did, however, express caution about applying the US study to Australian teens given the cultural variables. Read more... Tuesday December 27 2011: Melbourne, Australia STATE SCHOOLS TO OFFER MORE CHOICE The Baillieu government will support a dozen government primary and secondary schools with grants to develop an area of specialisation. The funds will allow schools to focus on fields such as aviation/aerospace, marine biology and music, and aim to motivate students and offer attractive alternatives to independent schools. The program has drawn criticism for introducing inequitable funding in government schools. Read more... Saturday December 24 2011: Sydney, Australia SCHOOLS FACE THREAT FROM LOWER INTAKES, UNPAID FEES: REPORT A report by chartered accountancy firm PKF suggests that some independent schools may struggle as economic factors mean more families fail to make fee payments or decide to withdraw their children. While underscoring the importance of maintaining enrolments the report recommends amalgamation with 'like-minded' schools or for single-sex schools to become co-educational as strategies to combat current conditions. The report also suggests tougher debt collection practices. Read more... Saturday December 24 2011: Sydney, Australia NT COMMUNITIES ASK TO JOIN EXPANDED SCHOOL SCHEME Indigenous Affairs Minister, Jenny Macklin, has defended the federal government's program to lift indigenous school attendance rates in the face of a Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations report which asserted that the measures had been unsuccessful. Ms Macklin revealed that she had received requests for inclusion in the trial from communities not currently participating. She also noted that the government had made several amendments based on recommendations made in the project evaluation. Read more... Saturday December 24 2011: Melbourne, Australia ABORIGINAL SCHOOL PLAN FAILS A report into the federal government's program to increase enrolments and attendance of indigenous students at school has found the measures to have had little effect. Adjustments were made to the scheme after the first year in response to feedback from principals, however the improvements that resulted were not sustained. A third amendment has been proposed that will allow for more collaboration to support families to identify and overcome the barriers to school attendance. The trial will also be expanded into 16 additional communities. Read more... Saturday December 24 2011: Sydney, Australia GIRLS WIN WITH WORDS, BOYS WIN WITH NUMBERS Two-thirds of high achievers in the NSW Higher School Certificate advanced English course were girls, while more than 60 percent of the maths extension high achievers were boys. Despite this, many principals believe that the imbalance in gender achievement by subject area can be addressed and are implementing strategies to buck the trends. Girls' school PLC, for example, has hired a mathematician in residence for 2012, and Northern Beaches Secondary College Balgowlah Boys Campus has all staff involved in a literacy program with students each morning. Read more... Saturday December 24 2011: Canberra, Australia AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS ABANDONING SCIENCE IN YEARS 11 AND 12 The Australian Academy of Science has revealed that the percentage of year 11 and 12 students taking science subjects has dropped by more than 40 percent since 1991. The statistic was uncovered as part of a study entitled, 'The Status and Quality of Year 11 and 12 Science in Australian Schools', which also included surveys and interviews with students, teachers and the broader community to assess people's attitudes towards science. The study makes a number of recommendations, such as developing more digital science resources to appeal to today's students and reducing content to a more manageable level. Read more... Tuesday December 20 2011: Sydney, Australia PRIVATE SCHOOLS' FUNDS GOUGE: HANDOUTS TRIGGERING HIGHER FEES While the proportion of funds spent by households on essential services such as medical services and telecommunications has dropped, relative expenditure on education has increased. Education has been identified as one of the five areas whose costs are increasing most rapidly, despite federal government funding of non-government schools more than doubling over the previous eight years. The rise is explained in part by the higher numbers of students attending non-government schools, however, it is also suggested that schools are inflating fees in response to government assistance to families. Read more... Tuesday December 20 2011: Brisbane, Australia SCHOOLS ARE GIVEN EXEMPTIONS To assist schools to be ready for year 7 to move from primary to secondary school in 2015, the Queensland state government has granted Catholic and non-government schools exemptions from the usual council approval requirements. It is hoped the initiative will speed up the building process and save a substantial amount of money for schools. A similar scheme was adopted during the Building the Education Revolution program. Read more... Tuesday December 20 2011: Sydney, Australia KIDS FREE TO ROAM WITH MOBILE OF THEIR OWN Mobile phones are giving parents the confidence to let their children become more independent according to a survey by the Australian Council for Educational Research. Conducted with Victorian primary school students, the survey found that children who know how to use a mobile phone were more likely to be allowed to go to the shops or park without adult supervision. Read more... Tuesday December 20 2011: Adelaide, Australia TEACHERS' SACE WORKLOAD ANGER A survey by the Australian Education Union (SA branch) has revealed that many year 12 teachers believe the new SA Certificate of Education (SACE) has added to their workloads and has not improved the education of their students. The revised assessment process and the introduction of a Research Project came in for particular criticism. The SACE Board chief executive has assured teachers that an evaluation of the changes will occur in 2012. Read more... Tuesday December 20 2011: Sydney, Australia A WORLD OF OFFERS FOR BRIGHTEST STUDENTS Growing numbers of Australia's top secondary students are opting to study at overseas universities. Last year saw an increase of 14.6 percent in the number of students attending US colleges, while anecdotal evidence also suggests the UK is a popular choice. Many Australian universities offer scholarships to students with the best year 12 results, but there is concern that students are seeking the status of an overseas tertiary education and that there might be a perception that Australia's universities are not as good. Read more... Saturday December 17 2011: Sydney, Australia PRIVATE SCHOOLS ALL BUT VANQUISHED FROM TOP 10 LIST Selective schools in NSW took out nine of the top 10 school rankings based on HSC results, but non-government schools accounted for 31 out of the top 50 schools. Moriah College was the only private school in the top 10, behind James Ruse Agricultural High School in first place. Read more... Saturday December 17 2011: Melbourne, Australia GENDER NUMBERS IN VCE MATHS JUST DON'T ADD UP Specialist maths courses at Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) level have more than double the number of boys than girls enrolled. A recent University of Melbourne study found that girls were less likely to feel that maths will be relevant to their lives, while the course structure did not suit girls' learning styles. The study also found that boys were more confident mathematicians. Read more... Saturday December 17 2011: Sydney, Australia TODAY'S HSC RESULTS: MORE THAN 80 000 LOG INS AND SMS, AND STUDENTS HONOURED ON MERIT LISTS Only a few hours after being released, NSW Higher School Certificate (HSC) results had been accessed nearly 84 000 times from Australia and around the world. More than 71 000 students sat the exams, with 92 per cent eligible for their HSC and a further seven percent to continue their studies next year. Around 37 percent of students have completed both an HSC and a Vocational Education and Training (VET) course, an increase of around 1000 on the previous year. Read more... Saturday December 17 2011: Sydney, Australia COACHING CULTURE MUST END, SAY TOP STUDENTS Two NSW students have urged the Board of Studies to rethink the content of the HSC exams to try to take the emphasis off learning only to get good marks. The students, both of whom achieved top marks in more than one of their year 12 courses, expressed concern about the need students felt to attend coaching colleges in what they describe as 'gaming the system.' The president of the Board of Studies suggested that while 'gaming' should be monitored, drills and memorisation were legitimate study strategies. Read more... Saturday December 17 2011: Sydney, Australia BAKING CAKES DOESN'T BRING IN THE DOUGH NEEDED FOR SCHOOLS With the advent of greater technology demands, many schools are finding it difficult to raise adequate funds to provide for students. While some schools have raised up to $150 000 from initiatives such as cookbooks with celebrity chef input, others are finding that parents are reluctant to support fund-raising activities as they feel that the government should provide enough to equip all schools for twenty-first century learning. Read more... Tuesday December 13 2011: Melbourne, Australia CHANGE UNFAIR SCHOOL FUNDING, SAYS GARRETT In anticipation of the release of the report into school funding in Australia, Education Minister Peter Garrett has signalled the likelihood of major changes to the way funding is allocated to schools. It is thought that the Gonski review will recommend the establishment of a base level of funding for each student, with extra loading to be provided based on factors such as disadvantage and disability. While key stakeholders agree that there is a need to change current arrangements, independent and Catholic schools are concerned that they will experience a reduction in funding, while other groups advocate greater funding being allocated to disadvantaged students. Read more... Tuesday December 13 2011: Sydney, Australia PRESCHOOL CRUCIAL TO BRIDGE INDIGENOUS EDUCATION GAP An Australian Council for Educational Research study has found that indigenous students who start school without pre-literacy and -numeracy skills have difficulty making up the gap between them and their peers during primary school. The report highlights early childhood education and establishing links between parents and the school as critical factors in improving outcomes for indigenous students. The study also found that many indigenous students perform at or above the average levels. Read more... Tuesday December 13 2011: Sydney, Australia MINI BABY BOOM PUTS PRESSURE ON EDUCATION SYSTEM An increase in birth rates between 2006 and 2009 will see higher numbers of students start primary school over the next few years. Although predicted staff shortages are less than forecast, in states such as Western Australia recruitment of teachers in regional areas and specialists schools remains an issue. Western Australia recorded the largest spike in births but Building the Education Revolution funding was used in many schools to build early childhood facilities which will accommodate the increased enrolments. Read more... Tuesday December 13 2011: Canberra, Australia NSW SCHOOL AUTONOMY TRIALS BENEFITING STUDENTS School Education Minister Peter Garrett reported positive results from the NSW government's ‘Increased School-based Decision Making’ pilot after a meeting with NSW Minister for Education and Communities and principals. With the trial showing improved student outcomes in areas such as behaviour and academic achievement, Mr Garrett believes that the federal government's Empowering Local Schools program will allow schools to successfully manage staffing and other needs. One thousand schools across Australia will be chosen to be part of the initial implementation of the initiative in 2012, and each will receive a start-up grant and access to specialised school leadership courses. Read more... Tuesday December 13 2011: Adelaide, Australia 2011 SPEAKERS IN SCHOOLS AWARDS WINNERS South Australian volunteer speakers who have used their expertise to educate and inspire students at school have been acknowledged in this year's Speakers in Schools Awards. Winners were selected in four categories, including Metro and Regional Speaker Awards, and a new Speaker Award. Read more... Saturday December 10 2011: Sydney, Australia EDUCATORS PUT $5B PRICE TAG ON REFORM Experts suggest that the reforms identified in the Gonski review of education funding will require an extra $5 billion of federal money. While the federal government is looking for a commitment from the states to maintain their current levels of investment in education, much of the federal funding will be targeted at schools with high numbers of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. With the establishment of an education resources standard likely, Education Minister Peter Garrett has offered assurances that no school will lose out in funding. Read more... Saturday December 10 2011: Sydney, Australia NSW TEACHERS PREPARE TO WALK OFF JOB OVER PAY As salary negotiations stall, the NSW Teachers Federation is organising a two-hour stop work meeting. Further action for the start of the school year will be considered to protest about the current offer which would see a cut in pay for teachers in real terms. The union is also drawing attention to the aging teacher workforce highlighted in a recent NSW auditor-general's report, arguing that there will be a shortage in the profession unless steps are taken to make it more attractive to young people. Read more... Saturday December 10 2011: Sydney, Australia WA TEACHERS SET TO BE HIGHEST PAID Teachers in Western Australia are likely to accept a pay deal that will give them a 12 percent increase over three years, which will see 60 percent of teachers earning $99 000 or more. The offer includes an immediate increase of 3.75 percent and will allow teachers in the state to remain the best paid in the country. Read more... Saturday December 10 2011: Sydney, Australia LIZ CONSTABLE SENDS CHILDREN TO SCHOOL YEAR EARLIER Western Australia's Education Minister, Liz Constable, has announced that from 2013 the pre-school or foundation year of schooling will be compulsory in the state. Year 7 will also be moved from primary to secondary school to be in line with other states and territories and to facilitate implementation of the national curriculum. Parent and teacher groups claim they were not consulted about the changes. Read more... Saturday December 10 2011: Hindmarsh, Australia NO TO BULLYING, YES TO ATTENDANCE – HIGH SCHOOLS IMPROVE THEIR MENTAL HEALTH Mark Butler, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, acknowledged seventeen secondary schools across the country for their successful implementation of the MindMatters program at a ceremony in Adelaide. MindMatters promotes mental health to young people, emphasising prevention and early intervention. Benefits to participating schools include higher attendance rates and greater numbers of students seeking support for their issues. Read more... Tuesday December 6 2011: Sydney, Australia BOYDEN'S LEADERSHIP SERIES FEATURES DR. ROSS H. MILLIKAN The latest release in the 'Boyden Leadership Series' features an interview with Dr Ross H Millikan that details the ingredients he believes are required for successful education in the future. Greater input from parents and communities and an emphasis on quality teaching rather than administration are among the elements that Dr Millikan identifies as necessary for effective schools. Dr Millikan has also recently released 'Authentic Educational Leadership in Schools'. Read more... Tuesday December 6 2011: Melbourne, Australia PRIVATE SCHOOLS GET TOP REPORT An analysis of National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) data for year 3 grammar shows that students from independent and Catholic schools perform better than those in government schools, even when differences in student background are accounted for. The study was based on the first publication of data on My School and therefore does not consider school resourcing in its findings. The findings conflict with an Australian Council for Educational Research study that concluded there were negligible differences in results between education sectors once socio-economic variances were factored in. Read more... Tuesday December 6 2011: Sydney, Australia SCHOOLS BANK TOGETHER AND TUNE IN TO UNDERPRIVILEGED STUDENTS' NEEDS Students from Sydney's Campbelltown are improving their academic results and becoming more engaged at school thanks to a grant from the federal government's pilot program, Local Schools Working Together, that allows schools in disadvantaged areas to pool their funds. Eagle Vale High School now has a recording studio and performing arts centre that appeals to its high Pacific Island population. The student response to the new facilities supports studies that have found performing arts programs have academic benefits for students. Read more... Tuesday December 6 2011: Adelaide, Australia TRAINING FOR TEACHERS, TIME OFF FOR KIDS South Australian teachers have been granted an extra two pupil-free days a year for professional development until 2017. The change has been made to ensure that teachers receive adequate training for the implementation of the Australian Curriculum. Funds of $10.5 million have also been allocated to support the implementation. Read more... Saturday December 3 2011: Sydney, Australia FIRST IRAQ, THEN FAIRFIELD, NEXT STOP THE UN The success of Fairfield High's approach to helping refugee students and their families adapt to Australian life has been acknowledged with a trip to Geneva to address the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The school's principal Bob Mulas and Iraqi refugee Ameer Saeed, who sat for his Higher School Certificate this year, will describe how the school has introduced initiatives such as offering parents the chance to attend presentations from representatives from a range of places such as the tax office and the Roads and Traffic Authority, and inviting speakers from different professions to help students understand what is required in the Australian workforce. Students from 65 different cultures attend the school. Read more... Saturday December 3 2011: Sydney, Australia TRAINING A SPOTLIGHT ON WHAT IT TAKES TO TACKLE TEACHING Changes to British and US teacher education programs are favouring a greater emphasis on the practical aspects of the profession. In Australia, there are a number of different pathways into teaching, ranging from undertaking a bachelor of education or a graduate diploma to the government's fast-track programs such as Teach for Australia. The Productivity Commission has recommended that the new national accreditation standard that requires two years of study for graduate entry teaching programs not be made mandatory while further investigation into the benefits of increased course length are completed. Read more... Saturday December 3 2011: Sydney, Australia ‘PRIVATE' SCHOOL TEACHERS FIGHT FOR FAIR FUNDING A lunch-time rally at the ALP National Conference will be staged by Catholic and independent school teachers in a bid to raise awareness of the funding challenges faced by non-government education systems. According to NSW Independent Education Union Secretary Dick Shearman independent or Catholic schools operate in disadvantaged areas, but with 34% of students in their schools, they receive only 22% of the funding. Read more... Saturday December 3 2011: Canberra, Australia NATIONAL TRIALS FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT MEASUREMENT The Gillard Government is working on a new National School Improvement Framework (NSIF) against which the performance of schools will be evaluated. Elements such as testing results, attendance rates and parental and community engagement are being considered as part of a set of improvement measures that will allow schools who show substantial progress to be rewarded. Trials of the proposed NSIF will occur in 2013 in advance of a proposed implementation during 2014. Read more... Tuesday November 29 2011: Sydney, Australia A NEW TAKE ON KIDS BEHAVING BADLY Encouraging students to take responsibility has been identified as an effective behaviour management strategy in research conducted in Melbourne by Professor Ramon Lewis. Giving positive feedback for good behaviour and helping children recognise the right of all students to feel safe and be in an environment conducive to learning are also important elements in classroom control. Professor Lewis found that punishments work only if teachers have established a good relationship with students, but can be counter-productive in other situations. Read more... Tuesday November 29 2011: Melbourne, Australia YEAR 12 EXAMS MAY BE CUT BACK Victorian Education Minister Martin Dixon has announced that a year 12 equivalent Baccalaureate program may be introduced in Victoria. Based on the International Baccalaureate diploma, the program could see students completing a range of tasks that are relevant to today's workforce including participating in group work and writing theses. Mr Dixon has also ordered the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority to investigate alternatives to exams that would offer options to suit different students for year 12 assessment. Read more... Tuesday November 29 2011: Sydney, Australia PERSONALISED LEARNING THE NEW WAY FORWARD FOR AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS New research sponsored by Telstra has found that students want education to be more individualised and see technology as an integral part of engaging them in meaningful learning experiences. The 'Personalised Learning' whitepaper concludes that tools such as instant messaging, wikis, smartphones and tablets are becoming increasingly important to connect students, and schools need to better take advantage of young peoples' interest in technology. Read more... Tuesday November 29 2011: Sydney, Australia INSTANT RESULTS: YOUR GUIDE TO HSC MARKS Higher School Certificate (HSC) students in NSW can access their results online, via SMS or telephone from 6 am on 14 December, two days before they arrive in the mail. The Board of Studies also offers online assessment rankings, a phone inquiry centre and an HSC Results Check Service for students to confirm their results have been correctly processed. Read more... Saturday November 26 2011: Sydney, Australia POOR KIDS THE LOSERS IN LEARNING STAKES The Australian Institute of Family Studies has released details of a new study that shows the achievement gap between students from low- and high-SES backgrounds becomes apparent at two to three years of age and is then maintained in the early years of primary school. The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children highlights the need for early intervention, especially for boys, whose social and language skills make the gap more pronounced. Social Inclusion Minister Tanya Plibersek indicated that the government plans to expand the Australian Early Development Index to identify strategies that will address the problem. Read more... Saturday November 26 2011: Melbourne, Australia NORTHERN SUBURBS SCHOOLS HIT HARD BY READING RECOVERY CUTS Budget cuts in Victoria will prevent vital services such as Reading Recovery from being provided in some schools. With cuts of $1 million required in the northern metropolitan region, teachers who resign or whose contract expires are not being replaced. A spokesman for the region suggested that affected schools could pool funds with other schools to supply a Reading Recovery tutor. Read more... Saturday November 26 2011: Sydney, Australia PRIMARY SCHOOL LANGUAGES PLAN HITS RESISTANCE The release of the shape paper for languages by the Australian Curriculum, Reporting and Assessment Authority (ACARA) has attracted criticism from the NSW Education Department amongst fears of an under-supply of language teachers and overcrowding of the curriculum. The shape paper recommends five percent of teaching time be spent on languages in primary school, increasing to eight percent in years 7 and 8. Most Victorian primary students already study a second language for around 100 hours a year, whereas NSW primary schools currently have no formal requirement for language teaching. Read more... Saturday November 26 2011: Brisbane, Australia APPA WELCOMES IMPROVEMENTS TO REWARD PAYMENT SCHEME Changes to the proposed teacher bonus scheme to be introduced by the federal government have been met with approval by the Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA). According to APPA president Norm Hart, aligning the payments with the new National Professional Standards for Teachers rather than relying on external measures such as NAPLAN results will help teachers to clearly identify what they need to do to excel in the profession. The APPA also supports the removal of a quota system that would have restricted the number of teachers with access to the payments. Read more... Saturday November 26 2011: Byron Bay, Australia MATHS LEARNING IN NEED OF A REVAMP A new maths program that draws on kinaesthetic, auditory and visual learning styles has been customised for Australian educators. Maths-U-See uses resources such as maths blocks and workbooks to help students gain an understanding of fundamental maths concepts, and offers step-by-step support for students' individual needs. Read more... Tuesday November 22 2011: Sydney, Australia GREATER INDEPENDENCE FOR 1000 AUSSIE SCHOOLS A two-year trial granting principals greater autonomy will be conducted by the Federal Government in partnership with the states and territories. The trial will see selected principals offered additional support to equip them to effectively make decisions in areas such as staffing and budgets. The trial schools will also have a board of parents and local citizens who will have input into the running of the school. Read more... Tuesday November 22 2011: Melbourne, Australia AUSTRALIAN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION '19TH CENTURY' The chairman of the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) has signalled that religion and ethics are being considered as inclusions in the civics and citizenship course of the Australian Curriculum. In an address to the curriculum board, PhD student Cathy Byrne, outlined how Australia's current approach to the teaching of religion is outdated and lags behind other countries who routinely study major religions as well as related topics such as indigenous spiritualities and even atheism. The draft paper on civics and citizenship is due for release early next year. Read more... Tuesday November 22 2011: Canberra, Australia UNETHICAL BEHAVIOUR OVER ETHICS CLASSES The Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO) has expressed concern over the NSW state government's establishment of a committee to evaluate ethics classes being offered as an alternative to special religious education. ACSSO suggests that the review represents a capitulation to Reverend Fred Nile and may be the first step in the removal of the classes. Read more... Tuesday November 22 2011: Canberra, Australia LANDMARK REPORT PROVES BENEFITS OF HIPPY FOR CHILDREN An early intervention program that entails working with parents in disadvantaged areas to support them to become involved in preparing their children to start school has had great success according to a Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Evaluation Report. The Home Interaction Program for parents and youngsters (HIPPY) began in 2008 and has resulted in a range of benefits to communities including improved cognitive development for children and increased confidence in parenting skills for parents. Operated by the Brotherhood of St Laurence, the program also helps parents to find a way into employment and encourages community leadership. Read more... Tuesday November 22 2011: Sydney, Australia LONDON TEAM TO INSPIRE GRASSROOTS SPORT IN 2012 To assist both primary and secondary schools to educate students about sport and the role of sportspeople in our community, the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has launched a range of resources and initiatives. Lesson plans focusing on the London Games and other issues such as sustainability and venues are available for primary teachers, while secondary schools can access a digital resource that features the Olympics in a historical context over the last 100 years. Competitions and programs to put students in touch with athletes are also open to schools. Teachers can register for the AOC’s education program online. Read more... Saturday November 19 2011: Canberra, Australia AUTONOMY FEAR TACTICS 'SCARING TEACHERS' The head of the Education and Training Directorate in the ACT, Jim Watterston, has criticised the Australian Education Union's campaign to keep teachers from signing an enterprise bargaining agreement, asserting that granting school principals more autonomy over staffing decisions is not intended as a means to allow schools to choose the cheapest teachers. The comments come amid evidence that similar initiatives in Victoria and Western Australia have made it difficult for experienced teachers to find jobs. Current public school recruitment practices in the ACT see five principals removed from their schools to interview 800 applicants in fourth term, by which time many of the top graduates have already been hired by the Catholic and independent school systems. Read more... Saturday November 19 2011: Melbourne, Australia CAUTION ON TEACHERS' BONUS PAY A draft report on schools' workforce issues released by the Productivity Commission suggests that the federal government's plans to pay top teachers bonuses should be delayed while trials in Victoria are being completed. The commission recommends further work be done on laying the foundation for a reward scheme, including ensuring appraisal and feedback processes are appropriate and trialling different options. Increasing graduate-entry teacher training to two years and offering higher wages for teachers willing to work in challenging situations and for those able to teach subjects that are in high demand were also advocated by the commission. Read more... Saturday November 19 2011: Sydney, Australia US SCHOOLS SELL AD SPACE ON REPORT CARDS Primary schools in Jefferson County, Colorado, will include advertisements for a college savings plan on their reports to parents in a bid to recoup some of the $US40 million in education budget cuts. The Jefferson County school board also sells advertising space on its buses. Read more... Saturday November 19 2011: Sydney, Australia WEST AUSTRALIAN TEACHER LAUDED FOR INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN CLASSROOM A West Australian secondary teacher who incorporated technology during a research project investigating the local environment has been recognised at the 2011 Microsoft Partners in Learning Global Forum, coming first runner up in the Knowledge Building and Critical Thinking category at the 2011 Global Educator Awards. Athena Hain-Saunders led one of 115 global projects chosen as finalists from over 200 000 entrants. Applications for next year's in Learning Global Forum, to be held in Greece, are opening soon for country and regional educators. Read more... Saturday November 19 2011: Melbourne, Australia (CYBER)BULLYING RESOURCE LAUNCH Project Rockit, an organisation that has been successfully working with schools to combat bullying and build student leadership, has launched a new resource. The online version of Project Rockit's antibullying program includes interactive eLearning modules that build an understanding of student relationships and equip students with realistic strategies. The program also allows teachers to track student progress and use the data to inform their own approach to bullying. Read more... Tuesday November 15 2011: Sydney, Australia FLIPPING TRADITION ON ITS HEAD The founder of the Khan Academy, a company providing educational videos, started out making videos to tutor his cousin but has become a worldwide YouTube sensation. Salman Khan attributes his success to the ability of videos to offer students customised learning opportunities. Khan received feedback from teachers after his first videos were posted that detailed how they set watching the videos as homework, then supported students completing the exercises in class, which effectively 'flipped' the traditional model of learning in school and practising at home. Khan suggests that the videos have wider implications, demonstrating how technology can free teachers up for important coaching and mentoring that better meets individual needs. Read more... Tuesday November 15 2011: Melbourne, Australia NATIONAL CURRICULUM MEANS LACK OF STATE COMPETITION Renowned British education expert Stephen Heppell has warned that the national curriculum and other moves towards centralising education may have a negative effect on innovation. Professor Heppell cites successful examples of initiatives that developed in one state which then benefitted the others in his argument that centralisation will make this process more difficult in the future. According to Professor Heppell, teachers should be devoting more time to preparing students for the unexpected by mixing up timetables or allowing time for problem solving to engage students. Read more... Tuesday November 15 2011: Melbourne, Australia WATCHDOG CALLS FOR TEACHING PAY RISE A report by the Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission, ordered by the state government, has recommended that teachers' pay be increased to attract and retain more top graduates into the profession. The report also identified teacher professional development and student engagement as high priorities, suggesting that the government needs to develop an overarching strategy to improve the education system. The report's release comes as teacher unions are fighting for more than the proposed 2.5 percent pay rise offered by the government, despite election promises to make Victorian teachers the highest paid in the country. Read more... Tuesday November 15 2011: Sydney, Australia SCHOOLS THE BIG WINNERS IN YOUNG SCIENTISTS AWARDS The winners of the fifth annual National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) Young Scientist of the Year competition have been announced. Winning entries covered topics ranging from chemistry in cooking to the effect of chemical compounds on rocks. Selected from more than 300 entries, the winners in each of the three age categories receive $500 each, plus and additional $3000 for their schools. Read more... Saturday November 12 2011: Sydney, Australia SETTING A RELIGIOUS MINIMUM IN SCHOOLS FOR FRED NILE The NSW state government is set to approve a proposal to institute a minimum time of 30 minutes per week for Special Religious Instruction (SRI) in public schools in a bid to appease Fred Nile, whose support the government needs to pass other laws such as the privatisation of electricity. The government plans to allow ethics classes to continue to be offered as an alternative to SRI, despite pressure from Mr Nile, who has introduced a Bill to repeal the initiative. Read more... Saturday November 12 2011: Sydney, Australia POOR STUDENTS NEED EARLIER HELP - EXPERTS A Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Reform Council report suggests that while overall reading and numeracy rates are increasing, fewer year 9 students are reaching national minimum benchmarks. Experts believe that either intervention programs for low-performing students prior to year 3, or a greater focus on giving teachers time and the skills to effectively differentiate the curriculum, is required if we are to close the gap between high- and low-performing students. An analysis by the COAG Reform Council also found that disadvantaged students achieved better results in some states and territories than in others, prompting calls for greater investment in low SES areas. Read more... Saturday November 12 2011: Gunnedah, Australia DOROTHEA MACKELLAR POETRY AWARDS RESULTS FOR 2011 The winners of this year's Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards have been announced. Emily Penfold from Miandetta Primary School in Tasmania took out the Lower Primary section, while the Upper Primary division was won by Msgana Akele from Redeemer Baptist School in NSW. The Learning Assistance /SE primary section was won by Theophilus Din also from Redeemer Baptist School and Elizabeth Waldron from Newtown High School of the Performing Arts was the winner of the Junior Secondary division. The Senior Secondary award went to Sydney Grammar School's Hrishikesh Srinivas and the Learning Assistance / SE Secondary section was won by Tina Green from Corrimal High School. A Community Relations Commission Award was bestowed upon Chantelle Tran from Prairiewood High School. Read more... Saturday November 12 2011: Canberra, Australia VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT GAGS PUBLIC SCHOOL PARENTS A Victorian Government memo that effectively bans public schools from participating in a Federal Schools Funding Review 'National Day of Action' by preventing school buildings and equipment to be used to host or promote the event, has drawn strong criticism from the Australian Council of State Schools Organisation (ACSSO). ACSSO President, Peter Garrigan, has labelled the order as a disgrace, arguing that school communities have the right to express their support for increased state school funding. Mr Garrigan is urging supporters to email their local member of parliament and Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett, about the issue. Read more... Saturday November 12 2011: Brisbane, Australia PLEA FOR FAMILIES TO HOST STUDENTS The Australian Homestay Network matches foreign students studying in Australia with host individuals or families and is currently looking for new participants. Hosts provide room and board for students and help them become acclimatised to Australian customs. In return, they learn about the culture of the student, and receive a tax-free contribution towards household expenses. Around 500 000 international students study in Australia each year. Read more... Tuesday November 8 2011: Sydney, Australia MUSIC IS IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN WHEN IT COMES TO LEARNING The important role that music can play in learning has been acknowledged in new teaching resources developed by Musica Viva and funded by the federal government and Rio Tinto. The initiative complements Musica Viva's existing school programs which involve teacher training and performances by the company. Digital resources for the interactive whiteboard are offered under the new program, which it is hoped will encourage teachers to make time for music in the crowded curriculum. Read more... Tuesday November 8 2011: Adelaide, Australia STUDENTS NOT YOUR FRIENDS The South Australian Education Department has released new guidelines that draw clear boundaries between teachers and students. The revised guidelines prohibit teachers from being friends with students on social networking websites and also suggest that a hand on the upper arm or back is an appropriate gesture of comfort for a distressed child. The procedures aim to protect both students and teachers from exploitation. Tuesday November 8 2011: Sydney, Australia COMPUTERS OK? NOT IN SILICON VALLEY While many schools are pushing to engage students using technology, there is a growing counter-movement in the US for schools to teach students through other methods incorporating physical activity and hands-on investigations. Around 160 Waldorf Schools operate across the country, where technology is not used in elementary school and is phased in slowly during high school. Ironically, many parents who work in the IT industry are supporters of the Waldorf School philosophy, with one Google employee asserting that technology is so easy to use that there is no need to introduce children to it early. Read more... Tuesday November 8 2011: Canberra, Australia AUSTRALIA'S JUNIOR MASTER MATHEMATICIANS TAKE OUT TOP AWARDS This year's Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) saw students from more than 40 countries competing, with 78 medals being awarded worldwide, 25 of them in Australia. Established in 1978, the AMC involves students in Australia and around the world completing the same tasks on the same day. The AMC aims to raise the profile of mathematics by engaging students in challenging activities. Read more... Saturday November 5 2011: Melbourne, Australia VCAL COSTS BLOW BUDGETS A review of the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning program (VCAL), an alternative to year 12 taken by students who intend to complete apprenticeships or attend TAFE, concluded that many schools were forced to redirect funds intended for coordination of the program into initiatives to support low SES students to enrol and have access to appropriate resources. The Baillieu government has withdrawn $12 million a year from VCAL funding based on the report, with Education Minister Martin Dixon asserting that the payments were only intended during the establishment phase of the program and are no longer required. The president of the Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals highlighted the fact that the report also found that VCAL is already underfunded. Read more... Saturday November 5 2011: Sydney, Australia EXTRA PAY RISES LINKED TO SCHOOL BUDGET CUTS With more than 99 per cent of union members voting against the 2.5 per cent pay rise offer from the state government, NSW teachers are set for more industrial action. The Education Department maintains that further increases will be possible under new plans to give schools greater autonomy, however, the NSW Primary Principals Association will only support the plans if funding is increased. The NSW Teachers Federation has questioned how giving schools greater autonomy could generate the $60 million required to give teachers an extra 1 per cent pay rise without making severe cuts in other areas of education. Read more... Saturday November 5 2011: Melbourne, Australia FUNDING REVIEW CHANGES COULD COST TAXPAYERS - VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT Independent Schools Victoria has cautioned that a reduction in funding to non-government schools may result in fee increases that many parents could not afford. The warning comes as the Victorian Government's submission to the Gonski review of school funding highlighted the extra burden that would be placed on state governments if students opt out of the independent system. Independent Schools Victoria Chief Executive, Michelle Green, endorsed the Victorian Government's view that no school should be worse off as a result of the review. Read more... Saturday November 5 2011: Perth, Australia YOUNG SETTING COMMUNITY RECORDS MyHood, an organisation that specialises in facilitating the resolution of community issues by using collaborative software to connect citizens with the managers of infrastructure, has launched a new app. The MyHood app works on all i-Phones and Google Android Smartphones and enables people to report a range of issues from graffiti to animal control problems through one portal, without having to identify the correct authority. A Student Edge competition attached to the launch has seen young people report over 2200 incidents of concern in their local communities. Read more... Saturday November 5 2011: California, USA EBRARY ANNOUNCES STUDENT SURVEY RESULTS AND DOWNLOADS A study of students' usage of e-books by global e-book provider ebrary has revealed that printed and e-books are equally valued. Since the first survey conducted in 2008, the uptake of e-books for educational purposes has not increased, however students indicated that given the choice, they would prefer e-books supported by appropriate tools. The 2011 Global Student E-book Survey highlighted the need for publishers to work more closely with students and educators to deliver solutions that better meet their changing needs. Read more... Tuesday November 1 2011: Sydney, Australia BROADER TESTS WILL BENEFIT STUDENTS The value of National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) results to individual students has been questioned by US authority Dr Brian Stecher. Dr Stecher asserts that while NAPLAN results may give a general indication of a school's performance, regular assessment with immediate results is required for information to be used diagnostically. Dr Stecher also cautioned against the narrow focus of the national testing on literacy and numeracy, suggesting that broadening the testing regime would give a more balanced picture. Read more... Tuesday November 1 2011: Sydney, Australia FIRST THREE YEARS OF LIFE 'CRITICAL': RESEARCHER Renowned education researcher, Professor Joseph Sparling, has warned that the federal government's proposal to introduce a compulsory preschool year may not help the children it is designed to most benefit. Professor Sparling's research as part of the long-running Abecedarian project has shown that the first three years of life are key to intellectual development, and children from highly disadvantaged backgrounds are already irreparably behind when they reach preschool age. Professor Sparling is currently working to establish Abecedarian Approach Australia (3A) in Victoria and the Northern Territory in an effort to improve the life chances of disadvantaged children. Read more... Tuesday November 1 2011: Melbourne, Australia ST CHARLES BORROMEO BECOMES FIRST ESMART SCHOOL The Alannah and Madeline Foundation has announced St Charles Borromeo Primary in Melbourne as the first school to achieve the title of eSmart as part of its cybersafety program. eSmart offers a structured approach to cybersafety that involves teachers, students and the broader school community. The program includes educating students about online issues and introducing strategies to deal with cyberbullying incidents. The Victorian government is supporting the introduction of eSmart into all government schools over the next four years. Read more... Tuesday November 1 2011: Brisbane, Australia QUT MAKES MATHS TIME DEADLY A two-year trial of a new maths initiative with indigenous and disadvantaged students had proved successful and will be extended from primary to secondary schools. Developed at the Queensland University of Technology, The Teaching Indigenous Maths Education (TIME) program draws from real life examples that increase relevance and engagement for students. A teacher who trialled the approach with year 9 students has also seen positive results. Read more... Saturday October 29 2011: Sydney, Australia RECORD LOW AS STUDENTS REJECT HSC LANGUAGES While the number of schools offering Chinese in the US has tripled in the last four years, NSW has recorded the lowest ever proportion of students studying a language other than English in year 12. The decline is attributed to the greater choice in subjects offered to students, but also to the lack of support given to foreign languages. Although the NSW Board of Studies is proposing introducing 300 hours of language study in primary schools to address the problem, there are concerns that there will be insufficient staff able to implement the changes. Read more... Saturday October 29 2011: Sydney, Australia DECLINE IN ASIAN LANGUAGES 'A DISGRACE' Despite support from the Chinese government, fewer year 12 students are opting to study Asian languages, with a drop from 6.6 percent in 2005 to just 5.8 percent in 2009. With the federal government withdrawing support for the Asian language strategy, Queensland University of Technology academic Bob Elliott fears that our lazy approach means that we are not taking advantage of resources and opportunities to educate students in Chinese language and culture. A recent push to introduce seven Confucius classrooms in NSW supported by the Confucius Institute was opposed with a 10 000 signature petition from people concerned about the message children might receive in the classes. Read more... Saturday October 29 2011: Melbourne, Australia COMMUNITIES COUNT ON AWARDED TEACHERS The National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA) and the Australian Scholarships Group (ASG) received 1400 nominations from local communities for the NEiTA 2011 ASG Inspirational Teaching State and Territory Awards. Sixty award recipients from across the country were announced on World Teachers' Day. Read more... Saturday October 29 2011: Brisbane, Australia PROMOTING A NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING SYSTEM - A CALL TO ACTION The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) is inviting feedback on the newly released draft Australian Charter for the Professional Learning of Teachers and School Leaders. The Charter, endorsed by each Minister of education, seeks to support the National Professional Standards for Teachers and Principals by allowing teaching practice to continually evolve through ongoing professional learning. AITSL is also promoting conversations about professional learning culture via a series of activities and events attended by key stakeholders from all facets of education. Read more... Tuesday October 25 2011: Melbourne, Australia A LITTLE WORK DOESN'T HURT STUDENTS A new National Centre for Vocational Education Research report has concluded that holding a part-time job is beneficial to secondary students, giving them greater independence and a break from the rigours of school work. The study did, however, caution that work hours should be moderate; girls can cope with up to 10 hours a week without it affecting their year 12 results. In spite of a recent House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Training inquiry into working conditions and the effect of work on education, no action has been taken by the government to adopt recommendations that would give greater clarity about issues associated with students in the workforce. Read more... Tuesday October 25 2011: Canberra, Australia YOUNGEST PRINCIPAL HAS THE GEN X-FACTOR While a recent Australian Education Union survey indicated that an increasing number of younger teachers are finding the profession too demanding, some schools in the Australian Capital Territory are going against the trend. The youngest principal and deputy principal in the ACT are both 32 years old, as against an average age of 53 for principals and 47.7 for deputy principals. The average age of teachers is also decreasing as baby boomers begin to retire, dropping from 46.5 years in 2000 to 42 years in 2011. Read more... Tuesday October 25 2011: Sydney, Australia WELFARE HALT A LAST STEP IN NT TRUANCY RETHINK A program to address truancy in the Northern Territory will be adopted by the federal government with the aim of increasing attendance by indigenous students. The NT government has approached the issue of truancy by introducing measures such as developing school attendance plans and instituting mandatory family conferences to support parents to get their children to school. Only if these steps fail are fines and then suspension of welfare payments undertaken. So far under the scheme 130 attendance plans have been written, with more than 70 students returning to school. Read more... Tuesday October 25 2011: Sydney, Australia DRAFT AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM: GEOGRAPHY NOW AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is seeking feedback from educators and other key stakeholders on the draft Australian Curriculum: Geography from Foundation to Year 12. All aspects of the document may be commented on, from the aims to the geographical concepts and the organisation of the curriculum into two strands: Geographical Knowledge and Understanding, and Geography Inquiry and Skills. The consultation survey closes on 29 February 2012. Read more... Saturday October 22 2011: Melbourne, Australia AD/BC ROCK SOLID IN CURRICULUM The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) has assured Christian groups that it will not be removing the terms BC and AD from the national curriculum. There has been some speculation that the expressions BCE (Before Common Era), CE (Common Era) and BP (Before Present) would replace the traditional terms, but while teachers may choose to make students aware of the alternatives, ACARA has promised to make it clear in the curriculum that BC and AD also need to be taught. Read more... Saturday October 22 2011: Sydney, Australia SCHOOLBOYS THRIVE ON RISK AT RECESS Some schools are pushing against the trend to 'bubble-wrap' students, encouraging boys to bring bikes and skateboards and climb trees during recess, in spite of concerns about legal action from parents. The principal of Sydney boys' school Tudor House has highlighted the importance of play as a driver of social emotional learning that complements academic learning while the president of the NSW Primary Principals Association also recommends that boys in particular be given the opportunity to run around during breaks. Read more... Saturday October 22 2011: Sydney, Australia STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN TEENAGE BRAINS CAUSES DRAMATIC SHIFTS IN INTELLIGENCE A British study of teenage brains over time has found that IQ and the structure of the brain itself are malleable through this period, challenging traditional methods of guiding students' educational direction from a relatively early age. The link between changes in IQ and changes in the brain, which was not tied to hormones, has implications for educators, but further research is needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn. Read more... Saturday October 22 2011: Melbourne, Australia RIGHT BRAIN TEACHING IS HALF-WITTED Research published by La Trobe University cautions against the adoption of teaching techniques and resources designed to develop the right brain. According to Dr Annukka Lindell, both sides of the brain are equally used for creativity, and the belief that the left brain is academic while the right is creative is a neuromyth. Dr Lindell advocates that educators seek methods that have been proven through robust research. Read more... Saturday October 22 2011: Mooloolaba, Australia INTRODUCING GRIDLOCH FOR IPAD, IPHONE & IPOD TOUCH Badroyal Books and iApps have released Gridloch for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Designed by the authors of CanUCards, Gridloch is a numeracy application that aims to develop problem solving and numeracy skills through a quest-style game. Support materials, including research into iPad use and information on how to use Gridloch in the classroom are also available. Read more... Wednesday October 19 2011: Sydney, Australia GAP BETWEEN POOR AND RICH SCHOOLS GROWING National convener of Save Our Schools, Trevor Cobbold, has conducted an analysis of National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) data that has revealed a growing gap between achievement levels of schools in high and low socioeconomic areas. With the average scores of year 5 students from some of the wealthiest areas achieving higher scores than the average results of year 9 students from some of the poorer schools. Cobbold argues that a substantial investment is needed to redress the imbalance. NSW Minister for Education, Adrian Piccoli, asserts that improving teacher quality, rather than funding, is what is needed to lift the outcomes in disadvantaged schools. Read more... Wednesday October 19 2011: Melbourne, Australia NEW MANUAL POINTS TO A FRESH APPROACH TO DYSLEXIA ACER Press is launching a new manual designed to help teachers build resilience in students with dyslexia. The Success and Dyslexia program is the product of ongoing research into the most effective methods to support students with the learning disability, and focuses on developing coping strategies that will enable students to persist with their learning. The manual offers a way for teachers, who often lack training in dyslexia management, to support struggling learners that can be incorporated into classroom programs. Read more... Wednesday October 19 2011: Sydney, Australia STUDY'S THE NAME OF THE GAME In an effort to move away from more traditional forms of teaching, schools are turning to the digital world for inspiration, with Australian and international research focusing on characteristics of online gaming, such as virtual currency and point scoring, that can be transferred into the classroom. Proponents of 'gamification' suggest that the method provides incentives and increases student engagement, allowing students to develop collaborative skills and to advance at their own pace through learning challenges. There has not, however, been adequate research into whether the engagement transfers to more effective learning, with some concerned about the lack of appropriate educational content available in game form and about students becoming too reliant on external rewards for motivation. Read more... Wednesday October 19 2011: Sydney, Australia MALLESONS BACKS ASPIRING STUDENTS Law firm Mallesons has announced the establishment of a new scholarship program aimed at year 11 students who may not be able to continue into tertiary study without financial assistance. One student each from Victoria, NSW, Queensland, Western Australian and the ACT will be awarded with $9000 to be used to complete year 12 and for two years of tertiary education. The recipients will also be mentored by a Mallesons staff member. The Mallesons Aspire Awards complement the firm's long history of support for The Smith Family. Read more... Saturday October 15 2011: Sydney, Australia RUPERT MURDOCH LABELS US EDUCATION SYSTEM A CRIME Speaking at an education conference in San Francisco, Rupert Murdoch has slammed the US education system, deploring the high drop-outs rates and low achievement standards. According to Murdoch, an overhaul to bring the system from the 19th to the 21st century needs the guidance of visionaries, similar to Apple's Steve Jobs. Read more... Saturday October 15 2011: Brisbane, Australia QUEENSLAND EDUCATION MINISTER CAMERON DICK CONCERNED SCHOOLS COULD BE WITHDRAWING STUDENTS FROM NAPLAN TESTS TO IMPROVE RESULTS Representatives at a Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs meeting expressed support for issues raised by Queensland Education Minister Cameron Dick about NAPLAN participation rates. Agreement that more detailed reporting about students who are withdrawn, exempt or absent from testing would help with analysis of participation rates was reached, and a recommendation was made for the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) to consider factors such as location and socio-economic status when reviewing data regarding non-participation. Read more... Saturday October 15 2011: Melbourne, Australia RECOGNISING AND REWARDING Nominations are now open for The Arthur Hamilton Award for Outstanding Contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education. Named in honour of renowned Palawa educationalist Arthur Hamilton, the award recognises Australian Education Union members who support high quality education for our indigenous population, whilst respecting their culture and heritage. Nominations close 25 November 2011. Read more... Saturday October 15 2011: Brisbane, Australia IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM Principals and other school leaders are invited to participate in a survey developed by Professor John Halsey, Sidney Myer Chair of Rural Education and Communities at Flinders University in South Australia, to assess the effectiveness of measures in place to support schools with implementation of the national curriculum. Results of the survey will be used to inform implementation strategies and the design of relevant publications. Read more... Saturday October 15 2011: Doha, Qatar WISE 2011 SUMMIT HIGHLIGHTS TALENT IN EDUCATION 'Changing Societies, Changing Education' is the theme for this year's World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) to be held in Qatar in early November. The winner of the inaugural WISE Prize for Education will be announced during the summit, with $500 000 (US) and a gold medal being awarded to the individual or team identified as making the most significant contribution to world education. Those not attending the summit can still participate by viewing the Opening Plenary online, or by submitting questions during the live press conference. Read more... Tuesday October 11 2011: Adelaide, Australia EDWARD DE BONO SAYS SOCIAL MEDIA MAKES US LAZY AND STUPID Renowned philosopher Edward De Bono has warned against relying on the internet and social media for information, rather than subjecting it to critical thought. Mr De Bono advocates the explicit teaching of thinking as a discrete subject to ensure that students are capable of creative thought, and asserts that research shows the benefits of thinking skills extend to all other subject areas. Read more... Tuesday October 11 2011: Melbourne, Australia LOW-ACHIEVING STUDENTS HELD BACK BY REPEAT YEARS A Sydney University study of more than 3000 students has found that children do not generally benefit from repeating a year at school and may in fact suffer socially and in terms of self-esteem and school engagement. The research concludes that students do better with specialised assistance targeted at their needs without being held back. Read more... Tuesday October 11 2011: Sydney, Australia EXERCISE LINKED TO HIGHER TEST SCORES A study by the Australian National University has found a link between exercise and academic achievement and further reserach indicates that NAPLAN results are higher in schools that have a specialist Physical Education teacher. The findings are supported by international neurological studies that suggest exercise can improve brain function. Both studies are part of a broader Lifestyle of Our Kids (LOOK) research project that is investigatng the psychological and physical health of school students. Read more... Tuesday October 11 2011: Melbourne, Australia CLEAR EVIDENCE OF THE NEED FOR GREATER INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS Increased funding to public schools and the introduction of a national resources standard are among the recommendations made to the Gonski review that are endorsed by the Australian Education Union (AEU). AEU Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos also underscored the need to establish common goals between the state, territory and Commonwealth governments in terms of education and expressed disappointment that greater consideration had not been given to funding students with disabilities in the public system. Read more... Tuesday October 11 2011: Melbourne, Australia INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS VICTORIA FAILS FUNDING RESEARCH Independent Schools Victoria has criticised research reports commissioned by the Gonski review of school funding. Chief Executive Michelle Green highlighted concerns in a submission to the review, including selective use of data in both the Australian Council for Educational Research and Nous Group reports, and an undue emphasis placed on the influence of socio-economic factors on student outcomes. Ms Green also points out that the reports use narrow measures to define school success, ignoring aspects such as student pathways after secondary school. Read more... Saturday October 8 2011: Melbourne, Australia TEACHER TRAINING 'FAILING' A lack of opportunities for practical classroom experiences has been identified as a key flaw in teacher education programs by both the Australian Primary Principals Association and Melbourne University's dean of education, Field Rickards. In a submission to the Productivity Commission's investigation into teacher training, Professor Rickards asserted that most current programs fail to prepare graduates sufficiently for classroom roles. Melbourne University now only offers a Masters of Education to candidates who have completed an undergraduate degree. Read more... Saturday October 8 2011: Sydney, Australia PRIVATE SCHOOLS SAY GONSKI STUDIES WRONG, PREJUDICED Final submissions to the Gonski review of school funding from the independent school sector have expressed concern about the anti-private school sentiment evident in reports commissioned as part of the investigation. The NSW Parents Council has objected to what it believes is inappropriate stereotyping of non-government school parents as rich and powerful, while the Independent Schools Council is unhappy that some of the reports included opinions about private schools rather than research. The federal government expects the funding review to be completed by the end of the year. Read more... Saturday October 8 2011: Melbourne, Australia COUNTING AUSTRALIA'S TEACHER FINALISTS From over 1400 entries, 568 finalists have been chosen for the National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA), offered with the support of the Australian Scholarships Group (ASG). Sixty of these educators will be chosen for the NEiTA 2011 ASG Inspirational State and Territory Teaching Awards later in the year, with the top ten to receive national awards in early 2012. Queensland has the most finalists, with 202 teachers from schools and early childhood centres making the cut, followed by New South Wales and Western Australia. Read more... Saturday October 8 2011: Darwin, Australia CONNECTING REMOTE TEACHERS NATIONWIDE The Northern Territory Department of Education is hosting the first ever National Remote Teachers' conference with participants from four states and the Northern Territory. The conference aims to offer professional support and networking opportunities to teachers from remote communities, encouraging educators to commit to spending at least two years in remote placements. Next year's conference will take place in Queensland. Read more... Saturday October 8 2011: Perth, Australia NEW TEACHERS' PROGRAM TO BOOST LANGUAGE LEARNING Non-language teachers are being given the opportunity to participate in a study tour of Indonesian that aims to give them cultural experiences to enable them to become 'Asia advocates'. The 'Indonesia from the ground up!' program is being offered through Murdoch University and will initially support two groups of teachers to be a part of a range of activities including participating in post-natural disaster recovery efforts and environmental seminars. If successful, the program will be offered on a fee-paying basis after the pilot finishes in 2013. Read more... Tuesday October 4 2011: Melbourne, Australia TEACHERS PUSH FOR NATIONAL POOL OF SCHOOL FUNDS Government funding of Australian schools should be guided by clear principles which define the government's education priorities according to Australian Education Union (AEU) federal president Angelo Gavrielatos. The comment comes in response to an AEU report completed by Jim McMorrow that describes the current system as 'dysfunctional'. Dr McMorrow's report also suggests that rather than aiming for baseline funding standards drawing from current expenditure, we should be aiming to set a high standard in education resourcing to achieve better outcomes. Read more... Tuesday October 4 2011: Sydney, Australia JUST 64PC OF BUILDING THE EDUCATION REVOLUTION SPENT ON BUILDING High fees for managing contractors, repairs and infrastructure upgrades have been blamed for only 64 percent of Building the Education Revolution (BER) funding being spent directly on building costs in NSW government schools. An average of $3509 per square metre was paid for public school halls compared with an average of only $1988 for similar works in independent schools. Both the NSW and Victorian governments have been criticised for their lack of negotiation skills when dealing with managing contractors which led to far higher costs for public schools than for Catholic or independent schools. Read more... Tuesday October 4 2011: Sydney, Australia COFFEE WITH A TWIST: YOU HAVE TO STUDY AS WELL A private girls' secondary school in Sydney has come under fire from nutritionists for opening a cafe that serves coffee. Presbyterian Ladies' College has been criticised for not restricting the number of cups of coffee that students can buy each day, and for making it available to even its youngest students. Read more... Tuesday October 4 2011: Canberra, Australia APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR SCHOOL CHAPLAINCY AND WELFARE SERVICES New guidelines for the National School Chaplaincy and Student Welfare Program have been released by Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett. The changes allow schools to apply for funding of either a chaplain or a secular student welfare worker, and also include the introduction of minimum qualifications. Schools will need to provide evidence of community consultation in order to apply for funding. The federal government plans to extend the program to a total of 3 700 schools. Read more... Sunday October 2 2011: Sydney, Australia AUSTRALIA AN UNDERACHIEVER IN EDUCATION RACE According to a NSW submission to the Gonski funding review, education funding needs to increase by at least $10 billion a year if Australia is to keep up with the average OECD standards. The submission expresses concern over the fact that the number of high achievers in international testing is declining, and urges increased spending on students from disadvantaged backgrounds, with an emphasis on improving early childhood education. The state government has also outlined the need for future planning, with an expected rise in school enrolments of 135 000 over the next 15 years, and increasing numbers of students with diagnosed disabilities in the school system. Read more... Sunday October 2 2011: Brisbane, Australia APPA RELEASES TRIPS STUDY The Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) has released a report based on a study that followed COAG National Partnership funding to see where and how the money was actually spent. A major finding of the report was that although schools receiving the money used it well, many decisions about how the funding was to be spent were made without direct consultation or collaboration with schools. Information from study will be included in the APPA's next submission to the federal government's Funding Review. Read more... Sunday October 2 2011: Melbourne, Australia THE PLAGUE OF YOUTH BINGE DRINKING HAS PROMPTED A KEY FOCUS BY AUSTRALIAN MEDIA The Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) annual awards have featured several stories related to the dangers of excessive drinking. With categories across the fields of Film, Television, Animation and Multimedia, the 2011 ATOM Awards finalists include a film chronicling how alcohol ruined a night out for five teenagers, and an educational video following the true story of a young man who crashed a stolen car after a night of drinking. Free public screenings of some of the entries chosen as finalists will be held in Melbourne, Sydney, Queensland, Tasmania and Perth. Read more... Sunday October 2 2011: Doha, Qatar WISE AWARDS 2011 WINNERS Six projects from around the world have been selected as winners of the 2011 World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) Awards. The WISE Awards promote innovation in education, with one of the major trends identified in this year's entries being an increased use of Information Communications Technology and the use of open-source platforms. The 2011 winners came from areas as diverse as Chile, Morocco and the UK. Read more... Tuesday September 27 2011: Melbourne, Australia MAJOR INVESTIGATION INTO 'MARSHMALLOW GENERATION' VicHealth is to conduct a study into the effect of parental fear on children, amid claims that irrational concerns about issues such as stranger danger are preventing students from going outside and getting exercise. Psychologists are reporting children being sent to them in response to normal childhood activity, such as disagreements with friends or losing in a family sports game, resulting in suggestions that we are raising a 'marshmallow generation' who are not learning to deal with failure. Read more... Tuesday September 27 2011: Perth, Australia SCHOOLS BAN AGRO PARENTS Western Australian public schools have banned 40 people from their premises this year as a result of violent or threatening behaviour. Prohibition orders can be issued by school principals and if breached, enable the culprit to be charged with trespass. Selling drugs or alcohol has also been cause for four past students to be banned from WA school grounds this year. Read more... Tuesday September 27 2011: Sydney, Australia PRINCIPALS HAVE NO HEAD FOR HI-TECH Principals already burdened with increased control of school budgets and staff management do not have the time to become proficient with new technology such as social media, a national survey by Principals Australia has found. Many principals have never used communication tools such as Twitter, and only eight percent of principals over the age of 57 use Facebook daily. The study also found that principals are concerned that they do not have adequate time to get their staff ready for the Australian Curriculum, and that sixty percent of principals plan to retire in the next five years. Read more... Tuesday September 27 2011: Canberra, Australia $41 MILLION FOR ONLINE CURRICULUM SUPPORT TO BENEFIT TEACHERS AND STUDENTS Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett, has announced a $41.2 million package to support the implementation of the national curriculum. The funding will provide teachers with a range of digital support measures, including online resources to upskill in Information and Communication Technology, the development of curriculum and cross-curriculum priorities materials, and a Language Learning space which will allow technology such as webinars and podcasts to be used with language students. Australian Curriculum professional development and teaching and learning materials will be delivered online to allow access by all schools. Read more... Tuesday September 27 2011: Sunshine Coast, Australia READ2REMEMBER REMEMBERS TEACHERS Queensland schools are invited to register for Read2Remember, a program that integrates learning about Remembrance Day into the curriculum. Developed by children's charity Sunny Kids, Read2Remember provides activities, ideas and class notes for students from Prep to Year 12 and aims to help children feel connected with older Australians. Read more... Saturday September 24 2011: Sydney, Australia HOMEWORK IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY, SAY ACADEMICS The value of homework to primary school students has been questioned by several academics, with Professor John Hattie suggesting that we should revise the traditional understanding of homework to make it more appropriate. University of Sydney's Professor Richard Walker asserts that homework does not lead to increased learning outcomes or test scores for students, but concedes that it may help develop independence and time management skill. It is believed that many schools continue to assign homework on the basis of parental expectations rather than educational need. Read more... Saturday September 24 2011: Melbourne, Australia TAGGED—‘I THOUGHT THIS WAS JUST MEANT TO BE FUN …’ The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has launched a short film developed to demonstrate the implications of inappropriate online behaviour in a way that will connect with young people. Titled 'Tagged' the film follows four teenagers to see the effect of their online actions. 'Tagged' forms part of ACMA's Cybersmart resources and can be accessed free via the Cybersmart website, along with supporting lesson plans and other teaching resources. Read more... Saturday September 24 2011: Armidale, NSW EDUCATORS MEET TO SHARE NEW INSIGHTS INTO LANGUAGE FUNCTION The University of New England (UNE) has hosted a conference titled, 'Language, knowledge & justice: new contexts, new questions' featuring speakers from around Australia and the world presenting their research into the changing role of language in our society with a focus on educational implications. Presenters include Dr Sally Humphrey from the Australian Catholic University, whose area of interest is the language of teenage social activists, and UNE’s Professor Len Unsworth who is investigating ways to teach young children effective narrative skills. Read more... Saturday September 24 2011: Canberra, Australia OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS LAUNCHES E-COMMERCE SEARCH BY FUNNELBACK Oxford University Press has announced a new Funnelback search service on its website to enable educators to quickly and easily identify resources that meet their needs. The site has been developed to rank search results based on criteria such as whether the item is in stock. Read more... Saturday September 24 2011: Brisbane, Australia SCHOOL COMPLETION IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN A study by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) has found that although often touted as an equivalent to year 12 for students who are less academically inclined, Certificate II and III courses do not currently offer the depth and complexity required to lead students on to further study at diploma level or higher. 'The vocational equivalent to Year 12' by NCVER's Patrick Lim and Tom Karmel evaluated courses on the basis of their academic, further study and employment outcomes, the time taken to complete them and the complexity of subjects. Read more... Tuesday September 20 2011: Canberra, Australia MORE THAN 2200 TEACHERS TRAINED TO HELP CHILDREN WITH AUTISM Five-day face-to-face workshops and online tools have been used to train teachers to support students with autism under the federal government's Positive Partnerships initiative. The program will also have provided 5800 parents with access to workshops that have helped them work in collaboration with schools for the best outcomes for their children. Training for around 450 teachers and 1450 parents each year will be offered between 2012 and 2015. Read more... Tuesday September 20 2011: Sydney, Australia TAXMAN HAS NO SYMPATHY FOR COMPASSIONATE TEACHERS Although many NSW teachers are paying for lunches, uniforms and books for their students out of their own pockets, they are being warned that these expenses are not tax deductible as they are not necessary for teachers to earn their income. NSW Teachers Federation president, Bob Lipscombe, believes that while student outcomes may depend on having adequate resources to learn, teachers are more likely to pay for items for their students because they genuinely care about them. Mr Lipscombe also asserts that the burden for such costs is falling to teachers more often as schools are struggling for adequate funds. Read more... Tuesday September 20 2011: Brisbane, Australia POSITION PAPERS: PERFORMANCE PAY AND SCHOOL AUTONOMY The Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) has released position papers on the subjects of performance pay and school autonomy. A result of consultation between principals across three sectors, the papers will be used to guide discussions with Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett. Read more... Tuesday September 20 2011: Sydney, Australia PAYMENT SCHEME DRAWS DOUBT The Gillard government's proposal to pay the best teachers an annual bonus of up to $8000 has come under fire as potentially divisive and unlikely to translate to better student outcomes. NSW Teachers Federation president, Bob Lipscombe believes that we should take heed of the failure of similar schemes in the US and the UK, while University of Western Sydney's, Dr Joanne Orlando asserts that our top teachers should be paid on the same level as executive staff to keep them in the classroom. Other critics of the scheme have drawn attention to the difficulties associated with identifying the best teachers, especially in terms of measuring the value of teachers' contributions in areas such as student wellbeing. Read more... Tuesday September 20 2011: Sydney, Australia ABORIGINAL EDUCATION IN CRISIS: PROFESSOR While university education has improved for indigenous Australians, attendance and literacy rates for Aboriginal primary and secondary students is at an all time low according to The University of Adelaide's dean of Aboriginal education, Lester-Irabinna Rigney. Professor Rigney stressed the importance of education in providing opportunities for a better life and acknowledged that although there are complex issues around Aboriginal education they still need to be more adequately addressed. Read more... Tuesday September 20 2011: Sydney, Australia WATCH OUT LUHRMANN! AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS PRODUCE FILMS FOR NATIONAL COMPETITION Students from 64 primary and secondary schools across Australia will be recognised at this year's Panasonic Kid Witness News National New Vision Awards. Participants were supported with Panasonic equipment, film making workshops and other initiatives to enable them to write, direct and produce a short film. The national winner will represent Australia at the Asia Pacific Regional Awards. Read more... Saturday September 17 2011: Melbourne, Australia LEADING CURRICULUM CHANGE PROJECT IS AN AUSTRALIAN FIRST The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) has announced the launch of an online professional learning program to assist schools to effectively lead through curriculum change. The Professional Learning Flagship Program: Leading Curriculum Change incorporates self-paced learning modules and an online community of professional educators to provide guidance for schools right across the country. Expressions of interest in the program are currently being sought through the AITSL website. Read more... Saturday September 17 2011: Melbourne, Australia FOUNDATION OF LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES William Angliss Institute is offering two new scholarships of up to $5000 a year to allow students to study in the areas of tourism and hospitality. The bursaries can be used for skill development, education, uniforms and equipment. Read more... Saturday September 17 2011: Canberra, Australia CELEBRATION OF SUCCESS FOR YOUNG SCIENCE STUDENTS The top performers in the Rio Tinto Big Science Competition attended a ceremony at Parliament House to receive their awards. 37 000 secondary school students participated in the competition, with 58 scoring highly enough for an award. It is hoped that the acknowledgement of science achievement will encourage students to consider a career in the field. Read more... Saturday September 17 2011: Brisbane, Australia STUDENTS CALLED TO EXPERIENCE NEW MUSIC TEACHING CONCEPT AHEAD OF LAUNCH Volunteers are being sought to trial a new music teaching program that uses Artificially Intelligent piano/keyboard tuition software. Primary school students will receive 10 weeks of free lessons in return for their participation in the case study. Read more... Saturday September 17 2011: Melbourne, Australia ENLIGHTENMENT AND EDUCATION: PUBLIC LECTURE Nobel Laureate Sir Harold Kroto will give a free public lecture exploring issues faced by scientists in the 21st century. According to Professor Kroto, there is a growing need for the general population to understand basic science in order to address the needs of our world in the future. The lecture will also focus on the importance of educating young people. The event will be held on 28 September 2011 at RMIT Storey Hall. Read more... Saturday September 17 2011: Armidale, NSW BOOST TO LIVE INTERNATIONAL VIDEO LINKS BETWEEN CLASSROOMS The University of New England has signed Memoranda of Understanding with technology companies Cisco International and Samyang Data Systems, securing an ongoing commitment to a videolink program for both Australian and Korean schools. The 'Australia-Korea ConneXion' (AKC) project has allowed weekly or fortnightly communication between students in Armidale and students in Korea. While the rural and regional Australian schools participating are learning about another culture, students from the Korean schools get a valuable opportunity to practise their English. Read more... Tuesday September 13 2011: Sydney, Australia TEXTESE GR8 TRAINING 4 POETS OF 2MORO New research by the University of Tasmania supports a British study that found a positive link between texting and students' literacy levels. Contrary to popular opinion, the research concluded that creating and reading abbreviations requires a sound understanding of language and an ability to manipulate letter-sound combinations. Although students use an increasing number of abbreviations as they get older, the study found that composing a message using textese was no faster than writing in traditional English. Read more... Tuesday September 13 2011: Sydney, Australia NT STUDENTS MAKE GREAT STRIDES IN NAPLAN BUT STILL BEHIND NATIONAL AVERAGE Students from the Northern Territory showed the greatest improvement in the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests in seven key areas including year 5 numeracy and year 9 spelling, grammar and punctuation. The increase in student outcomes is attributed in part to the Territory's initiatives focusing on boosting attendance rates. Despite the encouraging results the NT Education Minister was quick to point out that a lot of work still needs to be done to lift results to the national average. Read more... Tuesday September 13 2011: Canberra, Australia AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY EDITOR TO HEAD POSITIVE BODY IMAGE AWARDS The Gillard Government’s inaugural Positive Body Image Awards will be coordinated by a panel headed by Australian Women's Weekly editor, Helen McCabe. The awards will recognise specific initiatives or events undertaken to tackle the issue of body image, along with organisations that actively support healthy body image practices. Eligibility criteria will be developed by the assessment panel in consultation with young people across Australia. Read more... Tuesday September 13 2011: Sydney, Australia AND A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT: OLD TITLE WITH NEW INSPIRATION Coonabarabran High School's Ashley Reynolds has won this year's Sydney Morning Herald Young Writer of the Year competition with a story about the changing nature of the Castlereagh River. Other finalists came from a variety of locations including Canberra, Macquarie Fields and the Southern Highlands. Read more... Tuesday September 13 2011: Sydney, Australia OFFICIAL ONLINE GUIDE FOR 2011 HSC STUDENTS The NSW Board of Studies has released a series of tips and tools for 2011 Higher School Certificate students on its Students Online website. The guide outlines expectations for the exams, and lists what can be brought to each subject assessment. A link to the HSC Rules and Procedures handbook keeps students in touch with what is required in the event of illness or other situations that disrupt the exam process. Read more... Saturday September 10 2011: Melbourne, Australia NEW CHOICE FOR SCHOOL CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM Schools Minister Peter Garrett has announced changes to the national school chaplaincy program that allow schools to choose between a secular welfare officer and a chaplain with a religious background. The move has been generally well-received by schools, especially those with multicultural backgrounds, however, the Australian Christian Lobby and the Opposition schools spokesman both expressed concerns about it. Mr Garrett is also increasing funding available for remote areas and introducing a requirement for new chaplains to hold a Certificate IV in Youth Work, Pastoral Care or an equivalent qualification. Read more... Saturday September 10 2011: Brisbane, Australia EDUCATION EXPERT FINDS NAPLAN AFFECTING LEARNING AND TEACHER MORALE A Queensland University of Technology (QUT) study has found that the introduction of the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) has resulted in teachers narrowing the curriculum to literacy and numeracy in the first stages of the year until the tests are completed. Other issues identified included the increased workload for teachers with high numbers of students from a non-English speaking background, and a perceived lack of trust in teacher judgement. Schools also reported frustration in the delay between sitting the tests and receiving the results, which makes the data far less meaningful and relevant. Read more... Saturday September 10 2011: Sydney, Australia NATIONAL LITERACY AND NUMERACY TESTS SHOW FIRST YEAR IS KEY The first groups of students to complete a prep year in Queensland and in Western Australia have shown the greatest improvement in the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests, underscoring the importance of the first year of schooling. Northern Territory students also improved at a rate greater than the national average, but there is still a gap in achievement of regional students against the rest of the country. NSW, Victoria and the ACT again topped the results, however the ACT and Victoria have been criticised for their lower participation rates. Read more... Saturday September 10 2011: Melbourne, Australia DOUBLE HELIX SCIENCE CLUB EVENTS AND HOLIDAY PROGRAMS The CSIRO is offering holiday programs to children as part of its Double Helix Science Club. Programs include electronics and robotics and are open to anyone. Further information about venues and dates across Australia are available on the CSIRO website. Read more... Saturday September 10 2011: Sydney, Australia DEFIANT TEACHERS TO WALK OUT OVER PAY RISE TRADE-OFFS A planned strike in NSW public schools is to go ahead despite a ruling from the Industrial Relations Commission that teachers stay at work. The strike is in response to state government legislation that caps pay rises for public servants at 2.5 percent a year unless productivity savings are made. Education Minister Adrian Piccoli has labelled the action as inconvenient for parents and may take action against the NSW Teachers Federation in the Industrial Relations Commission. Read more... Saturday September 10 2011: Melbourne, Australia 2011 AEU FEDERAL WOMEN'S CONFERENCE 'Another World is Possible, Another World is Necessary: the next 100 years' is the theme for this year's Australian Education Union Women's Conference which will feature two panel discussions about global and local issues for women, as well as workshops. Panel members include Stephanie Alexander and Associate Professor at University of Lund and ex-Director of the UN Division for the Advancement of Women Carolyn Hannan. The conference will take place in Melbourne on 8 and 9 October. Tuesday September 6 2011: Adelaide, Australia SCHOOLS NEED TO LIFT THEIR GAME Former dean of education at the University of Melbourne, Brian Caldwell, has suggested that government schools are at risk of losing students to the private sector unless they develop innovative practices to keep up with technological changes in society. Now managing director of Educational Transformations, Prof Caldwell stressed the importance of equipping students with the capacity to learn effectively as a key requirement of modern education that will enable students to adapt to the rapid evolution of technology. Changes to the physical learning spaces within schools and to the interactions between schools and workplaces were also highlighted as key areas for schools to be aware of. Read more... Tuesday September 6 2011: Melbourne, Australia IN SEARCH OF A NEW MONEY DEAL Independent research papers completed as part of the Gonski Review into school funding have highlighted the fact that disabled students and under-performing disadvantaged students are the costliest to educate. A report by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) found few programs for struggling students are evaluated effectively, while a Nous Group report stressed Australia's declining results in international tests. The research papers will be used to inform a proposed overhaul of education funding by the federal government. Read more... Tuesday September 6 2011: Sydney, Australia LEGAL BID TO THWART TEACHERS' STRIKE PLAN A series of stopwork meetings planned by NSW teachers is under threat, as the Education Department appeals to the Industrial Relations Commission to prevent the action. With impending award negotiations yet to be commenced, teachers are protesting about the state government's 2.5 percent cap on annual salary increases for public servants. NSW Education Minister, Adrian Piccoli, has labelled the proposed industrial action as disappointing and an inconvenience to families. Read more... Tuesday September 6 2011: Sydney, Australia GARRETT EYES SCHOOL MARKETING AFTER COLES GIMMICKS In response to concerns raised about the propriety of large companies such as Coles using school communities as marketing tools, School Education Minister Peter Garrett has promised to raise the issue with the school funding review panel. Both Coles and Woolworths supermarkets currently have campaigns that offer rewards for schools based on the amount spent by parents and families in their stores. Mr Garrett acknowledged the role of commercial partnerships with schools, but suggested care needs to be taken to ensure the boundaries are not pushed too far. Read more... Saturday September 3 2011: Sydney, Australia GONSKI REVIEW PITCHES FOR NEW SCHOOL FUNDING MODEL While details of new school funding model proposals have not been released, indications from research undertaken as part of the Gonski Review of school funding are that financial support for schools may be tied to a school's willingness to enrol under-performing students. One report from the Allen Consulting Group suggests a national resourcing standard for schools should be established, which would allow extra payments to be made to schools with students from disadvantaged backgrounds. According to Gonski, the review has highlighted a need to change the basis for school funding from all levels of government. Read more... Saturday September 3 2011: Canberra, Australia RESEARCH IS CLEAR - FUNDING MODEL NEEDS A SERIOUS OVERHAUL The Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO) president Peter Garrigan asserts that the four reserach papers released as part of the review of school funding clearly indicate the need for changes to the way education funds are distributed. Garrigan is urging decision-makers to ensure that the public education system is adequately resourced to provide quality education to all, especially in consideration of the higher numbers of special needs students attending public schools. Read more... Saturday September 3 2011: Melbourne, Australia SCHOOL FUNDING RESEARCH - NOT UNINFORMED RHETORIC Independent Schools Victoria Chief Executive Michelle Green has expressed broad agreement with the four research reports into school funding that were recently released. In particular, Green supports proposed features of a new funding model such as linking funding to enrolment growth and increased costs, and setting clear public policy objectives for school funding. Other issues, such as using My School data to analyse student resources, will be subject to further scrutiny by Independent Schools Victoria. Read more... Saturday September 3 2011: Canberra, Australia CYBERSMART ACCESS - TEACHING STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has launched a new cybersaftey resource designed specifically to cater for students with special needs. Available to both mainstream and special primary and secondary schools, 'Cybersmart Access' uses a game format to teach students about safe and responsible online behaviour. Units of work are also available to support the topics covered in the four Cybersmart Access games. Read more... Tuesday August 30 2011: Sydney, Australia STOLEN GENERATIONS' HISTORY IS KEY Indigenous advocates have criticised the proposed content of the new national history curriculum, labelling its coverage of the Stolen Generation as inadequate. The indigenous co-chair of the National Sorry Day Committee, Helen Moran, believes that Aboriginal history should be taught every year from early primary school, asserting that building students' knowledge will lead to greater understanding of indigenous issues. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) acknowledges that the Stolen Generation is not explicitly covered until year 10 in the new curriculum, but maintains that there are opportunities to introduce the topic in earlier years of study. Read more... Tuesday August 30 2011: Sydney, Australia CATHOLIC EDUCATION OFFICIAL CALLS FOR REVISION OF PAY FOR TEACHERS The executive director of Catholic schools in the Sydney Archdiocese, Dan White, has proposed an alternative to the federal government's proposed bonus scheme for teachers that links pay grades to professional standards as evidence of teacher quality. While Dr White suggests that teachers should spend longer gaining proficiency at each level of accreditation, he also believes that the salary for highly accomplished teachers should be much greater, offering an ongoing incentive to teachers. Dr White argues that his model would allow teachers to pursue teaching as a long-term career without having to leave the classroom to advance their salaries. Read more... Tuesday August 30 2011: Melbourne, Australia SCHOOLS BID FOR SPECIALTY MATHS, SCIENCE TEACHERS In an effort to increase the number of students studying advanced maths and science subjects through to year 12, the Victorian government is funding the training of 100 primary teachers to become maths and science specialists. A number of teachers at participating schools will complete a 10 day training course before working with their own and neighbouring schools to lift interest in maths and science. A further 100 teachers will be chosen to participate in the program in 2013. Read more... Tuesday August 30 2011: Sydney, Australia NEXT GENERATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTISTS SET FOR A BOOST Year 11 and 12 students, as well as tertiary undergraduate students, are encouraged to apply for an environmental scholarship called BayerBoost. Offered by Bayer Australia in partnership with Australian Geographic the scholarships, worth up to $6000, aim to encourage more students into the expanding field of environmental science and will give recipients experience working with an organisation accredited in environmental research or restoration. Applications close 30 September. Read more... Saturday August 27 2011: Melbourne, Australia STUDENTS WHO PASS ON RELIGION WIN FIGHT The Victorian Education Department has changed its guidelines to ensure that students who opt out of Special Religious Instruction (SRI) classes are given meaningful alternatives. The revised policy will put an end to students being sat at the back of the classroom or placed in a corridor with nothing to do during SRI classes, instead suggesting alternatives such as revision, community service or classes in subjects outside the core curriculum. Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal proceedings alleging that students opting out of SRI are being discriminated against on religious grounds are continuing. Read more... Saturday August 27 2011: Sydney, Australia FIVE ART FORMS RESTORED TO THE CLASSROOM The rewritten version of the national arts curriculum, which divides the discipline into five discrete subjects, has been cautiously welcomed by opponents of the original draft including the NSW Board of Studies and the National Consortium of Visual Arts. The change is in direct response to concerns that the generic approach advocated in the initial document did not adequately recognise the unique nature of each of the five areas of dance, music, drama, visual arts and media arts. While some criticism has been levelled at the use of the term 'responding' in the revised paper, School Education Minister Peter Garrett reiterated the government's commitment to the arts as an integral part of the curriculum. Read more... Saturday August 27 2011: Darwin, Australia TEACHERS WANTED TO SKIP STATE A road show conducted by the Northern Territory Department of Education and Training will tour Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Townsville and Sydney in an effort to entice quality teachers to work in the NT. Presented by the Director of School Performance in Alice Springs, the sessions will give information about living and teaching in the Territory, focusing on the unique life opportunities and experiences open to teachers. The briefings will also include details of salaries and special benefits available to teachers in remote locations. Read more... Saturday August 27 2011: Sydney, Australia CATHOLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS CONSIDER INDUSTRIAL ACTION While teachers in ACT government schools are planning to stop work on 8 September over pay and condition claims, ACT Catholic school teachers will meet to decide whether to take similar action on 13 September. According to the Independent Education Union, Catholic teachers in the ACT receive up to 7.5 percent less pay than their NSW counterparts, which would still leave a three percent gap if the current Canberra-Goulburn Catholic Education Office offer were to be accepted. Read more... Saturday August 27 2011: Melbourne, Australia RESEARCH SHOWS BENEFITS OF INVESTING IN PSYCHOLOGICAL WEALTH OF YOUNG PEOPLE The results of a University of Melbourne study have highlighted the benefits of emotional well-being programs that explicitly teach students to develop in areas such as confidence, organisation and persistence. The study followed the progress of six schools adopting the 'You Can Do It!' program, which was introduced using a train-the-trainer model. According to Melbourne Graduate School of Education's Professor Michael E. Bernard, the study clearly demonstrates the importance of social-emotional competence to students' ability to cope with stressful situations in later life. Read more... Tuesday August 23 2011: Sydney, Australia CUT-AND-PASTE GENERATION TAKES ON SUSPECT WEBSITES Students at the Monte Sant' Angelo independent Catholic girls' school in North Sydney are being taught to critically analyse information on the internet, rather than just cutting and pasting it into assignments. A spoof website called ''Pop! The First Male Pregnancy'' is being used as a practical example of how seemingly legitimate websites can contain deliberately misleading information. The rise in the number of websites created with a specific racial or political objective has led to the recognition that students need to be educated about identifying credible sources. Read more... Tuesday August 23 2011: Sydney, Australia INDIGENOUS KIDS GET THE PLOT WITH ACCELERATED LITERACY PROGRAM St Michael's Catholic School on Palm Island has achieved impressive results with a new accelerated literacy program that supports students to read age-appropriate Australian texts. The strategy builds on indigenous oral story-telling traditions, encouraging students to see themselves as readers and writers. Read more... Tuesday August 23 2011: Brisbane, Australia CATHOLIC SCHOOL AUTHORITIES SAY THE SECTOR NEEDS MORE CASH The Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC) has expressed concern about the lack of funding in the Catholic system, citing My School figures that show the net average annual recurrent income per student for Catholic schools is more than $1100 less than public schools and in excess of $3500 less than independent schools. The QCEC has asked the state government for a 1% increase in funding each year for the next four years to help keep fees at a manageable level for parents. Read more... Tuesday August 23 2011: Sydney, Australia PUBLIC SCHOOLS FUNDING: THE GAP IS WIDENING Federal Australian Education Union president, Angelo Gavrielatos, has urged the government to invest more money in public schools after witnessing the progress made in schools in disadvantaged areas that have been given additional funding under schemes such as the Literacy and Numeracy and Low SES National Partnerships. According to Gavrielatos, the recommendations of the Australian Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) report clearly indicate that the achievement gap between well-off and disadvantaged students is widening and therefore funding to public schools should be increased at the expense of funding to wealthy private schools. Read more... Tuesday August 23 2011: Melbourne, Australia KEW PRIMARY PRINCIPAL STANDS DOWN In response to continued pressure after introducing a trail that saw students only allowed to go to the toilet if accompanied by the whole class, the principal of Key Primary School in Melbourne, Kim Dray, has stood down. Parents have claimed that the trial led to students wetting themselves and girls being reluctant to go to the toilet during their periods. Dr Dray has accepted a temporary reassignment. Read more... Saturday August 20 2011: Melbourne, Australia COUNTRY STUDENTS LEARN THE BENEFITS OF NUMBERS ON THE HOOF As a result of a strategy to show students how high-level maths and science skills are connected to agricultural industry, Cohuna Secondary College in country Victoria is offering a specialist maths class for year 12 students for the first time in many years. The strategy has included taking students on overseas study tours to expose them to modern practices in agriculture, such as computerised irrigation systems. Principal Gaell Hildebrand changed the school's approach to give students a broader view of career opportunities available to them as the farming industry becomes more professional. Read more... Saturday August 20 2011: Sydney, Australia PAY TEACHERS ON MERIT, OECD TELLS GILLARD GOVERNMENT An OECD report evaluating the effectiveness of Australia's school system, while giving broad approval to elements such as My School and the national curriculum, has identified career structures for teachers as a key improvement area. The report argues that advancement should be linked to national teaching standards rather than time spent in the job, suggesting that there is great inconsistency in appraisal practices across the system. The OECD study also warned teachers against using NAPLAN data to diagnose deficiencies in student learning, highlighting the fact that the tests are only reliable at national level. Read more... Saturday August 20 2011: Sandy Bay, Australia TALKING AND LISTENING THE KEY TO LITERACY Research conducted by the University of Melbourne has revealed the importance of sound speaking and listening skills as a basis for effective literacy learning. More than one in five children start primary school with insufficient oral language skills and it is therefore critical that explicit teaching is undertaken to develop oral expression, including self talk, and receptive language. Work undertaken by the University of Melbourne in Melbourne's north has resulted in the region jumping from being last of the nine regions for literacy to second. Read more... Saturday August 20 2011: Brisbane, Australia MONASH UNIVERSITY'S THE AUSTRALIAN PRINCIPAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING SURVEY Australian principals and assistant principals are encouraged to participate in The Australian Principal Health and Wellbeing Survey. Facilitated by Monash University Education, the survey will enable respondents to track their health and wellbeing over time, with the results also being used to better understand the impact of various initiatives and changes on principals. Participants will receive an individual report with information about support services, if required. Read more... Saturday August 20 2011: Sydney, Australia SCHOOLS SPECTACULAR 25 & 26 NOVEMBER 2011 Tickets for this year's School Spectacular in NSW go on sale on 29 August. As one of the world's largest variety shows, the Spectacular will bring together 3500 schools in a performing arts showcase with the theme 'Imagine'. The event is sponsored by Telstra in partnership with the NSW Department of Education and Communities. Read more... Tuesday August 16 2011: Melbourne, Australia PARENTS WANT KEW PRINCIPAL AXED OVER TOILET TRIAL The Victorian Education Minister is under pressure to take action against the principal of Kew Primary School over the handling of a trial of toileting procedures. According to parents, they were not adequately informed about the trial, which included forcing whole classes to accompany a child who needed to use the bathroom. The principal has also been criticised for other policies, including not allowing students into the school grounds before 8:45 in the morning, even when they only arrived early for a sports event which was subsequently cancelled. Read more... Tuesday August 16 2011: Sydney, Australia SPELLING OUT HOW NSW PRESCHOOLS CAN DO BETTER The NSW state government is investing in a review of early childhood education in response to mounting evidence of the importance of preschool, especially for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. NSW currently has the lowest preschool attendance rates at around 80 per cent, as against close to 100 per cent in the rest of the country. Read more... Tuesday August 16 2011: Melbourne, Australia TEENAGE GIRLS SUE OVER SCHOOL BULLYING The Victorian Education Department is being sued by three secondary students who maintain that they were not adequately protected from bullying at school. The cases include a claim from a girl whose bashing at school was filmed and posted on the internet. Lawyers expect many similar incidents to prompt legal action in the future. Read more... Tuesday August 16 2011: Adelaide, Australia PARENTS IN CALL FOR SCHOOLS OMBUDSMAN The South Australian Association of State School Organisations (SAASSO) is calling for the establishment of an independent education ombudsman to investigate complaints about schools and teachers. The SAASSO believes the current process of sending concerns to the education department often results in unsatisfactory outcomes, and that there is a conflict of interest having the department investigate complaints about itself. Read more... Saturday August 13 2011: Melbourne, Australia ANGER AT SCHOOL TOILET TRIAL A trial by Kew Primary School in Melbourne which included only allowing students to go to the toilet during class time if the whole grade accompanied them has drawn criticism from both parents and a child psychologist. Some parents reported that their children were too embarrassed to go to the toilet for the entire school day as a result of the initiative, while others refused to drink water all day to minimise the need to go. While the school found that the trial reduced vandalism and graffiti in the toilets and lessened class time disruptions, it has now opted for a policy where students go to the toilet in groups of three. Read more... Saturday August 13 2011: Melbourne, Australia COALITION MUST RULE OUT CUTS TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS With the Federal Coalition earmarking cuts in excess of $2.8 billion from the education budget, the Australian Education Union is calling for public schools to be protected from substantial losses to programs and staffing. AEU Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos asserts that the proposed cuts would disproportionately affect public schools, resulting in programs such as the Low SES National Partnership, which largely benefits public schools in disadvantaged areas, being scrapped. Read more... Saturday August 13 2011: Sydney, Australia NATIONAL STUDY PLAN HITS A WALL AS STATE DELAYS ROLL-OUT A lack of funding from the federal government to train teachers, as well as lingering concerns over content, have been identified by the NSW Minister for Education as reasons to delay implementation of the Australian Curriculum until at least 2014. Federal Minister for School Education Peter Garrett has expressed disappointment in the decision, which reneges on a commitment made late last year. All other states and territories except Western Australia are on track for substantial implementation of the first phase of the new curriculum in 2013. Read more... Saturday August 13 2011: Brisbane, Australia AUSTRALIA’S CHIEF SCIENTIST LAUNCHES NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK Australia’s newly appointed Chief Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb AC, highlighted the importance of National Science Week in promoting scientific achievements and science as a career in Australia as he launched the initiative at the Queensland Museum. Around 1.6 million people are expected to hear the science message at over 1000 events across the country. National Science Week runs from 13 - 21 August. Read more... Saturday August 13 2011: Sydney, Australia THE OASIS: HOMELESS SHORT FILM COMPETITION - JUST TWO MONTHS TO GO! Secondary school students can share in $25 000 prize money by making a three-minute film about any aspect of homelessness. The competition is being run as part of a broader education and outreach program which aims to address issues around youth homelessness and is supported by the Caledonia Foundation. Entries close on 16 September 2011. Read more... Tuesday August 9 2011: Adelaide, Australia SCHOOLS CHANGING RELIGIOUS LESSONS Many schools are changing the way they approach religious education, choosing to integrate it across subject areas such as English, geography and history, rather than teaching it as a discrete subject. According to Torrens Valley Christian School, the method connects faith to the modern world for students. Read more... Tuesday August 9 2011: New York, USA ATLANTA SCHOOL YEAR BEGINS AMID A TESTING SCANDAL The start of the school year in Atlanta has seen teachers struggling in the aftermath of revelations of widespread cheating in the state's Criterion-Referenced Competency Test. Investigations showed some teachers gave students hints or answers, while the most serious incident involved principals and staff gathering to erase and correct student answers. Many public schools have lost students to nearby charter schools in the wake of the scandal. Read more... Tuesday August 9 2011: Sydney, Australia INDIGENOUS CHILDREN STAY LONGER IN SCHOOL The annual Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) conference has heard that year 12 retention rates for indigenous students rose by 14.7 percent between 1995 and 2009, but are not as high as completion rates. Parental education levels and student achievement throughout their schooling are some of the factors found to influence whether students choose to remain at school. ACER chief executive, Geoff Masters, underscored the need to focus resources on involving families in giving young children between the ages of three and six a solid foundation for schooling. Read more... Tuesday August 9 2011: Sydney, Australia NEWS CORPORATION UNVEILS ITS OWN EDUCATION REVOLUTION Rupert Murdoch has shared his vision for the future of education, indicating that he hopes that 10 per cent of News Corporation's revenue be generated from educational material over the next five years. With former New York City Department of Education Chancellor Joel Klein now a member of News Corporation's education division, Mr Murdoch has suggested that tablet computers with customisable content will replace outdated methods of teaching. Read more... Saturday August 6 2011: Sydney, Australia COALITION TO ABOLISH YEAR 10 CERTIFICATE Year 10 students in NSW will sit the School Certificate exam for the last time this year, with the state government set to announce that it will be scrapped. Education Minster Adrian Piccoli has suggested the School Certificate will be replaced with a qualification that assesses student progress up to the time that they leave school, and also expressed a hope that the change will encourage students to stay at school longer. New South Wales is the last state to abolish a year 10 School Certificate. Read more... Saturday August 6 2011: Sydney, Australia TEACHERS TO LOSE CONTROL OF CURRICULA Western Australia is set to have an independent School Curriculum and Standards Authority responsible for curriculum and exams, and also for reporting to the state government on student test results. The move has been made to remedy a perceived lack of rigour and other criticisms of changes made in the last five years, particularly to the year 11 and 12 curriculum. Education Minister Liz Constable has said that the restructure will prevent implementation of the Australian Curriculum before 2014. Read more... Saturday August 6 2011: Canberra, Australia USING BASKETBALL TO BOOST SCHOOL PERFORMANCE The federal government's 'No School No Play' initiative is being expanded to six secondary schools in Western Sydney with the support of Basketball Australia. The program encourages students to attend school regularly, offering incentives such as access to advice from professional sportsmen and women. 'No School No Play' is also running in South Australia, Coffs Harbour and the Northern Territory in partnership with eight national sporting organisations. Read more... Saturday August 6 2011: Armidale, NSW UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND AND THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY LAUNCH A UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP TO IMPROVE STUDENT ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION In an effort to provide greater access to tertiary education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and geographically remote areas, the University of New England (UNE) has partnered with the University of Sydney to introduce an 'Alternative Entry Pathway'. The program will allow students, selected for their readiness for tertiary education, to complete the first year of selected courses of study at UNE, then transfer to the University of Sydney in second year if their results are acceptable. The program will commence in 2012 with approximately 120 students. Read more... Saturday August 6 2011: Sydney, Australia HURRY - ONLY FOUR WEEKS TO GET ENTRIES IN FOR WAVELINK AND MERU NETWORKS' WINTER OF WIRELESS K-12 SCHOOL PROMOTION A $25 000 wireless network package is on offer to the winner of Wavelink's 'Winter of Wireless' Makeover competition. To enter, schools need to write in 200 words or less how a Meru wireless network would benefit them. Entries close 31st August 2011 Read more... Tuesday August 2 2011: Sydney, Australia PARENTS' GROUP BACKS ETHICS CLASSES The Federation of Parents & Citizens Associations in NSW has voted to urge the Premier to uphold his election promise to allow ethics classes to continue. The motion comes amidst concerns that the classes were being reconsidered based on a request from the Reverend Fred Nile, who has threatened to vote against public service wages legislation if the subject is offered as an alternative to Scripture. Read more... Tuesday August 2 2011: Melbourne, Australia MATHS TEACHING FAILS TO ADD UP FOR PUPILS A Monash University professor is calling for the way maths is taught in secondary schools to be reviewed to give it context for students. Peter Sullivan suggests that issues such as asylum seekers in Australia offer opportunities for students to explore mathematical problems related to real life situations. The view is shared by University of Western Sydney lecturer Karen McDaid who believes the lack of student engagement in maths is leading to fewer students pursuing the subject. Read more... Tuesday August 2 2011: Sydney, Australia TASMANIA TO MOVE TO FOUR-TERM SCHOOL YEAR The decision to introduce four-term school years instead of the current three-term system in Tasmania has drawn criticism from the Australian Education Union (AEU). State Education Minister Nick McKim argues that the change will minimise the negative effects of a long summer break on student learning, while the AEU insists that teachers will not support the proposal. Read more... Tuesday August 2 2011: Canberra, Australia FIRST AUSSIE MATHS COMP STILL HAS THE NUMBERS Students from years 3 to 12 in more than 40 countries will compete in this year's Australian Mathematics Competition. Prizes and medals will be awarded to the top students identified through completion of a 75-minute written problem solving test for secondary students, and a 60-minute test for primary students. A ceremony will be conducted for Australian medal winners in Hobart in November. Read more... Tuesday August 2 2011: Sydney, Australia WA SCHOOLS OPT FOR MORE INDEPENDENCE More public schools in Western Australia are moving towards autonomy with a further 109 schools approved to become Independent Government Schools within the next two years. Schools accepted for the scheme gain responsibility for ongoing self-management in areas such as staffing, resources and finances and are supported by the state government to make the transition. Forty percent of public schools have already applied to be a part of the program. Read more... Tuesday August 2 2011: Melbourne, Australia AUSTRALIAN GROUND-BREAKING STUDY HELPS GREAT TEACHERS MAKE GREAT STUDENTS A study funded by the Australian Scholarships Group has found a positive correlation between the teaching of social and behavioural skills and academic outcomes. Undertaken by the University of Melbourne, the research involved teachers giving instruction in behaviours such as initiative, cooperativeness, and persistence as part of their literacy lessons, and resulted in significant improvement in reading comprehension, particularly for lower achievers. Read more... Saturday July 30 2011: Sydney, Australia CLASSROOM CHAPLAINS IN NEED OF GUIDING HAND, OMBUDSMAN SAYS An investigation into the school chaplaincy program by the federal Ombudsman has identified issues with the definition of the role. The report suggests that clear guidelines need to be established for the program, and also recommends that minimum qualifications are required of chaplains. While School Education Minister Peter Garrett agreed broadly with the report, it is not know whether the recommendations will be accepted. Read more... Saturday July 30 2011: Sydney, Australia PARENTS WANT NAUGHTY STUDENTS TO SERVE TIME IN SCHOOL With the number of longer student suspensions rising by a third in NSW over the last five years, Parents and Citizens (P&C) groups are calling for in-school options to be explored. The proposal has support from academics from the University of New South Wales and from the University of Western Sydney, who acknowledge that suspension is often a short-term measure that does not effectively address behavioural issues and can lead to students falling behind academically. P&C Associations are also considering seeking a broader review of suspension procedures. Read more... Saturday July 30 2011: Canberra, Australia YOUNG AUSSIE TEAMS ALL WIN MEDALS AT INTERNATIONAL MATHS AND INFORMATICS OLYMPIADS All ten of Australia's representatives at the International Mathematical Olympiad in the Netherlands and the International Olympiad in Informatics in Thailand came home with bronze or silver medals in recognition of their achievements. The students competed against participants from more than 100 countries, and were selected and trained by the Australian Mathematics Trust. Read more... Saturday July 30 2011: Canberra, Australia AUSTRALIANS VICTORIOUS AT INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE OLYMPIADS Australia took out 12 medals at this year's International Science Olympiads, with four medals being won in each of the three disciplines assessed: Biology, Physics and Chemistry. The 13 representatives were chosen from 2700 applicants from around Australia, and competed against secondary students from more than 100 countries. The Biology Team also won the 'Most Friendly' award, while the Chemistry team won the 'Most Social' award. Read more... Saturday July 30 2011: Canberra, Australia ACADEMY'S SCIENCE BY DOING EDUCATION RESOURCES LAUNCHED! In an effort to increase students' interest in science, the Australian Academy of Science has released resources for its secondary school 'Science by Doing' program. Trialled by 28 schools and aligned to the Australian Curriculum, the current range includes units on water and science investigations, as well as guides for teachers on areas such as inquiry-based learning and effective questioning. The resources can be ordered from the Australian Academy of Science website. Read more... Tuesday July 26 2011: Canberra, Australia 'SEXTING' IN SCHOOLS ON THE INCREASE Australian federal police educators believe that students do not understand the implications of sending explicit images of themselves via text message, and the problem is increasing. With Victorian police claiming that every school in the state has experienced a sexting incident, the need to tackle the problem through education programs has become apparent. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has developed sexting lesson plans which are available through the thinkuknow website. Read more... Tuesday July 26 2011: Canberra, Australia FIRST NATIONAL TRIAL FOR AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES The federal government is working to establish a national definition of disability for educators by conducting a trial in 150 schools across Australia. The information gathered will be used to gain ministerial agreement about the scope of disabilities, which in turn will form the basis for a national data collection project. The initiative aims to help schools more easily identify students with disabilities so that adequate resources are allocated to them. Read more... Tuesday July 26 2011: Sydney, Australia ELITE SCHOOLS REAP SOLID PROFITS - WITH THE HELP OF PUBLIC FUNDING The role of government funding in independent schools has again been called into question with the revelation that many schools recorded a profit last financial year. With a $7.3m surplus after government funding of $5.3m Cranbrook is one school whose financial statements have drawn criticism. The principal of Kambala offered a counterargument, pointing out that parents of students at independent schools contribute to the public system via taxes, while taking pressure off the system by not sending their children there. Read more... Tuesday July 26 2011: Melbourne, Australia PUSH FOR FUNDING TO TACKLE DECREPIT SCHOOLS A former member of the Building the Education Revolution (BER) taskforce is advocating the issuing of government education bonds to fund a renewal plan for government school buildings that he says are in a dilapidated condition. Malcolm McComas is also calling for a master plan to ensure that school facilities are effectively managed and kept up to standard. The Commonwealth Bank's head of fixed income supports the proposal, which would see government school's buildings updated within 15 years. Read more... Saturday July 23 2011: Sydney, Australia SCHOOL BONUSES A FLOP IN US New York City has ditched its teacher performance pay program after analysis revealed that neither the schools that distributed the money evenly amongst their teachers, nor those that paid bonuses just to their top performers, made greater gains in student outcomes than schools who did not receive the payments. The information has raised questions about the wisdom of the Gillard government's imminent scheme to reward the top 10 per cent of teachers. A spokeswoman for School Education Minister Peter Garrett was quick to assert that the program being implemented by the government is not the same as the New York model. Read more... Saturday July 23 2011: Perth, Australia WA TEACHER INVESTIGATED OVER DIABETES TEST WHERE STUDENTS USED SAME NEEDLE The West Australian Education Department's standards and integrity unit is investigating allegations that a primary school teacher allowed sixteen students to use the same needle to perform a prick test to check their blood sugar levels. The students involved have all been cleared of health risks after being checked for blood-borne diseases, while the teacher is likely to be counselled before resuming his position. Read more... Saturday July 23 2011: Sydney, Australia NILE ISOLATED AS ANGLICANS BACK ETHICS CLASSES Both the Anglican and the Catholic churches have ceased their opposition to ethics classes being offered as an alternative to Special Religious Education (SRE) in NSW schools. Having seen the program in practice, the churches do not believe it will significantly affect the number of students attending SRE classes, and are prepared to allow it to continue. Christian Democratic Party MP, Fred Nile, is maintaining his resistance to the ethics course, despite his proposal to move the class times so that they are not run at the same time as SRE being rejected. Read more... Saturday July 23 2011: Sydney, Australia NATA YOUNG SCIENTISTS OF THE YEAR AWARD INVITATIONS SENT TO SCHOOLS Primary schools across Australia are invited to join the annual National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) Young Scientists of the Year competition. Student projects must address this year's theme, 'Chemistry in our Lives', with the winner receiving $3000 for the school and $500 for the student. The competition closes on 23 September 2011. Read more... Tuesday July 19 2011: Melbourne, Australia PLENTY OF CASH FOR KOORI SCHOOL Figures on the My School website indicating that the Ballerrt Mooroop College in Melbourne is receiving $95 000 per student in funding have been questioned by Indigenous educator Chris Sarra. Dr Sarra asserts that the 66 percent attendance rate registered in 2009 would not be accepted in mainstream schools and suggests that it would be better to allocate funds to ensure that Koori students are supported in mainstream schools than to Koori pathway schools that tend to have low expectations of students. Four Koori pathway schools were opened in Victoria in 2009 following the closure of the Victorian College of Koori Education. Read more... Tuesday July 19 2011: Sydney, Australia NILE THREATENS TO KILL OFF ETHICS CLASSES The Reverend Fred Nile is pushing for ethics classes, offered in NSW as an alternative to Scripture lessons, to be removed as an option, vowing to block proposed public servant wages legislation if he is not listened to. While Premier Barry O'Farrell has ruled out making such deals, Mr Nile has highlighted the consequences if his support for the government is withdrawn. Read more... Tuesday July 19 2011: Melbourne, Australia NEW ONLINE TEACHING AND LEARNING RESOURCE ON AUSTRALIAN FORESTS AND SUSTAINABILITY Teachers from years 3 to 12 can now access a new online resource from Forest and Wood Products Australia providing information, activities and ideas about sustainable forest management. Website content is linked to the Australian Curriculum, and covers subject areas including earth and environmental science, history and geography. The site also features information on professional development opportunities and school visits. Read more... Tuesday July 19 2011: Booragoon, Australia ALCOA SENDS STUDENTS TO LEADERSHIP ACADEMY IN CANADA The Alcoa Foundation, in partnership with the Institute for Civic Leadership, has awarded 11 Alcoa Global Service Leaders Scholarships to allow students to attend a two-week leadership program at the Dwight International School in Canada. The focus of the program is 'make service count' and participants will learn to become 'sustainable leaders' who can make a difference in their communities. Seven of the scholarship winners are children of Alcoa employees, while the remaining four live in regions around Alcoa's Australian operations. Read more... Tuesday July 19 2011: Canberra, Australia SUPPORT OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE In a release urging the government to ensure that state schools are compensated for higher costs as a result of the proposed carbon tax, the Australian Council of State School Organisations has advocated a move towards greater sustainability within schools. Solar power, rainwater tanks and recycling facilities are among the improvements suggested to ensure that schools take a lead role in environmental education. Read more... Tuesday July 19 2011: Sydney, Australia WOOLIES COMMITS $5 MILLION TO HELP AUSSIE SCHOOLS Woolworths has announced a new rewards program for schools called Earn and Learn. The scheme runs from 18 July to 18 September and allows both primary and secondary schools to redeem points for a variety of educational resources such as art materials and library books. One point is earned for every $10 spent at Woolworths during the Earn and Learn period. Read more... Saturday July 16 2011: Sydney, Australia TEACHERS 'PHOBIC' OVER PUPIL TEST DATA The Australian College of Educators conference has heard that teachers' reluctance to engage with data and test results is leading to a failure to capitalise on opportunities to improve student outcomes and reduce social disadvantage. The speech, made by Tom Alegounarias, a board member on the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority and president of the NSW Board of Studies, maintained that as a nation, we have an unaccceptably high spread of achievement that indicates we are not effectively catering to disadvantaged communities. Mr Alegounarias also highlighted the lack of emphasis on data in teacher training courses. Read more... Saturday July 16 2011: Sydney, Australia REPEAT YEARS DO LOW-ACHIEVERS NO GOOD: OECD An analysis of international test results by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has found that students who repeat a grade tend to continue to achieve poor academic outcomes. Professor Richard Teese from the University of Melbourne's centre for research on education systems agrees with the study, suggesting that unless students are given targeted support, they will not make progress by simply repeating the same syllabus. Repeating a year can also result in negative effects including poor self esteem and low expectations on the part of the student. Read more... Saturday July 16 2011: Canberra, Australia HELPING TEACHERS TEACH NEW TECHNOLOGIES As part of the National Enabling Technologies Strategy, the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, has announced the launch of a new resource to aid science teachers in the areas of biotechnologies and nanotechnologies. The TechNyou website was developed with input from teachers across the country and covers module topics such as genetically modified foods and social and ethical issues. The resource includes videos, lesson outlines and classroom activities that support the new Australian Curriculum. Read more... Saturday July 16 2011: Canberra, Australia GIVE AND TAKE – THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT WAY A proposal by the South Australian state government to charge young people living at home up to 20 percent of their Austudy, Youth Allowance or other income to put towards public housing rental has drawn criticism from the Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO). ACSSO President Peter Garrigan believes that the move will disadvantage those who can least afford it, working against the aim to encourage young people to stay at school longer. Read more... Tuesday July 12 2011: Melbourne, Australia PLEA FOR FUNDS TO TRAIN TEACHERS In response to the difficulties often faced by universities when finding practicum places for students, Melbourne University's Dean of Education has proposed that 'teaching schools' similar to teaching hospitals be established. Under the plan, schools accepting at least 20 students a year would be more generously compensated than under present arrangements, which have not changed since 1990. Options include payments for mentor teachers and a funded teaching-fellow who would liaise with the university. Read more... Tuesday July 12 2011: Sydney, Australia BUILDING THE EDUCATION REVOLUTION WASTE BLOWS OUT TO $1.1BN The Building the Education Revolution (BER) taskforce has found that between them, New South Wales and Victorian public schools wasted $1.1bn in the building process, prompting calls for investigations into the construction industry. The Victorian government is also having the final $45 million in funding withheld until problems including design faults and safety risks are resolved. New South Wales public schools were found to have paid 27 percent more than Catholic schools for their BER buildings. Read more... Tuesday July 12 2011: Canberra, Australia HELP FOR OVERSEAS STUDENTS IN PRIVATE EDUCATION The first Council for International Students Australia conference in Melbourne saw the launch of a new Overseas Students Ombudsman (OSO) service to protect international students in private education. The OSO will provide an avenue for students to raise concerns about issues such as fees, course progress and accommodation, and is free to use. The initiative came about as a result of the Baird Review of education services for overseas students in 2010. Read more... Tuesday July 12 2011: Melbourne, Australia NEW AUSSIE SERIES DREAMS LARGE Sunshine Books has used the Australian Literacy Educators' Association Conference to launch a new series of books featuring Dreamtime stories told by Brisbane Aboriginal artist, Michael Connolly. The series, which links to the Australian Curriculum, is designed to give students a deeper understanding of Aboriginal history. The series also links to online content such as videos and a web-based teachers' toolbox. Read more... Tuesday July 12 2011: Canberra, Australia ACADEMY COMMITTED TO QUALITY SCIENCE EDUCATION AS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SUPPORT ENDS Despite imminent Federal Government funding cuts, the Australian Academy of Science is hoping to continue its successful Primary Connections and Science by Doing programs by finding alternative funding sources. The programs have had a positive impact on science education, particularly with indigenous students, and it is feared that if they are discontinued, the scientific literacy of our students will be at risk. The government has allocated $13.4 million to Primary Connections and Science by Doing in the past, but has chosen not to continue to support the initiatives. Read more... Saturday July 9 2011: Melbourne, Australia NATIONAL CURRICULUM UNDER THREAT The election of Coalition governments in Victoria and NSW has cast doubt over the introduction of the Australian Curriculum with both states expressing reservations about aspects of the federal government's proposals. Teacher bonuses and the cost to implement the initiative are among the chief concerns. The first phase of the curriculum is due to be substantially implemented by 2013. Read more... Saturday July 9 2011: Sydney, Australia CATCH-22 AS SCHOOLS LEFT FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL Twenty schools in Tasmania earmarked for closure because facilities built under the Building the Education Revolution program (BER) left them with too much unused capacity, have been given a reprieve. Schools allege that the inclusion of space such as covered play areas and music rooms in capacity calculations made figures used to identify both schools to close, and schools to take students from closed schools, inaccurate. Premier Lara Giddings has not ruled out future school closures. Read more... Saturday July 9 2011: Canberra, Australia 7.5 MILLION TO HELP INCREASE INDIGENOUS TEACHER NUMBERS The federal government has announced funding for three programs in a bid to improve education outcomes for Indigenous Australians. The More Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teachers project will research the issue of the lack of teachers from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island backgrounds and offer scholarships to encourage more Indigenous Australians to become teachers. Other programs will develop guidelines to more effectively teach Indigenous students, and continue to explore ways to lift attendance rates in the Western Australia, South Australia and Northern Territory border country. The Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth, Peter Garrett, said the initiatives support the government's commitment to close the education gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Read more... Saturday July 9 2011: Melbourne, Australia NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL STANDARD FOR SCHOOL PRINCIPALS The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), in consultation with principals and key stakeholders, has released a new National Professional Standard for Principals. The Standard reflects the core knowledge, qualities, experiences and skills required by effective principals and can be used to guide professional development of current and aspiring principals. To support the Standard, AITSL has developed an online Clearinghouse for School Leadership Development Strategies which provides access to research and other resources to help principals and other school leaders to stay in touch with the latest information about education in the 21st century. Read more... Saturday July 9 2011: Sydney, Australia BUILDING THE EDUCATION REVOLUTION IMPLEMENTATION TASKFORCE RELEASES FINAL REPORT The final report of the Building the Education Revolution (BER) Implementation Taskforce has been released, with generally positive findings about the impact of the program. Project completion rates are now at 92 per cent, and after investigation, a total of three per cent of complaints were found to be valid. Twenty-nine percent of projects evaluated for value for money, which were largely chosen from school communities who had lodged complaints, failed the assessment. Read more... Tuesday July 5 2011: Sydney, Australia INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS WARN WEBSITE HAS MATHS WRONG The Independent Schools Council of Australia has questioned the accuracy of financial data to be published on the next release of the My School website. Concerns stem from the fact that the West Australian and Tasmanian state governments and some independent schools who offer pre-school classes are unable to differentiate between pre-school and school income. However as the My School figures will not include pre-school student numbers, this may artificially inflate the average income per student of some schools. A spokesperson for School Education Minister, Peter Garrett indicated that the education ministers and Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority would work to resolve the issue. Read more... Tuesday July 5 2011: Brisbane, Australia CAN SCHOOLS ELIMINATE SOCIOECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE? An article by Emeritus Professor of Education at Edith Cowan University, Max Angus, has questioned the efficacy of funding programs to increase literacy and numeracy results in low socio-economic areas, suggesting that growing evidence indicates a 'place-based' strategy might produce greater long-term results. Place-based strategies are currently being used in areas throughout Australia, and take the stance that a coordinated approach uniting government and non-government agencies to work to improve the community as a whole - from health care to employment - will have a flow-on benefit to schools, including improving attendance. According to Professor Angus, more research into the success of the strategy needs to be gathered before it can be more widely implemented. Read more... Tuesday July 5 2011: Melbourne, Australia NEITA TEACHING AWARDS NOMINATIONS CLOSE SOON The National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA) recognise inspiring and creative educators who make a difference to students and school communities, with this year's theme being 'Teachers Count'. Parents, school councils, committees of management and parent associations are encouraged to nominate individuals who they believe have made a notable contribution to their schools. Nominations close Friday 29 July 2011. Read more... Tuesday July 5 2011: Brisbane, Australia STRATEGIES TO COMBAT CYBER-BULLYING A new paper published by the Centre for Strategic Education offers teachers and parents a range of strategies to support young people facing cyber-bullying. Among the options suggested for teachers in 'School-Based Strategies to Address Cyber Bullying' are educating students about their online reputations, and collecting information about how students spend their time online to identify potential areas of trouble. Queensland University of Technology's Associate Professor Marilyn Campbell, who was involved in the research, has also urged schools to ensure that cyber-bullying is included in their anti-bullying policies. Read more... Saturday July 2 2011: Sydney, Australia PARENT ACTION FORCES SCHOOL PRINCIPAL OUT OF TEACHING The NSW Primary Principals Association is concerned that the removal of a primary school principal based on a parent group vote of no confidence could set a dangerous precedent. The principal of Rainbow Street Public in Randwick had announced her intention to return after extended leave, but was moved to a non-classroom position after the parent group communicated their desire for a new principal to the Education Department. With the federal government aiming to give parents a greater say over their children's education, the Rainbow Street case shows how parental power can be exerted. Read more... Saturday July 2 2011: Sydney, Australia CHEAPER PRIVATE SCHOOLS 'NO BETTER THAN STATE' A study by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research has identified a potential link between declining student results and the increase of low-fee independent schools. The study showed that the fall in Australia's performance in the Program for International Student Assessment was more marked in the non-government sector, and that cheaper independent schools often did not have the resources to provide education of a greater standard than government schools. The report highlights the need to consider the requirements of low-fee paying schools, especially in lower socio-economic areas, in any funding reviews. Read more... Saturday July 2 2011: Canberra, Australia AUSSIE KIDS AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION Australia has ranked equal second with New Zealand in an OECD test which measured the digital literacy of students. Conducted in 2009, the test assessed the ability of students to read, analyse and comprehend text presented on screen. Schools Education Minister Peter Garrett expects that the Digital Education Revolution will ensure Australia's future results are even stronger. Korea ranked first in the tests, in which 19 countries participated. Read more... Saturday July 2 2011: Brisbane, Australia AUSTRALIAN PRINCIPALS WELCOME KIDSMATTER PRIMARY EXPANSION An announcement that the KidsMatter program will be expanded in primary schools has been welcomed by the Australian Primary Principals Association. The Federal Government has committed $18.4 million to the initiative, which encompasses methods, resources and tools that allow schools to take a flexible approach to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of students. Read more... Saturday July 2 2011: Canberra, Australia QUALIFIED SECULAR SUPPORT IS THE ANSWER In response to recent claims that the National School Chaplaincy Program is not meeting the needs of students, the Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO) is calling for funding to be allocated to qualified professionals able to adequately deal with mental health issues. ACSSO President Peter Garrigan highlighted the number of guideline breaches, including chaplains proselytising, as a reason why secular and qualified counsellors are a more appropriate option. The federal government has announced plans to again expand the National School Chaplaincy Program. Read more... Tuesday June 28 2011: Sydney, Australia BETTER LITERACY REAPS ITS REWARDS BUT VICTORIA MISSES OUT ON BONUS Queensland and South Australia are the only two states to receive their full funding bonuses from the federal government as part of the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy. States and territories set their own targets under the scheme, which has left Victoria with only $9.4 million of a possible $31.3 million due to its high standards and calculation method. School Education Minister Peter Garrett conceded that the program details may need adjustment, acknowledging that Victoria had set particularly ambitious targets compared with other states. Read more... Tuesday June 28 2011: Canberra, Australia ACARA LAUNCHES AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM WIKI The Australian Curriculum Reporting and Assessment Authority (ACARA) has launched a Wiki to allow principals, teachers and other interested parties to provide direct feedback on Australian Curriculum documents. The site is currently accepting feedback about the Shape of the Australian Curriculum paper until 7 August. Read more... Tuesday June 28 2011: Melbourne, Australia AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS TO OPEN THE BOOK ON LIVES LESS FORTUNATE The Brotherhood of St Laurence has released a companion to its successful 'Brotherhood: Stories of Courage and Resilience' publication. The 'Brotherhood Workbook' contains questions and activities designed to lead students to deeper thinking about the issues and stories featured in 'Brotherhood'. Aimed at year 9 and 10 students, the workbook promotes social inclusion by encouraging understanding and empathy for those less fortunate. Read more... Tuesday June 28 2011: Byron Bay, Australia AUSTRALIAN DEVELOPMENT TO ENHANCE THE IPAD FOR EDUCATION The Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) has developed interactive film study guide apps for iPADs which will be available through the iTunes store. The guides draw from ATOM's text-based guides and include clips from the films as well as other interactive features that enhance the viewing experience for students. A result of a creative partnership with media practitioner NMG, the apps currently include guides for 'Oranges and Sunshine' and 'Kapyong'. Read more... Tuesday June 28 2011: Melbourne, Australia NEW LEARNER DRIVER SITE TO CUT ROAD TRAUMA A new free website has been launched to engage and educate teenagers and learner drivers about safe road behaviour. The site, logl.com.au, has been developed in response to statistics that indicate that while drivers under the age of 25 make up a sixth of road users, they also make up nearly a third of drivers killed. It features tools such as interactive activities and social networking opportunities to help young people learn the road rules and to develop appropriate attitudes to better prepare them for their first year of driving. The site is open for pre-registrations and goes live on 11 July. Read more... Tuesday June 28 2011: Brisbane, Australia BONUS SCHEME NO BONUS FOR STUDENTS The Joint Council of Queensland Teacher Associations (JCQTA) has released a statement expressing reservations about the Federal Government's proposed teacher bonus scheme. The organisation has identified undermining of the collegial nature of teaching and the difficulties associated with fairly administering the scheme amongst its concerns. JCQTA has also questioned the methodology for choosing the best performing teachers, citing the impracticality of using NAPLAN results as an indicator as an example of the flaws in the proposal. Read more... Saturday June 25 2011: Melbourne, Australia IN THIS CLASS EXPERIMENT, THE RESULTS ARE ALL GOOD A documentary about Geelong Grammar's 'positive education' curriculum will demonstrate how the innovative program helps students to cope with adversity. The school believes so strongly in the program that parents raised over $200 000 to allow 106 teachers from state schools to meet with its author, Dr Martin Seligman. While year 7 and 10 students undertake regular positive education classes, elements of the course are incorporated at each year level in the school. Read more... Saturday June 25 2011: Sydney, Australia BIG HISTORY TO GIVE STUDENTS BIG PICTURE Students at Melbourne's Nossal High School and NSW's Narara Valley High School will be involved in a trial of a new global approach to the teaching of history. Designed by Professor David Christian with the support of Bill Gates, the program gives students a way to understand disciplines such as science, humanities and social sciences in the context of history, rather than in isolation. US students will also be participating in the trial, which incorporates online resources including videos and animation. Read more... Saturday June 25 2011: Sydney, Australia TEACHER SACKINGS: MORE ABOUT SEX THAN INEFFICIENCY Only five NSW teachers were sacked based on poor job performance last year, as opposed to 19 who were dismissed or had their casual approval revoked for sexual offences or misconduct. The number of teachers dismissed for sex-related matters has increased steadily over the past three years. Teachers who are identified as underperformers undertake a 10-week Education Department program to improve their skills. Read more... Saturday June 25 2011: Brisbane, Australia GETTING KIDS TO FIGHT BULLYING WITH TALK Professor Susan Danby from Queensland University of Technology’s Faculty of Education will present a seminar entitled, 'Someone to turn to: Children and young people calling for help' on Tuesday 28 June. The seminar will be based on research conducted in conjunction with the University of Queensland and Loughborough University in the UK, which analysed the practices of counsellors on children's help lines to see how other key people in students' lives could support them through bullying issues. The research found that the language and strategies used by counsellors allow young people to feel in control of the situation, which tends to result in more positive outcomes. Read more... Tuesday June 21 2011: Brisbane, Australia PREP TO BE 'COMPULSORY' The Queensland state government's 'A Flying Start for Queensland Children' consultations have resulted in a new education policy to make the Prep year compulsory. The move is hoped to redress the current situation where Prep enrolments are high, but attendance is relatively low. Parents wanting to wait until their child turns six before starting school will have to enrol their child in Prep unless they apply for a special exemption to start in Year 1. Read more... Tuesday June 21 2011: Sydney, Australia TURNING TO TUTORS The Australian Tutoring Association (ATA) has released figures that indicate that 80 percent of NSW's year 12 students are using tutors to help them. An increasing desire to perform well and a need for extra support in areas of difficulty are among the reasons cited for the trend. According to the ATA, it is the students, rather than the parents, who seek out tutors. Read more... Tuesday June 21 2011: Canberra, Australia NEW $5M SCHEME FOR TEACHERS IN REMOTE COMMUNITIES The federal government has committed $5 million to ‘Teach Remote’, a program designed to attract and retain exemplary teachers in remote areas of Australia. The funds will be used for initiatives such as developing an induction program for teachers and providing support for teaching English as a second language. With the average length of teacher service in remote schools currently around eight months, Teach Remote aims to increase placements to a two-year minimum term. Read more... Tuesday June 21 2011: Sydney, Australia ANGURUGU SCHOOL ON GROOTE EYLANDT OPENS DOORS TO BOOST EDUCATION'S APPEAL As part of a Northern Territory pilot program, Groote Eylandt's Angurugu School is offering activities and classes for both adults and children until 9 pm. The school's facilities include an industrial kitchen and a workshop and training centre that allow for instruction in a range of areas including cooking classes and even trade apprenticeships. The initiative has been credited with improving student attendance, and is also increasing employment opportunities for the community. Read more... Tuesday June 21 2011: Sydney, Australia AUSTRALIA FOR UNHCR LAUNCHES WORLD-FIRST ‘INTERACTIVE PENPALS’ PROJECT WITH SKYPE Secondary schools are encouraged to apply for selection to partner with a school in the Ugandan refugee camp of Nakivale as part of a new project launched by Skype and the UN Refugee Agency’s charity in Australia, UNHCR. The initiative will involve one Australian school working on a special geography project that complements the new Australian Curriculum with the Nakivale school via Skype. Applications to be a part of the program close on 19 August. Read more... Saturday June 18 2011: Melbourne, Australia PARENTAL REVENUE 'UNTAPPED' In a submission to the school funding review, former Melbourne University dean of education Brian Caldwell has suggested that wealthier parents of students at public schools should contribute to capital costs. He also expressed his belief that a school's capacity to raise private funds should be irrelevant to government funding considerations. The federal review of school funding is due to be completed by the end of the year. Read more... Saturday June 18 2011: Canberra, Australia ACADEMY LAUNCHES NEW NATIONAL RESOURCE TO ENGAGE KIDS IN SCIENCE As part of the PrimaryConnections program, the Australian Academy of Science has launched a new DVD that aims to spark students' enthusiasm for science. Designed to support the new Australian Curriculum, the 'PrimaryConnections 5Es' DVD incorporates footage from Australian primary schools and input from education experts. It is hoped that the PrimaryConnections program will help increase scientific literacy in Australia. Read more... Saturday June 18 2011: Melbourne, Australia SPACE LAUNCH FOR TEACHER AND STUDENTS A principal from South Australia and two secondary students from New South Wales and Victoria respectively are heading to Alabama to take part in a week-long International Space Camp. The trip was supported by the Australian Scholarships Group (ASG) as part of the annual National Excellence in Teaching Awards and will give participants the opportunity to delve into areas of science and technology such as astronaut training and simulated missions. The student representatives were chosen on the basis of outstanding academic achievements and extra-curricular participation, while the principal, Mark Sparvell, was selected in recognition of his innovative use of technology. Read more... Saturday June 18 2011: Melbourne, Australia CALL FOR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO ENTER 2011 SAVEWATER! AWARDS Schools that have implemented effective water conservation programs will be recognised in this year’s Savewater! Awards. Open to all educational institutions, the competition offers finalists the opportunity to meet and learn from other schools, with the winners also receiving a $1000 cash prize. The competition closes on 8 August 2011. Read more... Saturday June 18 2011: Sydney, Australia ACMF NATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION 2011 LAUNCHES Students are invited to enter this year's The Australian Children’s Music Foundation (ACMF) National Songwriting Competition. Endorsed by the Federal Government, the competition aims to encourage positive self-expression through the medium of music. Entries close in early September. Read more... Saturday June 18 2011: Melbourne, Australia CYBERSAFETY VIDEO PRESENTATION FOR PARENTS 'Cybersmart', a joint initiative by the Australian Government and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), has released a new video to help parents become more informed about the potential problems associated with interacting online. The resource also gives strategies to support teenagers to minimise online risks. The video can be viewed on the Cybersmart website. Read more... Tuesday June 14 2011: Darwin, Australia LIVE LOCAL AND THINK GLOBAL AT SUMMIT More than 200 students across the Northern Territory participated in this year's Student Sustainability Summit. The event was hosted by Girraween Primary, a school that lives by the theme 'live local and think global', incorporating sustainability practices such as a self-sufficient farm and student-maintained vegetable garden into its everyday curriculum. More than 200 students attended the Summit, which finished with a performance by Jessica Mauboy. Read more... Tuesday June 14 2011: Adelaide, Australia TEACHERS DIPPING INTO THEIR OWN POCKETS The Australian Education Union (SA) has suggested that a lack of funding in public schools is causing teachers to regularly use their own money to buy classroom supplies. AEU Principals Consultative Committee chairman Ian Kent also expressed concern that the government's new student-centred funding model might only worsen the situation. SA Education Minister Jay Weatherill insists that schools are adequately funded under the new model. Read more... Tuesday June 14 2011: Sydney, Australia SCHOOLS FIBRE PROGRAM AXED ON THE QUIET A Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations official has confirmed that the federal government's Fibre Connection to Schools program has been dropped. The $100 million initiative, part of the Digital Education Revolution, was designed to ensure that remote schools would have access to high-speed internet connections. Cost-saving has been cited as the reason for redirection of Fibre Connection to Schools funds. Read more... Tuesday June 14 2011: Sydney, Australia QUALITY TEACHERS ARE KEY FOR THE DISADVANTAGED Flexibility, passion and the ability to connect learning to the real world are among the attributes of exemplary teachers identified in a University of Western Sydney study. Conducted as part of the Teachers for a Fair Go research project, the research analysed the practice of 30 successful teachers working in low-socio economic areas. The findings support research that has identified teacher quality as a crucial element in student achievement. Read more... Saturday June 11 2011: Canberra, Australia RELEASE OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER EDUCATION ACTION PLAN The federal government has launched its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Action Plan to close the gap between achievement levels of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. The program, which will be implemented across education sectors nationally, will target around 900 schools, providing support in areas including literacy and numeracy, and attendance. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Action Plan supports the goals identified by the Council of Australian Governments of halving the reading, writing and numeracy gap by 2018, and halving year 12 retention rate gaps by 2020. Read more... Saturday June 11 2011: Sydney, Australia JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN, EXPERT TELLS TEACHERS The director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, Professor John Hattie, has recommended that teachers spend more time listening and less time talking. Professor Hattie's research indicates that teachers spend 80 percent of the time talking, a figure that he believes is too high. Professor Hattie suggests that change might be achieved by teaching students more about the learning process, including making the focus and expectations of each lesson clear. Read more... Saturday June 11 2011: Melbourne, Australia SCHOOL HELD LIABLE FOR STUDENT'S INJURED EYE The County Court has ruled that the Victorian Education Department must pay $120 000 in compensation to a student who suffered an eye injury at school. The Braybrook Secondary College student has permanent vision damage after a coin being tossed between two other students accidentally flicked into her eye. The payout was awarded on the basis that the area where the incident occured was not adequately supervised. Read more... Saturday June 11 2011: Sydney, Australia BLIGH ADDS YEAR 7 TO QUEENSLAND HIGH SCHOOLS Year 7 will be moved from primary school to high school in Queensland in 2015 under a plan announced by Premier Anna Bligh. The change will bring Queensland's education system into line with many of the other states, giving year 7 students access to secondary school facilities such as science labs. The cost of the program will be in excess of $600 million and will involve building 550 classrooms and recruiting a further 1300 high school teachers. Read more... Saturday June 11 2011: Canberra, Australia AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE JOINS INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION CALL National science academies from around the world have stressed the vital role that science plays in the health and well being of people and our planet in a plea to governments to give adequate priority to science education. The Australian Academy of Science has suggested that support should include continued collaboration between scientists, the media and the general public, and provision of assistance to ensure that developing countries can deliver adequate science education. The G8+ science academies group, endorsed by the Australian Academy of Science, has also urged governments to improve water management standards worldwide. Read more... Tuesday June 7 2011: Sydney, Australia NATIONAL ARTS PLAN 'TOO HEAVY ON FEELINGS, TOO LIGHT ON SKILLS' The NSW Board of Studies has criticised the draft national arts and languages curricula in a submission to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). Concerns include the lack of clarity and depth around the definitions of concepts such as dance and the failure to acknowledge classical languages. An ACARA spokesman said the feedback would be considered in the final drafts of the Arts and Languages documents. Read more... Tuesday June 7 2011: Sydney, Australia PUBLIC SYSTEM A MESS, CLAIMS BER INVESTIGATOR The condition of Australia's public schools' building and infrastructure has come under fire from the president of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, Malcolm McComas, a former member of the Building the Education Revolution (BER) taskforce. According to Mr McComas, the failure to maintain buildings and equip them to educate 21st century students has contributed to poor retention rates and low staff morale. Mr McComas suggests the government needs to invest $40 billion over 15 years to lift the standards to an acceptable level. Read more... Tuesday June 7 2011: Byron Bay, Australia THE OASIS: HOMELESS SHORT FILM COMPETITION With more than 30 000 homeless people under the age of 25 in Australia, the Caledonia Foundation, with the help of patron Cate Blanchett, has launched THE OASIS: Homeless Short Film Competition for secondary students. Entrants can choose any aspect of homelessness on which to base a film that will help raise awareness of the issue. The competition closes 16 September, with $25 000 in prizes for the winning schools. Read more... Tuesday June 7 2011: Sydney, Australia MAKING CYBERSPACE A BETTER PLACE Kids Helpline and Optus have released a new resource to educate primary and secondary students about cyber-safety. Schools across the country will receive a copy of the 'Make Cyberspace a Better Place' education pack, which includes age-appropriate lesson plans, posters and video case studies for students from year 3 to year 12. The initiative was developed in response to a growing number of calls to the Kids Helpline expressing concern about online behaviours including rumour-spreading and impersonation. Read more... Saturday June 4 2011: Adelaide, Australia BURNOUT BONUS A BONANZA FOR YOUNG TEACHERS The South Australian government's Teacher Renewal Program has proved successful, with over 100 teachers accepting a $50 000 payment to leave the profession. The payments, offered to teachers with at least 10 year's service in the department, were designed to create vacancies for enthusiastic younger teachers. Permanent positions made available by the program are expected to be filled over the next two terms. Read more... Saturday June 4 2011: Melbourne, Australia EXTRA SCRUTINY OF TEACHERS AGAINST CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS Changes to the Victorian Institute of Teaching's (VIT) regulations will require Victorian teachers to undergo annual police checks in addition to the current national criminal records check that is completed every five years. The change has been instituted to protect students and school communities by ensuring that any convictions are detected swiftly. The VIT has pledged that teachers will not be asked to bear the cost of the extra safeguard. Read more... Saturday June 4 2011: Mooloolaba, Australia GRIDLOCH SET TO SCORE WELL IN EDUCATION Australian software developer, iApps Pty Ltd, has released Gridloch, a new maths game that is available as an iPhone or iPad application. Gridloch incorporates maths quizzes and interesting facts in an adventure game set in the land of Historia, and is based on CanUCards. The app is available for download through iTunes. Read more... Saturday June 4 2011: Brisbane, Australia IT'S TIME: QUT'S DEADLY CENTRE AIMS TO MAKE MATHS FUN A series of Teaching Indigenous Maths Education (TIME) workshops is being conducted by the Queensland University of Technology's (QUT) YuMi Deadly Centre in the Faculty of Education to assist teachers to engage Indigenous and disadvantaged students in maths. The program connects maths to real life situations and has proven to reduce misbehaviour by involving students in hands-on tasks. QUT's research has indicated that whole school community programs are necessary to embed changes in practice. Read more... Saturday June 4 2011: Gingin, Australia NEW SCHOOL CAMPS IN GINGIN The Gingin Observatory in Western Australia is offering new camps and day trips for school groups. The program options include astronomy, a honey farm and koalas. The Observatory website also offers advice about viewing the upcoming lunar eclipse. Read more... Saturday June 4 2011: Canberra, Australia TOP PERFORMING AUSSIE TEENS GO FOR GOLD This year's competitors in the International Science and Mathematical Olympiad Teams have been announced, with 23 high school students from year 10 to year 12 set to represent Australia in competitions across the globe. Biology, Chemistry, Informatics, Mathematics and Physics Teams will compete against more than 100 countries. Preparation and selection for the Olympiads is supported by the Australian Mathematics Trust and Australian Science Innovations. Read more... Tuesday May 31 2011: Sydney, Australia PETER GARRETT REJECTS SCARE CAMPAIGN ON SCHOOL FUNDS Federal Education Minister Peter Garrett has reiterated the government's commitment to ensuring that schools will not be worse off after the Gonski review of school funding is complete, insisting that the government will not make any decisions until the review information has been received. Mr Garrett's comments come after some schools received letters from Coalition MPs suggesting that non-government schools stand to lose out in real terms if funding is changed. The Coalition also plans to release information about the potential income losses to non-government schools if indexation arrangements are not maintained. Read more... Tuesday May 31 2011: Sydney, Australia WINDOWS ON THE WORLD: ART, LITERACIES AND A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE The Primary English Teaching Association is presenting a professional learning day for teachers in Melbourne on 16 June. The day will feature presentations and workshops that explore the theme of intercultural awareness and will link to the Australian Curriculum. Earlybird registrations close 2 June. Read more... Tuesday May 31 2011: Sydney, Australia CURRICULUM HEAD WARNS AGAINST AXING RELIGION The chairman of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), Professor Barry McGaw, has backed the current arrangements for the teaching of Special Religious Instruction (SRI) in government schools, citing a fear that parents will remove their children from the public system if religion is no longer offered as justification for maintaining the status quo. With 96 percent of SRI classes in Victoria being offered by Christian group Access Ministries, there have been calls for consideration to be given to developing an academic subject exploring world religions. There are currently no plans to incorporate religion in the new Australian Curriculum. Read more... Tuesday May 31 2011: Burnie, Australia WOOLWORTHS AND PICSE COMBINE TO FIND FRESH FOOD PEOPLE Secondary school students around Australia will be given the opportunity to explore the possibilities offered by a career in agricultural science as part of a partnership between Woolworths and the Primary Industry Centre for Science Education (PICSE). As part of the Fresh Food Future program, Science Education Officers will visit around 200 high schools in an effort to ensure that science graduates consider primary industry as a career path. Annual Science Investigation Awards, as well as scholarship and leadership initiatives also form part of the Fresh Good Future program. Read more... Saturday May 28 2011: Adelaide, Australia DYSLEXIA DIAGNOSED TOO LATE IN STUDENTS The fact that many students with dyslexia go undiagnosed has prompted calls for better training to help teachers identify the symptoms. When picked up early enough, students with dyslexia can be taught learning strategies to help them overcome their difficulties. Flinders University School of Education lecturer Anne Bayetto said that while teacher training courses include subjects that focus on developing individual learning programs, access to specialist professionals such as educational psychologists was crucial to support teachers and students. Read more... Saturday May 28 2011: Sydney, Australia LIKELY SUCCESS GREATER FOR POOR IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS A submission to the federal government review of school funding by Melbourne University academics Richard Teese and Stephen Lamb from the Centre for Research on Education Systems asserts that poorer students at private schools achieve as well as the richest students at public schools. They attribute the finding to increased resources available at private schools, where students are more likely to be in smaller classes and to be offered extension or support if required. The submission also suggests that current funding models allow parents choice, rather than focusing on ensuring all schools have a similar capacity to educate students. Read more... Saturday May 28 2011: Melbourne, Australia ROBOT POWER FORGES SCHOOL LINKS WITH BUSINESS A partnership between brake manufacturer FMP Group and Haddon Primary School in Victoria has given students the opportunity to design and create robots. Developed in an effort to encourage students to pursue engineering or IT careers, the program is expanding from last year's intake of 15 year 5 boys to include all year 5 and 6 students. Haddon Primary won a $25 000 grant from the NAB Schools First scheme to allow them to purchase more sophisticated equipment for the students. Read more... Saturday May 28 2011: Sydney, Australia MATHS INITIATIVE A WINNING FORMULA The appointment of two year 11 students as 'Maths Subject Captains' has proved successful in increasing engagement in maths at Meriden Anglican School in Sydney. The captains undertake activities including regularly contributing to the school newsletter and organising events such as a Pi celebration day to spark students' enthusiasm. Meriden has also established a 'Maths Learning Centre' for year 5 - 7 students, which allows hands-on modelling of maths problems, as well as building teamwork skills. Read more... Saturday May 28 2011: Melbourne, Australia GENERATION ONE - BE PART OF THE GENERATION FOR CHANGE The 'Hands Across Australia School Competition', an initiative that supports the aim of ending Indigenous disparity, is now open to all schools. Participants need to create a song or rap to express their understanding of Indigenous disparity, with the winners receiving $15 000. Schools will shortly receive a resource pack which includes a DVD and other activities to help develop their entries. The competition closes on 23 September. Read more... Tuesday May 24 2011: Melbourne, Australia RELIGIOUS EDUCATION INSTRUCTORS IN SCHOOLS AFTER JUST HOURS OF TRAINING It has been revealed that Access Ministries volunteers, who are responsible for the majority of Special Religious Education classes conducted in Victorian government schools, undertake just six hours training at a cost of $15 before entering classrooms. The disclosure comes in the midst of growing concerns about the way Christian education is administered, which has led to action at both the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Tribunal. Education Minister Martin Dixon has no plans to change the current system. Read more... Tuesday May 24 2011: Sydney, Australia A NEW CLASS OF ONLINE CHATTER Teachers in Britain are logging on to 'ukedchat', a weekly forum that is helping educators keep up with issues faced in modern classrooms. Each session is based around a poll question focusing on a topic chosen by a volunteer moderator. Teachers have the opportunity to share their ideas and experience to help each other out, and experts are sometimes invited to host sessions. Homework and mobile phone use are among the subjects covered so far. Read more... Tuesday May 24 2011: Canberra, Australia LITERACY AND NUMERACY FORUM TO HELP CLOSE THE GAP To complement projects aimed at improving education outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island students, Minister for School Education Peter Garrett has opened a forum that will allow key stakeholders to collaborate and share their experiences. The government has also allocated $25.9 million for a further 17 projects, with an emphasis on teacher quality, leadership and literacy and numeracy skills. Read more... Tuesday May 24 2011: Canberra, Australia BARR BIDS TO REVIVE TERRITORY SCHOOLS The development of a Virtual Learning Academy, pre-vocational courses for students in years 5 to 8 and the opportunity for exceptional students to condense years 9 to 12 into three years are among the recommendations of the ACT Government's review of government high schools and colleges. The reforms come as the number of secondary students attending non-government schools in the ACT has exceeded the number attending government schools for the first time. Increased specialisation by schools is also on the reform agenda. Read more... Saturday May 21 2011: Sydney, Australia STUDENTS FORCED TO RESIT TESTS AFTER THEFT Shalvey Public School has reported that more than 100 language and writing tests completed by students as part of the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) have been stolen from a secure room. Investigating police are mystified by the theft. Affected students will have to re-sit the tests with alternative papers provided by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. Read more... Saturday May 21 2011: Melbourne, Australia MOST ACT SECONDARY STUDENTS GO PRIVATE A recent census has shown that Canberra now has more secondary students attending Catholic and independent schools than government schools. While some have condemned the figures as indicative of the widening education gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students, the Independent Schools Council of Australia believe they show confidence in the ability of non-government schools to meet a variety of needs. The census also showed that the percentage of secondary students attending government schools is declining in all states and territories. Read more... Saturday May 21 2011: Melbourne, Australia EXPERT COMMENT ON NANO SUNSCREENS RMIT University toxicologist, Associate Professor Paul Wright, has warned schools to treat with caution the recent Australian Education Union advice to use only nano-free sunscreens. Currently conducting further research into nanoparticles in sunscreen, Dr Wright explains that recent studies have shown minimal absorption of zinc particles by subjects wearing sunscreen. Dr Wright also stressed that the high incidence of skin cancer in Australia makes sunscreen use, especially by children, essential. Read more... Saturday May 21 2011: Brisbane, Australia LET THE SCHOOL FUNDRAISING REVOLUTION BEGIN Schools can now choose a healthier option for their fundraising by participating in the Adidas School Fun Run. The program proved successful in trial schools earlier this year, and offers a way to raise money that breaks away from traditional junk food alternatives. Complementing the health curriculum, the Adidas School Fun Run is supported by a website featuring training tips from prominent sporting personalities. Participating schools also receive a share of five percent of footwear sales from The Athlete's Foot, donated by Adidas. Read more... Saturday May 21 2011: Canberra, Australia NGS SUPER TO HELP TEACHERS WITH FINANCIAL LITERACY IN SCHOOLS More than 1500 non-government schools will receive a free financial literacy resource pack as part of an initiative developed by NGS Super and enRICH Kids. The resource includes teacher guides, activities and worksheets, and is available in versions tailored to both primary and to secondary schools. Read more... Tuesday May 17 2011: Brisbane, Australia PIONEER PROGRAM ON GOLD COAST PROVES A WINNER AT TAMING BADLY BEHAVED PREP STUDENTS A program established by Education Queensland and the Anglican Church's SAILS (Sailing Adventures in Life Skills) is proving successful in controlling the behaviour of young students. The initiative sees groups of five to seven students working with a teacher, aide and a staff member with a psychology background for a period of five weeks, during which their parents also attend a support program. Students are usually referred to the program for major behavioural issues such as violence. Almost 400 Prep students were suspended in Queensland's state schools last year. Read more... Tuesday May 17 2011: Melbourne, Australia TEACHER UNION CALLS FOR END TO RELIGIOUS CLASSES The Victorian branch of the Australian Education Union has formally adopted a policy not to support the provision of Special Religious Instruction (SRI) in schools. Concerns about SRI include time constraints in an already crowded curriculum, its predominantly Christian focus, and the fact that it threatens the secular nature of state schooling. The state government is facing increasing pressure to make SRI classes available on an opt-in basis, rather than the current opt-out system, and to offer classes only outside school hours. Read more... Tuesday May 17 2011: Brisbane, Australia WORLD WIDE WEB THE KEY TO IMPROVING EDUCATION Queensland University of Technology's Professor Hitendra Pillay will undertake a project that aims to improve educational outcomes in developing countries. Students in Samoa will be given access to online tutorials and other educational content through open source websites that features content that is closely aligned to the secondary curriculum. The Asian Development Bank-funded project will see wireless broadband networks installed in all Samoan secondary schools. Read more... Tuesday May 17 2011: Sydney, Australia LOGITECH SUPPORTS TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION OF NSW TEACHERS Logitech is offering two NSW teachers the opportunity to investigate innovative practice with new technology as part of the NSW Premier’s Teacher Scholarships. Two $10 000 scholarships will be awarded by Logitech to teachers who can demonstrate the proposed future benefits of their study, with the recipients to prepare a thorough report of their findings. The scholarships aim to develop knowledge about successful pedagogy using new technology. Read more... Tuesday May 17 2011: Canberra, Australia NEW ONLINE NATIONAL PROGRAM TRAINS TEACHERS IN CYBERSAFETY A new online resource has been launched by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). 'Connect.ed' addresses issues including cyberbullying, sexting and e-security, supporting teachers to educate students about appropriate online behaviour. The site includes advice from teachers, students and experts. Aimed at both primary and secondary teachers, 'Connect.ed' is free to use. Read more... Saturday May 14 2011: Sydney, Australia FIRST-EVER INTERACTIVE ONLINE PROGRAM TO EDUCATE TEACHERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA Australian teachers can now learn about social media and its implications for their students via a new online program launched by Social Media Education Group (SME Group). The program aims to give teachers confidence with social media, covering content to help teachers manage their own online profiles, as well as understanding issues such as cyber bullying and privacy. Read more... Saturday May 14 2011: Sydney, Australia COMMUNITY FUN CAN SAVE A PLANT FROM EXTINCTION The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney is asking schools and community groups to get involved in plant conservation by undertaking a sponsorship initiative. Participants are free to choose suitable activities, from an egg and spoon race to a marathon, to raise funds. Donations will support the NSW Seedbank, which currently preserves ten percent of the world's plant species. Read more... Saturday May 14 2011: Sydney, Australia NEW FACEBOOK GUIDE FOR EDUCATORS RELEASED Facebook has launched a new online resource for teachers that explains the site and how it can be used in education. Content includes suggestions about using Facebook as a communication tool, and current information about safety and privacy settings. The Facebook For Educators website also features a family safety centre and other information about online issues. Read more... Saturday May 14 2011: Sydney, Australia QUEENSLAND’S CHANGING SCHOOL POPULATION NEEDS PEER SUPPORT PROGRAMS, SAYS LEADING TOWNSVILLE EDUCATOR Queensland educator, Anthony Ryan, has highlighted the key role that initiatives such as the Peer Support Australia Program play in assisting students to develop emotional intelligence, especially in areas such as Far North Queensland, where the population tends to be more transient. Currently implemented in 1000 schools around the country, analysis of the Peer Support Australia Program indicates that both academic outcomes and student attendance have improved. Peer Support Australia is currently looking for teachers to participate in their next leadership skills workshop in Townsville in May. Read more... Saturday May 14 2011: Brisbane, Australia NEW INITIATIVE SUPPORTS LEADING SCHOOL GARDENS Ten Australian primary schools have been recognised by the Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA) for being leaders in the field of organic gardening. The 'Leader Schools' have been rewarded with supplies including weed mats and organic fertilisers, and their stories will be featured on the BFA Organic School Gardens website. The BFA has also launched a free online resource to support schools who join the Organic Schools Gardens Program. Read more... Saturday May 14 2011: Melbourne, Australia NAB PROUD TO SUPPORT SCHOOLS TO DEVELOP AUSTRALIA’S FUTURE – GOVERNMENT RELEASES REPORT The Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett has released a report titled 'Realising Potential: Business Helping Schools to Develop Australia’s Future'. Developed from a February roundtable that included representatives from the National Australia Bank (NAB), Microsoft, Principals Australia, and the Foundation for Young Australians, the document identifies key strategies to strengthen school-business partnerships. Recommendations include developing guiding principles to help schools identify good practice, and implementing a national awards scheme that acknowledges the contribution of business to education. Read more... Tuesday April 19 2011: Sydney, Australia POLITICAL RUSH MARRED GILLARD REFORMS Tight political timelines have been criticised by a retiring principal as rendering otherwise valuable education reforms less effective. While Barbara Stone from MLC in the Sydney suburb of Burwood believes that Labor government initiatives such as the national curriculum and the school building program had enormous potential, the necessity to complete projects within a three-year political term had meant implementation was rushed. Mrs Stone also suggested that the government had accepted bad advice, especially in following New York's approach, in its hurry to make a difference. Read more... Tuesday April 19 2011: Perth, Australia ENERGY DRINKS FOR STUDENTS DUMPED Funding of $28 million to develop an alternative to caffeine-filled energy drinks has been withheld while a review of the project is completed. The Department of Business and Innovation had backed a proposal by students from a Melbourne high school to develop the drinks to help secondary students maintain their concentration, however the Victorian government has now dropped the idea. Read more... Tuesday April 19 2011: Melbourne, Australia BETTER TEACHER APPRAISAL EQUALS HIGHER PERFORMING STUDENTS The use of at least four out of a proposed eight different appraisal methods has been advocated in a Grattan Institute report titled 'Better Teacher Appraisal and Feedback: Improving Performance'. Synthesising international research and teacher interviews, the report underscores the importance of teacher quality to student outcomes and identifies effective feedback as a mechanism through which teaching practice can be improved. Current appraisal methods have been criticised as mere 'tick-a-box' exercises. Read more... Tuesday April 19 2011: Melbourne, Australia HISTORIC STEP FOR TEACHER PREPARATION The Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA) has endorsed a proposal developed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) to introduce national accreditation of teacher education programs. The program will be based on the recently released National Professional Standards for Teachers and aims to ensure candidates start their teaching journey with the best preparation possible. AITSL will coordinate the initiative, with institutions to be assessed over a five-year cycle. Read more... Saturday April 16 2011: Sydney, Australia PUSH TO CLOSE BUSH-CITY EDUCATION GAP The disparity in achievement levels of urban and rural students has been highlighted as an area of concern by NSW's new Education Minister, Adrian Piccoli. With one in seven students from remote areas not achieving minimum benchmarks in literacy and numeracy testing, a review of funding, and attracting and retaining quality teachers have been identified as potential areas for improvement. State and federal education representatives committed to make the issue a high priority at a recent conference in Melbourne. Read more... Saturday April 16 2011: Canberra, Australia PPI REPORT DISPELS PRIVATE SCHOOL EQUITY MYTH The role of non-government schools in promoting equity and overcoming social disadvantage has been highlighted in an Australian Catholic University report. Prepared by the Public Policy Institute and drawing on international research, the report found that schools with qualities such as autonomy and accountability were more likely to subvert the ties between socio-economic disadvantage and poor performance. The report also recommends that funding be allocated to students with educational disadvantages, regardless of the school system they are in. Read more... Saturday April 16 2011: Adelaide, Australia BETTER MOVERS = BETTER LEARNERS: TOWARD HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION FOR NEW TIMES The connection between physical activity and learning will be the focus of the 27th International Conference of the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER). Research from around the world will be presented to promote the benefits of incorporating movement into the curriculum whenever practicable. The conference runs from 18 - 20 April. Read more... Saturday April 16 2011: Melbourne, Australia NAB SCHOOLS FIRST GIVES VOICE AND SUPPORT TO STUDENT IDEAS The National Australia Bank (NAB) is extending its Schools First program to include an award for student-generated ideas. In partnership with the Foundation for Young Australians and the Australian Council of Educational Research, the NAB Schools First Student Award will earn up to five students $2000 to help make their proposal into a reality. Winners will also be supported by initiatives such as access to previous winners of Schools First awards and the opportunity to attend a special workshop. Applications close on 27 May 2011. Read more... Tuesday April 12 2011: Brisbane, Australia REVIEW TO IMPROVE TEACHER TRAINING Queensland's Teacher Education and School Induction Review has recommended that teacher education institutions work to attract candidates from the top 30 percent of tertiary entry ranked students. The review has also earmarked improvements that can be immediately adopted, including ensuring areas such as indigenous and special needs are adequately catered for in teacher training. A further 41 recommendations will be considered by the yet-to-be-established Teacher Education Implementation Taskforce. Read more... Tuesday April 12 2011: Melbourne, Australia BELT-UP CALL FOR SCHOOL BUSES The Australasian College of Road Safety has appealed to Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu to make seat belts on school buses compulsory. According to the college, more than 1000 buses operate in high speed zones in Victoria's rural areas, yet many buses do not have seatbelts fitted and there is often a culture of not buckling up on those that do. Read more... Tuesday April 12 2011: Brisbane, Australia BLIGH PROMISES YEAR 7 SHIFT WILL BE AFFORDABLE Claims that the Queensland state government's proposal to move year 7 into high school will cost up to $1 billion, have prompted Premier Anna Bligh to pledge to ensure that the change is affordable before moving towards implementation. With schools across all sectors requiring substantial capital investment to support the shift, a decision is yet to be made. The education budget in Queensland is likely to suffer as a result of the recent flood disaster. Read more... Tuesday April 12 2011: Melbourne, Australia SCHOOL FUNDING REVIEW PROPOSAL TO TREAT ALL STUDENTS EQUALLY An Independent Schools Victoria submission to the federal government's school funding review has suggested that a Portable Funding Allowance model be adopted, whereby funding would be linked to students most in need, regardless of the school they attend. As a second alternative, Independent Schools Victoria has also proposed a Community Based Funding model that would build on the current socioeconomic status based system by using more localised information to allocate funding. Parents of students at independent schools contribute around 25 percent of the total education spend in Australia, according to Independent Schools Victoria. Read more... Saturday April 9 2011: Melbourne, Australia STATE TO INCREASE FUNDS FOR CHRISTIAN CLASSES The Victorian state government has allocated an extra $200 000 to Access Ministries to help with the provision of Christian education in Victorian public schools. The move comes as three parents are presenting a case to the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, claiming that children who opt out of Religious Instruction classes are being discriminated against and segregated. Education Minister Martin Dixon has said that the government has no plans to change the 'opt out' system for Religious Instruction, nor will it introduce alternatives such as ethics classes. Read more... Saturday April 9 2011: Sydney, Australia HEADMASTER DEFENDS SCHOOLS FUNDING PLAN Despite a backlash from a variety of groups including the Australian Education Union and the NSW Greens, the principal of The King's School in Parramatta, Dr Timothy Hawkes, has defended his suggestion to introduce an extra tax for wealthy parents of school children in any sector. The plan has drawn criticism as it would mean that not all students could access free public education in Australia. Dr Hawkes has also been accused of trying to draw attention away from the levels of funding currently received by many wealthy private schools. Read more... Saturday April 9 2011: Brisbane, Australia NEW NATIONAL AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING TEACHING AND SCHOOL LEADERSHIP Scholarships to work with leaders in the education field in Australia and overseas will be awarded to one teacher in each of five categories under the new Australian Awards for Outstanding Teaching and School Leadership. Underpinned by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership's new professional standards for teachers and principals, the awards aim to recognise the significant contribution made by Australia's best teachers. Peak school education bodies are invited to submit nominations by 30 June 2011. Read more... Saturday April 9 2011: Melbourne, Australia SCHOOL FUNDING REVIEW SHOULD ADDRESS PLACEMENT ISSUES The University of Melbourne has suggested that the federal government's school funding review should include provisions for improving the practical placement process for teacher candidates. With remuneration rates for mentoring teachers at the same level as 1990, and 60% of new teachers reporting that they feel unprepared for the reality of classroom life, current practices need to be updated. Greater remuneration and increased non-teaching time for mentor teachers, and stronger links between school practice and university research are among the recommendations submitted to the school funding review. Read more... Tuesday April 5 2011: Adelaide, Australia SOCIAL MEDIA LINK PUTS PARENTS IN THE PICTURE A senior lecturer in Social and Policy Studies at Flinders University is advocating for schools to embrace social media, in order to encourage parents to take more of an interest in, and be in a better position to support the appropriate use of, modern technology by their children. Among Dr Mubarak Rahamathulla's recommendations is that schools establish their own Facebook profiles to facilitate student interaction, and hopefully reduce bullying issues. While some schools have been quick to take advantage of social media, the aging teaching workforce has been blamed for the reluctance of others to integrate new technology in the classroom. Read more... Tuesday April 5 2011: Sydney, Australia GOVERNMENT DEFENDS LITERACY AND NUMERACY RECORD In the wake of an Industry Skills Councils' report finding that up to eight million Australians have inadequate literacy and numeracy skills to progress well in trades or professional jobs, the government has defended its education record, indicating that spending on literacy and numeracy programs has doubled since it was elected. School Education Minister Peter Garrett was also quick to point out that the coalition is currently pushing for education funding cuts. Both Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Peter Anderson and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said that they believe there needs to be a greater emphasis on basic literacy and numeracy skills in schools. Read more... Tuesday April 5 2011: Melbourne, Australia A BETTER DEAL FOR AUSTRALIA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS The Australian Education Union (AEU) has called for schools with students most in need to receive the greatest amount of funding under the Federal Government's school funding review. In its submission to the review, the AEU requested an end to indexation of private school funding in line with public school costs, and for public schools to have a resources standard that takes into account factors such as teacher/student ratios and Information and Communication Technology costs. According to the AEU, the current funding model will only increase the resources gap between advantaged and disadvantaged schools. Read more... Tuesday April 5 2011: Sydney, Australia SENTIMENTS DIVIDED OVER SPECIAL-NEEDS OVERHAUL A trial of a new funding model for special-needs students in New South Wales will continue to the end of the year after receiving mixed reviews from the schools involved. While the trial has been criticised as having a hidden agenda to save $100 million, some participating schools have found the funding system to give them greater flexibility to offer support services to students with lower-level special needs who do not have a diagnosed condition. The trial has also caused some concern because it requires special needs teachers to take an online course to upgrade their skills to be able to deal with a range of disabilities instead of specialising in a specific area. Read more... Saturday April 2 2011: Melbourne, Australia BUSINESS IN PLEA ON ASIAN LANGUAGES Business leaders have expressed concern over potential cuts to the budget of the Asian languages program. With just 300 students of non-Asian backgrounds estimated as continuing with an Asian language through to year 12 each year, a letter written to federal MPs underscores the importance of Asian languages in the context of the rising economic wealth of the area. Although Asia and Australia's engagement in Asia is one of the cross-curriculum priorities in the Australian Curriculum, the Coalition is concerned that this diminishes the focus on our European connections. Read more... Saturday April 2 2011: Brisbane, Australia TEACHING GRADS FACING BIGGER HURDLES An interim report of the Review of Teacher Education and School Induction Project (RTESIP) by the Queensland Government has recommended that teachers undertake a five-year degree and are subject to entry-level tests and interviews before joining the profession. The five-year course of study would include a three-year degree and a two-year graduate diploma. The recommendations are likely to be refined when the final report is released. Read more... Saturday April 2 2011: Sydney, Australia JUDGE WARNS OVER-PROTECTIVE MOTHER ABOUT HOME-SCHOOLING SON A judge has ordered a Sydney mother to send her son to school after a doctor's report indicated that her plan to home-school the boy was likely to place him at risk. The judge ruled that she was not sufficiently prepared for home-schooling, however the mother has indicated that the child's medical problems, including eczema, make her unwilling to send him to school. The child's father, who is no longer with the mother, wants him to attend school. Read more... Saturday April 2 2011: Canberra, Australia PARENTAL CHOICE FOR EDUCATION A MUST The role of independent schools in educating more than 1.2 million students has been highlighted in a statement by the Independent Schools Council of Australia (ISCA). With an expected increase of 700 000 students in primary and secondary schools over the next 10 years, ISCA argues that non-government schools need stability in funding arrangements in order to continue to provide choice for parents and avoid over-burdening government schools. ISCA is also asking for equity in funding for students with special needs in independent schools. Read more... Tuesday March 29 2011: Sydney, Australia SCHOOL HALLS REPORT TIMING 'EMBARRASSING' The tabling in parliament of a Senate report into the Building the Education Revolution (BER) program at 10:05 pm on Friday night has been criticised by the federal opposition. The late-night release of the report after a National Broadband Network debate was missed by the Liberal chairman of the inquiry, who is now calling for a change to upper house processes. The report found that there was insubstantial evidence to support claims that the BER had the desired stimulus effect on the economy, and that the BER taskforce's conclusions that the scheme offered value for money is state schools were ill-founded. Read more... Tuesday March 29 2011: Sydney, Australia RAP TALENT TURNS HEADS A hip-hop mentoring program at Collarenebri Central School has resulted in the YouTube release of a new rap song by the 'Colli Crew'. The lyrics of the song, 'Change the Game', were written by students and show a strong understanding of the cultural and historical issues faced by indigenous Australians. In addition to receiving online support from adults, including hip-hop group the Hilltop Hoods, the Colli crew have a number of performances lined up, including at the NAIDOC Awards. Read more... Tuesday March 29 2011: Sydney, Australia HELP NEEDY SCHOOLKIDS. NOT WELL-OFF ONES, SAYS BUSINESS COUNCIL The Business Council of Australia (BCA) has called for a reallocation of funding to ensure that students with the greatest needs receive the most help. According to the BCA, spending on disadvantaged schools and students can results in far greater improvements than giving extra funds to schools that are already performing well. The BCA also expressed concern about the lack of incentives for donations to government schools. While NSW has recently amended its laws, in the rest of the country philanthropic organisations lose their tax-free status if they donate to government schools unless the gifts are made within very rigid guidelines. Read more... Tuesday March 29 2011: Melbourne, Australia COULD GAIT UNLOCK THE KEYS TO AUTISM AND ASPERGER'S? Earlier detection of autism and Asperger's disorder may soon be possible after studies by Monash University associate professor Of Psychology and Psychiatry, Dr Nicole Rinehart, have identified a strong link between the afflictions and a child's gait. With one in 160 people suffering from autism or Asperger's, the research gives hope that early intervention may help minimise the associated social difficulties that are often experienced by children who stand out as being different. Dr Rinehart is also investigating the gender bias, as in Australia there is one female to every four males identified with autism or Asperger's. Read more... Saturday March 26 2011: Melbourne, Australia RELIGIOUS STUDY CONTESTED Three Victorian parents have lodged a complaint with the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission claiming that the Education Department's 'opt out' policy for religious education segregates and discriminates against students who choose not to participate in the classes. The parents are also concerned that students who opt out of the program are not provided with suitable alternatives. The Education Department concedes that while religious education is not part of the curriculum, teachers are unable to offer alternatives that cover core curriculum areas, as those attending religious education classes will miss out. Read more... Saturday March 26 2011: Sydney, Australia FACEBOOK FEAR: SCHOOLDAYS COULD BE MOST DAMAGING OF YOUR LIFE The headmaster of Sydney's Shore school, Timothy Wright, has written a letter to parents outlining concerns about possible long-term consequences of students posting inappropriate information or images that may be accessible to others years later online during their youth. According to Dr Wright, the decision-making portion of the male brain is not fully developed until well into the 20s, making it difficult for young men to judge the impact of their online behaviour. Dr Wright advocates the setting of internet ground rules by parents, and also suggests that parents should be Facebook friends with their children. Read more... Saturday March 26 2011: Canberra, Australia SCHOOL FUNDING CERTAINTY A STEP CLOSER Catholic and independent schools now have their current funding levels guaranteed until the end of 2013 and their capital expenditure guaranteed to the end of 2014, with the passing of the Schools Assistance Amendment (Financial Assistance) Bill 2011 in the Senate. This will give certainty to all schools while the Review of School Funding is taking place. Submissions are invited in response to the Review of Funding for Schooling panel's Emerging Issues paper. Read more... Saturday March 26 2011: Canberra, Australia ACADEMY URGES GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT SCIENCE EDUCATION The Australian Academy of Science is concerned by the prospect of the removal of funding for its popular 'Primary Connections' and 'Science by Doing' programs in the face of declining numbers of students choosing science subjects in high school. The programs foster an interest in and enjoyment of science in students, but also support teachers, many of whom at the primary school level have no specialised science training. The Academy hopes to be able to continue its programs and will work with the Federal Government on the issue of funding. Read more... Saturday March 26 2011: Perth, Australia HATCHED ACTIVITIES FOR SCHOOLS The Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) is extending its education programs, this year offering schools the opportunity for a free interactive tour of the 2011 Hatched exhibition featuring upcoming artists from Australia's art institutions. Schools can also participate in workshops and purchase support materials. Two professional development sessions for teachers will be held in May to equip teachers with practical activities tied to the Hatched exhibition, along with instructions and materials. The exhibition opens on 15 April. Read more... Tuesday March 22 2011: Sydney, Australia NAPLAN CHEATS GOT TEACHERS' HELP Regulations for the administration of this year's National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests have been tightened amid allegations of cheating levelled at some schools. Investigations into 16 incidents from the 2010 NAPLAN tests are being undertaken for a range of infringements including teachers giving verbal or non-verbal prompts to students, and schools requesting particular students withdraw from the tests. Read more... Tuesday March 22 2011: Sydney, Australia PRESSURE TO BOOST TEACHER SALARIES The president of the NSW Teachers Federation has warned that with the imminent retirement of a large portion of the education workforce, teaching salaries need to be increased to encourage younger teachers to enter and remain in the profession. However, the NSW government is under pressure to reduce education spending after a report estimated that costs in the sector are likely to blow out by $1 billion in the next two years. A new trial of funding for students with special needs in Illawarra has also been criticised as being a cost-reduction exercise. Read more... Tuesday March 22 2011: Melbourne, Australia AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR LAUNCHES NEW PARTNERSHIP TO FIGHT POVERTY Simon McKeon, Australian of the Year, has launched '1.4 Billion Reasons for Youth', a multimedia presentation produced by the Global Poverty Project and Plan International Australia to inspire young people to take action against extreme poverty. The presentation highlights the reality of living in poverty and offers practical suggestions on how students can make a difference. A new Facebook application allowing young people to document their responses to the presentation and how they have tackled the issue, has also been developed. Read more... Tuesday March 22 2011: Melbourne, Australia TEENAGERS, PARENTS AND TEACHERS UNAWARE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING RISKS A new Monash University report, 'Teenagers, Legal Risks and Social Networking Sites', has revealed that although a high proportion of teenagers access social networking sites daily, they are largely oblivious to the legal implications of their online behaviour. Potential areas of legal risk include privacy, breach of confidence, defamation and copyright infringement. The report also found that almost 30 percent of students did not associate any risks with social networking, while nearly 20 percent were aware of potential risks, but disregarded them. Read more... Tuesday March 22 2011: Sydney, Australia RM EDUCATION LAUNCHES THE FIRST SLATE PC DESIGNED FOR SCHOOLS A new tablet PC designed especially for use in education environments has been launched by RM Education. Using the Windows 7 operating system, the RM Slate can connect to existing networks and features a large screen area to allow students to easily read text. The RM Slate can connect to other classroom technologies and is also Flash-compatible. Read more... Saturday March 19 2011: Sydney, Australia CUTTING-EDGE PROGRAM USES NEUROSCIENCE TO SHAPE YOUNG BRAINS The Benevolent Society is trialling an exciting new program to improve children's learning through focused play. Drawing on the latest neuroscience research, the 'Shaping Brains' trial will involve students from playgroups, computer-based programs for four- to 12-year-olds and reading fluency activities for five- to eight-year-olds, using existing support networks to target children most in need. The trial aims to garner government support to extend the programs to more families, as well as adding to recent research on involving parents in activities to support their children's learning based on neuroscience principles. Read more... Saturday March 19 2011: Canberra, Australia NATIONAL PARENTS' VOICE SUPPORTS NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION The President of the Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO) has announced the organisation's support for the first National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence, stressing the seriousness of the issue with figures that one in four Australian students is bullied at school. The ACSSO believes that the revised National Safe Schools Framework is a positive step towards combating the problem. An online campaign, Take a Stand Together, also offers encouragement to students not to stand by and watch when others are bullied. Read more... Saturday March 19 2011: Sydney, Australia ‘MEAN’ GIRLS AND BOYS NEED DIFFERENT ANTI-BULLYING STRATEGIES, SAYS EXPERT In the lead up to the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence, Peer Support Australia’s Education Manager, Sharlene Chadwick has highlighted the differences between bullying behaviours of girls and boys. While boys tend to be more physical, the psychological tactics often used by girls need different anti-bullying strategies. Suggestions include keeping a journal to express feelings, and focusing on academic or extracurricular activities rather than social standing. Read more... Saturday March 19 2011: Melbourne, Australia COUNTING AUSTRALIA'S INSPIRATIONAL TEACHERS Nominations are invited from Australian parents, school councils, committees of management, parent associations, secondary student councils, and community organisations for the 2011 National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA). The theme for this year's awards is 'Teachers Count' in recognition of the importance of quality teaching to students' success in education and beyond. Nominations for the NEiTA Awards close 29 July. Read more... Saturday March 19 2011: Sydney, Australia NGS SUPER ANNOUNCES ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS OPEN FOR 2011 Non-government education sector professionals are invited to apply for this year's NGS Super scholarships. Up to $5000 is available for each winner in three categories: Management, Teaching and Ancillary. Last year's winners are undertaking a variety of projects, from personal study to attendance at overseas conferences. Applications close on 30 June. Read more... Saturday March 19 2011: Sydney, Australia VICTORIAN TEACHER WINS 'EDUCATORS CHOICE' AWARD FOR APAC AT THE MICROSOFT ASIA-PACIFIC REGIONAL INNOVATIVE EDUCATION FORUM The exceptional practices of Victorian teacher, Kylie Taig, of Carey Baptist Grammar School have been recognised at the Microsoft Asia-Pacific Regional Innovative Education Forum in Phuket, Thailand where she won the 'Educators Choice' Award. Voted by peers from more than 21 countries, the award acknowledged Ms Taig's use of Microsoft's OneNote program to create engaging units of work for students. In partnership with state governments, Microsoft Australia runs the Partners in Learning scheme to support the use of learning technologies in lifting students' achievement outcomes. Read more... Tuesday March 15 2011: Melbourne, Australia BAILLIEU'S CALL TO TEACHERS Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu appears to have reneged on his election promise to make the state's teachers the best-paid in the country, indicating that any rise above 2.5 percent would need to be offset by productivity gains. Instead, he has asked teachers to act in 'good faith' during the wage negotiations. Industrial action by teachers while the issue is being resolved has been flagged as a possibility. Read more... Tuesday March 15 2011: Canberra, Australia AFL TO HELP TACKLE EDUCATION IN COFFS HARBOUR The AFL is establishing five Parent and Engagement Learning Centres in NSW and the ACT in an effort to improve indigenous attendance rates. A match played by the Sydney Swans and St Kilda in Coffs Harbour was preceded by an information session to help parents support their children's educational endeavours and promoted the importance of education. The initiatives are part of the federal government's ' Learn. Earn. Legend!' program. Read more... Tuesday March 15 2011: Brisbane, Australia STUDY EXAMINES TWINS 'UNIQUE' BOND The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is looking for twins aged from 5 to ten years old to take part in a study investigating how sibling relationships and being a twin influence child development. The research will build on previous QUT studies, including one which examined the placement of twins in lower primary school classes. Read more... Tuesday March 15 2011: Melbourne, Australia AUSTRALIAN FUR SEAL TEACHING AND LEARNING RESOURCE With the support of ExxonMobil Australia, Phillip Island Nature Parks has released a new DVD and online learning resource to educate primary and secondary students about Australian fur seals, covering information such as their lifestyle and biology. Available free to Victorian schools, the resource aims to give students an insight into the fur seal's world, and includes activities and teacher notes. Students are also able to access the resource from home. Read more... Tuesday March 15 2011: Melbourne, Australia RESEARCH MAGNIFIES IMPORTANCE OF MOUTHGUARD MESSAGE: MAKE MOUTHGUARDS MANDATORY In response to a recent Newspoll study, the Australian Dental Association (ADA) is pushing for mandatory mouthguards for children playing contact sports. In particular, the ADA recommends children use custom-fitted mouthguards as these protect best against tooth injuries that can be both painful and costly. As part of their Mouthguard Awareness campaign, the ADA has developed a website including tips on what to do in the event of a dental emergency, as well as further information on mouthguards. Read more... Tuesday March 15 2011: Perth, Australia NEW DVD TARGETS PROBLEM OF TEEN BINGE DRINKING 'The Gathering', a new DVD depicting a typical teenage party, has been released by the City of Melville in an attempt to educate teens about the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption. Associated issues such as violence and alcoholic poisoning are represented through realistic scenarios that were workshopped with teenagers to ensure authenticity before the film was made. Resource material for teachers is available to complement the DVD content. Read more... Saturday March 12 2011: Melbourne, Australia 2011 ROSEMARY RICHARDS SCHOLARSHIP Female financial members of the Australian Education Union (AEU) are invited to apply for the Rosemary Richards Scholarship. Valued at up to $10 000 per year, the scholarship is awarded to provide an opportunity for women to participate in AEU activities such as research, training or project implementation. Applications close on Friday 22 April. Read more... Saturday March 12 2011: Sydney, Australia PUBLIC SCHOOLS LOBBY STRUGGLES WITH FACTS The Independent Education Union (IEU) has challenged public sector lobby assertions about equitable funding, arguing that a complex range of factors should be considered when determining individual school entitlements. Among the variables highlighted by the IEU is the influence that location and size has on running costs and the enhanced ability of schools from any sector in wealthier suburbs to generate private income. The IEU asserts that it is in favour of government funding being allocated to schools most in need, regardless of sector. Read more... Saturday March 12 2011: Sydney, Australia APRIL EVENTS HIGHLIGHT DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES OF AUTISM FOR A MONTH OF AWARENESS Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) has organised a variety of opportunities in New South Wales to raise awareness of the capabilities of people with autism. An art exhibition, Research Forum and walkathons are among the events planned, along with the annual Light it up Blue campaign involving buildings across Sydney. Nationally Drawtism, a campaign based on the game Pictionary, will be used to help people identify with what it is like to be on the autism spectrum. Read more... Saturday March 12 2011: Sydney, Australia SCHOOLS BUILDING BRIDGES TO A CAREER IN ENGINEERING Aurecon, an engineering and specialist technical firm, is once again running its model Bridge Building Competition for high school students. With more than 400 students taking part in the challenge last year, it is hoped that the event will increase interest in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects. Entrants will be provided with construction materials and are required to design and build a bridge with a high load capacity. Aesthetics and workmanship are also considered to determine the winner. Read more... Saturday March 12 2011: Sydney, Australia SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM FOR DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN PROVES HUGE SUCCESS WITH EDUCATORS Applications are being accepted for the latest round of Max e Grants. Offered by Barnados Australia in partnership with OfficeMax, the grants are available to individual children at financial disadvantage and can be used in any way that will help children reach their educational goals. Over half a million dollars has been distributed to more than one thousand students since the Max e Grant program began. Read more... Tuesday March 8 2011: Brisbane, Australia QCPCA CONCERNS OVER MY SCHOOL VERSION 2 The Queensland Council of Parents and Citizens' Associations (QCPCA) has expressed concern that the revamped My School website places a greater emphasis on NAPLAN results. According to the QCPCA, schools have access to a whole range of information about their students to put results in perspective that outsiders do not. Among the QCPCA's other concerns is the confusing nature of the results graphs and the fact that the site does not make it clear that the results are only from one test carried out on one day. Read more... Tuesday March 8 2011: Sydney, Australia $10M EDUCATION PRECINCT OFFERS REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE Health, nursing and construction students will all benefit from a new building opened at Tropical North Queensland TAFE. Among the facilities are two six-bed hospital wards and a simulation ward to give nursing students valuable experience of hospital life. Construction students will be able to learn from the sustainability measures used in the building, including solar and gas energy and recycled materials. Read more... Tuesday March 8 2011: Sydney, Australia GARRETT TO CONTINUE PRIVATE SCHOOLS FUNDING School Education Minister Peter Garrett acknowledged the role played by private schools in educating Australia's school students during an appearance on Australian Agenda, vowing that federal funding of private schools will not be cut as part of the review currently being conducted by David Gonski. Independent schools have been quick to publicise the savings to the government that the private school system brings. My School data seems to indicate that despite greater overall funding, elite private schools are not performing substantially better than their public counterparts. Read more... Tuesday March 8 2011: Sydney, Australia LINK BETWEEN HIGH TEST SCORES AND LOW PUBLIC FUNDING A preliminary analysis of the financial data made available on the My School website has revealed that schools with lower government funding tend to produce the best student results. Chairman of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) Barry McGaw explains that schools receiving less government funding are likely to be private and to have students from higher socio-economic backgrounds. The analysis has also shown that special schools and remote schools are among the most well resourced nationally. Read more... Tuesday March 8 2011: Melbourne, Australia ANGER OVER LEAGUE TABLES In response to the publication of simplified league tables in newspapers across Australia, a group of principal associations and teacher unions has appealed to Schools Education Minister Peter Garrett to take action. It is a condition of the My School website that data not be used to compare schools for commercial purposes. The plea comes on the back of allegations that one newspaper published incorrect results for a school, incorrectly ranking it at the bottom of a primary school numeracy table. Read more... Saturday March 5 2011: Sydney, Australia MY SCHOOL 2.0 SPARKS FIGHT FOR FUNDS The launch of the revamped My School website has sparked a flurry of claims for extra funding from across all education sectors. My School 2.0 has made school financial data readily available for the first time and while some groups, such as the Australian Education Union and the New South Wales Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations, claim the data shows a huge gap in funding between government and independent schools, other organisations such as the Independent Education Union of NSW and the ACT, argue that it is their sectors that are missing out. Education Minister Peter Garrett has said that funding levels will not be changed until the school funding review that is underway is completed later this year. Read more... Saturday March 5 2011: Brisbane, Australia EFFECTIVE FUNDRAISING CAN BRIDGE THE PRIVATE-GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS GAP Government and Catholic schools should increase their income by focusing on structured and professional forms of fund raising according to the CEO of Global Philanthropic, Dr Daniel McDiarmid. Dr McDiarmid asserts that being able to offer tax deductibility for donations puts government and Catholic schools in a strong position to attract philanthropy, especially from alumni, but suggests that schools need to adopt sound fundraising practices to capitalise on this opportunity. Dr McDiarmid also cautions that government schools may run into political difficulties in their quest for private donations if the implication is that they are not adequately funded by the government. Read more... Saturday March 5 2011: Melbourne, Australia NAB SCHOOLS FIRST AWARDS The Foundation for Young Australians is again supporting this year's National Australia Bank's Schools First program. Designed to support partnerships between schools and the community, the program has already delivered more than $10 million in funding to 195 schools. This year a new student award which will provide $2 000 and industry mentoring for students to develop their own projects, will be added to the existing Impact and Seed Funding awards. Forums for schools interested in making an award submission will be held between March and May, with online entries opening during June. Read more... Saturday March 5 2011: Sydney, Australia CELEBRATE HARMONY DAY BY SIGNING UP FOR Y CHALLENGE Red Cross is encouraging schools to organise an event to celebrate Harmony Day in 2011 by offering the chance to win a media pack as part of Y Challenge - celebrating diversity. There are three Harmony Day award categories that represent different levels of engagement with resources for teachers and project ideas available on the Red Cross website. Harmony Day is celebrated on 21 March, and entries for the awards close 1 April. Read more... Tuesday March 1 2011: Melbourne, Australia PERILOUS ROAD TO POPULARITY New research published in The American Sociological Review has revealed that more popular students are often the victims of bullying as they vie for social position. Rather than being directed at the socially isolated, teen aggression is more likely to occur among social rivals. Those at the very top of the social strata are the most unlikely to be involved in aggressive behaviour, largely because they have no need for it in their position, the study speculates. Read more... Tuesday March 1 2011: Sydney, Australia NSW HIGH SCHOOLS MAY ALLOW SOCIAL SITES A trial that allowed year 10 students access to social networking sites such as Facebook on their government provided netbooks could result in previously banned sites being made available to students. The NSW Department of Education and Training is currently reviewing the results of the trial. The department is also formulating procedures for repairing or replacing government-issued computers that are out of warranty. Read more... Tuesday March 1 2011: Canberra, Australia NEW ERA IN SCHOOL TRANSPARENCY JUST DAYS AWAY Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth, Peter Garrett, has announced that My School 2.0 will be launched on Friday 4 March. The updated version will include school funding information in line with the Gillard Government's transparency agenda. It will also chart a school's performance over time. The My School site has had more than 4.6 million hits since it first went live in January 2010. Read more... Tuesday March 1 2011: Sydney, Australia VICTORIA'S PRIMARY SCHOOL LEADERS INSPIRED TO LEAD More than 3 600 students from Victoria, Tasmania and the Northern Territory will hear inspirational guest speakers including Matt Preston and members of Hi-5 as part of Melbourne's 2011 National Leaders Day. The event, organised by the Halogen Foundation, aims to prepare young leaders for the challenges of 21st century living. Further Young Leaders Day events for secondary students will be held throughout March. Read more... Saturday February 26 2011: Sydney, Australia GILLARD'S PCS IN SCHOOLS PROGRAM ON TRACK Government, independent and Catholic school students in years 9 to 12 will benefit from a one-to-one ratio of computers as part of the National Secondary School Computer Fund program. More than half of the promised computers have been delivered and installed to date with the rest to be ready for the 2012 school year. It is anticipated that more than 750 000 computers will have been delivered by that time. Read more... Saturday February 26 2011: Sydney, Australia COALITION PLANS MORE FLEXIBILITY FOR PRINCIPALS The New South Wales Coalition is promising to grant principals greater autonomy, giving them control over their bank accounts and allowing them to source products and services locally. Current supply contracts with the department of education may, however, hamper implementation of the scheme due to costs associated with buying them out. According to Minister for Education, Verity Firth, a new policy to take effect in July will allow schools to suggest local tradespeople and prioritise maintenance needs. Read more... Saturday February 26 2011: Brisbane, Australia YEAR 7 PROPOSAL FACES DELAY Plans to move year 7 into high school in Queensland are likely to be delayed a year longer than the proposed 2014 implementation date due to the financial impact of Cyclone Yasi. With the launch of the Australian Curriculum imminent, the current organisation of Queensland schools is likely to disadvantage year 7 students, who will not have the benefit of specialist teachers and other facilities that year 7 high school students in other states have. A conference for principals from across the state will investigate the challenges faced by schools in Queensland. Read more... Saturday February 26 2011: Melbourne, Australia AFGHANISTAN: GAINS IN GIRLS' EDUCATION ARE AT RISK A survey of more than 1 600 girls, parents and teachers in Afghanistan has revealed that despite recent improvements in education prospects for girls, there is a real risk that current rates will decline. Poverty, a lack of adequately trained teachers and growing insecurity in the country are among the factors contributing to growing concern for the ongoing education of girls. The positive effects of female education in developing countries include lower infant mortality rates and improved education and health levels for the entire family. Read more... Saturday February 26 2011: Sydney, Australia NATIONAL GETREEL ANTI DRUG AND ALCOHOL COMPETITION FOR STUDENTS LAUNCHED Students aged 10 to 16 are invited to enter the tenth annual GetReel Design a Drug Ad Competition. Working individually or in teams, entrants design a 30 second TV ad to promote drug awareness, which can be presented in a variety of formats including storyboards or Powerpoint presentations. In addition to prizes, the winning entries will be made into professional TV ads and screened on TV during Drug Action Week. Read more... Tuesday February 22 2011: Sydney, Australia CONFUCIUS SAYS SCHOOL'S IN, BUT DON'T MENTION DEMOCRACY A new organisation called the Confucius Institute has been established to promote Chinese language and culture in NSW schools. With financial backing from China, the Institute will provide seven bilingual teachers to support existing programs in seven schools, a move that ties in with the government's Asian literacy initiatives. Although the teachers will be responsible for educating students about history and contemporary Chinese culture, there are no plans to cover controversial topics such as Tibet or Tiananmen Square. Read more... Tuesday February 22 2011: Perth, Australia TEACHERS REVEAL WHY THEY WALKED Exit surveys of Western Australian teachers have revealed that a growing number are leaving the profession due to increased workloads and work pressure. The data also tapped teachers' concerns about student discipline, with suggestions for harsher penalties to be introduced, such as Saturday detentions. It is the first time that WA public teacher exit survey information has been released to the public. Read more... Tuesday February 22 2011: Adelaide, Australia STUDENTS TAKE THEIR PICK AT ANIMAL LIBRARY South Australian schools can now borrow animals such as axolotls and hopping mice from the newly relocated Nature Education Centre. Designed to combat 'nature deficit disorder', the Centre provides students with the opportunity to learn about issues associated with caring for a variety of animals. The National Education also offers excursion and school visit programs. Read more... Tuesday February 22 2011: Canberra, Australia PRIVATE SCHOOLS POCKET $43M An analysis by Save Our Schools convener Trevor Cobbold has revealed that forty Catholic schools in the Australian Capital Territory are receiving funds substantially above their Socio-Economic Status (SES) funding model entitlements as a result of a Howard government promise that no schools would receive less funding when the system was introduced. Some schools are overfunded by as much as $3 000 per student. The Federal Government has promised to maintain the SES model, but is conducting a major review of the system. Read more... Saturday February 19 2011: Melbourne, Australia EXPERTS WARN OF DANGER POSED BY SCHOOL TEXT Parents and experts have raised concerns about the use of a book of short stories entitled 'Smithereens' in year 8 English classes. The book includes tales of suicide and murder, and even has an exercise which requires students to write two suicide notes, an activity that the chief executive of the Australian Childhood Foundation warns encourages students to rehearse harmful behaviours. There is currently no mandated text list for years 7 to 11 in Victoria. Read more... Saturday February 19 2011: Melbourne, Australia FYA PARTNERS WITH THE NT DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) has teamed up with the Northern Territory Department of Education and Training to implement education and youth leadership programs over the next four years. Programs that have successfully been used by FYA, such as 'Worlds of Work' and 'Back to School' will be customised to meet the needs of students and schools in the Northern Territory. Read more... Saturday February 19 2011: Sydney, Australia OLYMPIANS SHARE PEARLS OF WISDOM ONLINE The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has launched a new online resource designed to motivate upper primary students. Consisting of over 100 video clips, 'Learn from a champ' features eight prominent Olympians sharing their stories of persistence and success. The resource is free to use and complements the AOC's 'Chat to a champ' program which gives students access to Olympic athletes via web chats. Read more... Saturday February 19 2011: Melbourne, Australia NEW MASTERS DEGREE TO ASSIST VICTORIAN SCHOOL TEACHERS The Victorian Government Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) is sponsoring 90 government school teachers to allow them to complete a new Masters in School Leadership course offered by Monash University. The first intakes, to begin in February, will specialise in Literacy and Numeracy, undertaking four units of study over two years. The course is aimed at aspiring school principals and curriculum leaders. Read more... Tuesday February 15 2011: Brisbane, Australia MSP PHOTOGRAPHY / APPA INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AWARD Members of the Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) are invited to apply for the 2011 MSP Photography / APPA International Travel Award. Valued at $10 000, the award allows principals or deputy principals to link with international associations in order to pursue a personal professional learning project. Applications close 30 May 2011. Read more... Tuesday February 15 2011: Sydney, Australia EDUCATED GUESSES AT PUBLIC FUNDING With the launch of the revamped My School website scheduled for 4 March, comprehensive information about state and government funding of schools across all sectors will become available for the first time. However, concerns are still being expressed by a number of groups over the methodology used to calculate figures and the omission of items such as assets from private school information. A government review of school funding is also underway. Read more... Tuesday February 15 2011: Sydney, Australia GAP IN INDIGENOUS SCHOOL ATTENDANCE WIDENING, NOT CLOSING The Productivity Commission's annual Report on Government Services has revealed that attendance rates at public high schools by indigenous students have decreased between 2007 and 2009, in spite of government initiatives to close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous students. The head of the David Unaipon College of Indigenous Education and Research at the University of South Australia pinpointed parent education as one of the key factors in reversing the trend. Catholic schools experienced an increase in indigenous attendance in most states. Read more... Tuesday February 15 2011: Sydney, Australia SCHOOLS DON'T NEED CCTV, METAL DETECTORS: WEATHERILL In the wake of violent incidents in South Australian schools, the Family First Party has called for a police task force to be established to tackle the problem. Education Minister Jay Weatherill, while expressing concern about school violence, insists that the incidence of problems is relatively low, and American initiatives such as security guards or closed-circuit television cameras would not be introduced without compelling evidence that they are required and would make a difference. Claims by a US criminologist that larger schools result in decreased supervision and increased violence are being used to cast doubt on the government’s current move to introduce more super schools in South Australia. Read more... Saturday February 12 2011: Melbourne, Australia OFFICIAL QUITS AT SCHOOL'S TEST RESULTS SPIKE A regional network leader in the Victorian Education Department has resigned amidst concerns over an incredible improvement in National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) test scores by a Melbourne school. Dallas Primary, a school with high proportions of students from non-English speaking and disadvantaged backgrounds, went from performing below or substantially below other schools in 2008 NAPLAN testing to being in the top five percent in some areas. However, in excess of 30 percent of students did not sit the tests. The school principal attributes the turnaround to the introduction of NAPLAN test practice, while other sources suggest that teaching to the test has resulted in the dramatic improvement. Read more... Saturday February 12 2011: Sydney, Australia TEACHERS THROW DOWN GAUNTLET ON STANDARDS Teachers in New South Wales will continue to use their current professional teaching standards this year, and will only phase in the new national teacher standards in 2012 if they are satisfied that they represent comparable expectations. The NSW Institute of Teachers is also calling for greater clarity on the evidence teachers will need to provide to prove their proficiency. While the Australian Education Union supported the introduction of standards, federal president Angelo Gavrielatos urged the government to back the standards with adequate funding to reward high performing teachers to keep them in the profession. Read more... Saturday February 12 2011: Canberra, Australia NATIONAL SCHOOL CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth, Peter Garrett, is calling for feedback from interested parties on a newly released discussion paper about the National School Chaplaincy Program. The paper reviews options to expand the program, focusing on how to provide support that best meets the needs of students. Responses will be accepted until 18 March 2011. Read more... Saturday February 12 2011: Sydney, Australia 2011 GREEN TEACHER AWARD Nominations for the Clean Up Australia 2011 Green Teacher Award are now open. The award acknowledges teacher achievement in lesson planning, green projects and sustainability initiatives. A winner will be chosen from each state and territory. Read more... Saturday February 12 2011: Melbourne, Australia RELEASE OF NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS The new National Professional Standards for Teachers have been released by The Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA). Developed with input from nearly 6 000 educators and parents, the Standards define four career stages for teachers - graduate, proficient, highly accomplished and lead teacher. Support materials to help with successful implementation across Australia will be developed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) during 2011. Read more... Tuesday February 8 2011: Perth, Australia MOVE TO HELP INDIGENOUS STUDENTS INTO SCIENCE CAREERS Murdoch University’s Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre is launching a bridging program to prepare indigenous students to study science at university. With high unemployment rates amongst the indigenous population, the initiative is directing students into disciplines such as metallurgy and geology that offer employment prospects in their communities and that link traditional knowledge of the land with modern scientific concepts. Energy Resourcing Australia is sponsoring the program and hopes to maintain involvement by offering mentoring and support services for students. Read more... Tuesday February 8 2011: Melbourne, Australia SCHOOLS REMAIN A HOTBED OF PREJUDICE A La Trobe University study has revealed that although gay teenagers are more likely to be open about their sexuality than in the past, they are increasingly becoming targets of abuse at school and at home. The rise in homophobic incidents is particularly alarming considering recent law reforms and government programs to change attitudes. The Baillieu government is being urged to investigate the issue, which is closely linked to higher rates of self-abuse and suicide among gay teens. Read more... Tuesday February 8 2011: Melbourne, Australia DON’T IGNORE YOUR PRIVACY ON SAFER INTERNET DAY To coincide with Safer Internet Day on 8 February, Victoria’s Privacy Commissioner has launched a new campaign to increase young people's awareness of internet privacy issues. The campaign, developed by Privacy Victoria’s Youth Advisory Group (YAG), includes privacy tips for secondary and tertiary students which focus on real-life advice identified by young people. The Privacy Victoria website has also been enhanced and includes resources for primary teachers, as well as privacy information material in 26 different languages. Read more... Tuesday February 8 2011: Brisbane, Australia TEACHING THE BIG CHEESE Renowned cheese expert Russell Smith is presenting a series of cheese making workshops to teachers. Incorporating curriculum areas such as chemistry and biology, the workshops equip teachers to enable student production of their own camembert and blue style cheeses to enter into the Student Cheese Making Competition at the Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show. The program was established by The Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland. Read more... Tuesday February 8 2011: Perth, Australia BID TO REJUVENATE INDONESIAN LANGUAGE LEARNING In a bid to increase the number of students choosing to study Indonesian, Murdoch University will host the National Colloquium on the Future of Indonesian in Australian Universities. The meeting will focus on a discussion paper written by Professor David T Hill, Chair of South East Asian Studies at Murdoch, which recommends practical ways to address the problem. Despite being identified as a nationally strategic language that will be important for future relations with our nearest neighbours, enrolments in Indonesian language courses are decreasing by about 10 000 students per year. Read more... Saturday February 5 2011: Melbourne, Australia REPORT CASTS DOUBT OVER MY SCHOOL FINANCIAL DATA Despite revelations by accounting firm Deloitte that there are 23 issues that need addressing to allow equitable comparisons of school financial data on the My School website, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is confident that the changes to methodology will produce the most accurate data possible. Non-government schools in particular have questioned the process, expressing concern that their finances will be inaccurately portrayed. The relaunch of My School has been postponed indefinitely. Read more... Saturday February 5 2011: Sydney, Australia A WORLD OF TONGUES, TOO FEW TEACHERS A recommendation that students undertake at least 300 hours of second language classes in primary school has drawn criticism from principals and teacher groups, with some arguing that it is not appropriate for students already struggling with English reading and writing, while others question whether there will be enough trained language teachers to implement the proposal. According to the vice-president of the Modern Languages Teachers Association NSW, the number of hours proposed is only a guide for schools. Read more... Saturday February 5 2011: Canberra, Australia LANGUAGE AND GEOGRAPHY SHAPE NATIONAL CURRICULUM As part of the next phase of the Australian Curriculum, the Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Geography paper and the draft Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages paper have been released. While education ministers are yet to finalise the years in which the study of geography will be compulsory, curriculum writers will use the geography shape paper to write a draft for the Australian Curriculum. School Education Minister Peter Garrett said that the draft languages shape paper has highlighted Modern Greek, Chinese, Italian, Arabic and Vietnamese as 'significant community languages.' Feedback on the draft will be accepted until 7 April 2011. Read more... Saturday February 5 2011: Canberra, Australia STUDENTS COUNT ON CENSUSATSCHOOL QUESTIONNAIRE The Australian Bureau of Statistics CensusAtSchool questionnaire for 2011 is open for use by schools. Now being run annually, CensusAtSchool is a survey for students in years 5 to 12 that allows comparison of responses with students nationwide. With over 200 000 responses in past years, the data generated provides a meaningful basis for students to use in their studies of statistics. Use of CensusAtSchool is free. Read more... Wednesday February 2 2011: Canberra, Australia DEPARTMENT WELCOMES AUDITOR GENERAL'S REPORT INTO THE TRADE TRAINING CENTRES IN SCHOOLS PROGRAM An Auditor General’s report has acknowledged that the Trade Training Centres in Schools Program is helping to address the skills shortage in both traditional and new trades, offering broader opportunities to students. The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations is pleased with the assessment, which recognised strengths including the continuous improvement process which has allowed ongoing enhancements. So far, 288 projects in 927 schools have been undertaken as part of the program. Read more... Wednesday February 2 2011: Melbourne, Australia STUDENTS STEP FROM CLASSROOM TO PADDOCK WITH A CLICK OF A MOUSE Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) has launched an interactive online tool for teaching agriculture that incorporates a variety of curriculum areas from technology to geography and sustainable futures. Aimed at year 7 to 10 students, 'The Virtual Farm Visit' features video clips of farms in the Kimberley, Yeoval in Central NSW and Gippsland. The video clips are supported by fact sheets, with a teacher guide with worksheets also available. The MLA plans to expand the site with additional farm sites being added over time. Read more... Wednesday February 2 2011: Sydney, Australia PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM GOES OUTBACK WITH GOVERNOR-GENERAL SUPPORT A delegation from Peer Support Australia in Sydney will head to Alice Springs to conduct a program to equip teachers with skills and resources to tackle social issues and bullying amongst students. After a successful implementation at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College the program, which involves teacher training workshops, focuses on establishing small leadership groups within schools. The Governor-General has recently been appointed as the new Patron of Peer Support Australia. Read more... Wednesday February 2 2011: Brisbane, Australia NEW INITIATIVE ENCOURAGES AUSTRALIAN PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS TO 'ADOPT A FARMER' As part of the Organic School Gardens Program, the Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA) is launching 'Adopt a Farmer', a program supported by the Victorian government that gives children firsthand experience of food production. The initiative will allow students from rural settings to undertake farm visits, with organic farmers taking responsibility for teaching children about issues such as soil care. The program will be launched in Melbourne on 23 February. Read more... Wednesday February 2 2011: Melbourne, Australia BE THE STAR OF YOUR OWN SUNSMART POSTER SunSmart has launched a new resource that allows students to upload a photo of themselves into a template to create their own SunSmart poster. The resource, accessible online, is free to use. Read more... Saturday January 29 2011: Adelaide, Australia TEACHERS GIVEN $50,000 TO RETIRE The South Australian state government will introduce a Teacher Renewal Program, similar to those running in Queensland and Victoria. Under the program, long-serving teachers who have lost the passion for the profession will be offered $50 000 to retire, leaving more opportunities for graduates to find permanent positions. Education Minister Jay Weatherill also announced plans for other education initiatives, including a statewide conference addressing 21st Century teaching issues and a stronger focus on professional development, especially to prepare for the upcoming Australian Curriculum. Read more... Saturday January 29 2011: Sydney, Australia NEW LIGHT CAST ON SCHOOL FUNDING A review by the Productivity Commission has revealed that, contrary to popular belief, public funding per student for private schools has declined by around 1.6 per cent since 2004. Funding to government schools has increased by 1.2 per cent over the same period. The head of the public education advocacy group Save Our Schools claims that the difference in funding rates is actually accounted for by rising government school expenditure on items unrelated to the classroom. If these were not included in the figures, he believes government school funding may also show a decline. Read more... Saturday January 29 2011: Canberra, Australia TIPS TO MINIMISE STRESS DURING YOUR CHILD’S FIRST YEAR AT SCHOOL Early Childhood Australia and the Australian Primary Principals Association have developed a resource to help parents deal with the changes associated with a child starting school for the first time. Titled 'Your child’s first year at school: A book for parents', the publication seeks to prepare both parents and children for the transition to school life. Primary principals can order copies of the book, at a cost of $9.99 each, through Early Childhood Australia. Read more... Saturday January 29 2011: Melbourne, Australia WORLD VISION GLOBAL EDUCATION RESOURCE WINS AWARD The Australian Geography Teachers Association (AGTA) Award for Best Primary School Resource 2010 has been won by World Vision for its global education resource, 'Get Connected'. Aimed at upper primary school students, Get Connected helps children understand global issues. The biennial AGTA Awards acknowledge high quality teaching aids that have been developed in Australia to facilitate effective teaching of geography. Read more... Wednesday January 26 2011: Melbourne, Australia MYSCHOOL: HOW IT GETS IT SO WRONG The new Index of Community Socio-Advantage (ICSEA) rankings formulated for the relaunch of the MySchool website has already drawn criticism as it does not consider the number of parents in the top and bottom income brackets. While the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) maintains that the new methodology is a more accurate predictor of academic results, many believe that it will give misleading pictures of the wealthiest and of the most disadvantaged schools. Read more... Wednesday January 26 2011: Melbourne, Australia PLAN FOR HIGH SCHOOLS TO HELP MEET SKILL SHORTAGES Victoria's new Coalition government wants to introduce greater choice for the state's high school students by broadening the range of specialist schools in areas that have an identified skills shortage. Education Minister Martin Dixon is also encouraging schools to build greater links with businesses, pointing to Brisbane's Aviation High as an example. Former Melbourne University dean of education, Brian Caldwell, believes the move represents a modern approach to education that may cater more effectively for individual needs and interests. Read more... Wednesday January 26 2011: Adelaide, Australia THE BRAVE MAN TAKING A GOD TO COURT The Howard Government's National School Chaplaincy Program is being challenged in the High Court by a father from Toowoomba. Ron Williams is seeking to establish the legality of the provision of religious chaplains in government schools as Section 116 of the Australian constitution does not allow the Commonwealth to legislate regarding religion. A direction hearing will determine whether Mr Williams has grounds for the challenge. Read more... Wednesday January 26 2011: Sydney, Australia THE THREE RS GET RAD WITH AN IPAD Many independent schools in New South Wales are trialling the use of iPads with both staff and students this year for a variety of tasks and activities including note taking, scheduling and to replace textbooks. The introduction of the new technology does not, however, seem to be progressing as rapidly in government schools, where the NSW Department of Education and Training is not issuing iPads under the digital education revolution program as it believes that laptops better provide the tools that students need. Schools have received more than 345 000 computers from the digital education revolution program, which does include iPads if schools choose them. Read more... Saturday January 22 2011: Darwin, Australia SCHOOL'S BAN ON SKIMPY CLOTHES Singlets and thongs are among the items of clothing deemed unacceptable to wear at Darwin High School this year. According to Darwin High school principal Marion Guppy, posters illustrating the school's dress standards will be displayed to ensure that students understand the requirements. Read more... Saturday January 22 2011: Sydney, Australia SCHOOL HOMOPHOBIA PROGRAM MAY BE SABOTAGED, GREENS WARN A trial of the Proud Schools program, which includes workshops with students and parents, is to be held in 12 New South Wales high schools. However, Greens MP Cate Faehrmann has said that the plans may be jeopardised if multi-party support is not obtained. The Proud Schools program aims to combat homophobic bullying in schools. Read more... Saturday January 22 2011: Sydney, Australia HEFTY LEVY HURTS NEW PRIVATE SCHOOLS The New South Wales state government has introduced a levy of around $800 000 to be paid as a condition of approval by new independent schools in growth corridors. A representative from the Urban Taskforce has expressed concern that the charge will limit the education choices available in the designated areas. Government schools are exempt from the levy as infrastructure costs are borne by the government. Read more... Saturday January 22 2011: Sydney, Australia MINI BOOMERS MAKE A KINDIE SURPRISE Enrolments in the first year of primary school in New South Wales are growing as a result of a small baby boom between 2004 and 2008, which is in part attributed to the introduction of the baby bonus scheme. Both government and Catholic schools have reported higher numbers of kindergarten students and are expecting numbers to continue to grow over the next few years. Read more... Saturday January 22 2011: Canberra, Australia P21 REPORTING STRUCTURE AND COST DATA RELEASED Project cost data for some of the projects completed as part of the Primary Schools for the 21st Century (P21) program is now available on the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations website. To make the data easier to interpret, a consistent reporting structure and definitions were developed in consultation with primary schools from across all sectors. Cost information about projects undertaken at other schools will be added to the site as they are completed and finalised financial data becomes available. Read more... Wednesday January 19 2011: Sydney, Australia NORTHERN TERRITORY SCHOOLS STICK TO ENGLISH DESPITE ATTENDANCE FALLS The Northern Territory government's 'First Four Hours' policy has attracted criticism after statistics showed that attendance rates have decreased since it was introduced in 2009. Although the acting education minister intimated that the reasons for declining attendance are complex, a linguist researching Warlpiri schools in the Northern Territory believes that the policy has undermined the community's commitment to bilingual education. The 'First Four Hours' policy involves teaching exclusively in English for the majority of the day, and was introduced in an effort to increase English literacy and numeracy levels. Read more... Wednesday January 19 2011: Sydney, Australia SMALLER CLASSES FAVOURED OVER PAY RISES FOR TEACHERS A survey conducted on behalf of the Australian Education Union has revealed that public opinion favours government investment in smaller class sizes, over reward schemes for teachers or initiatives to recruit high quality teachers to the profession. This is contrary to an Australian study that found reduced class sizes had little impact on student achievement. Survey respondents were overwhelmingly in favour of increased federal government support for public schools. Read more... Wednesday January 19 2011: Canberra, Australia GARRETT PAYS TRIBUTE TO TEACHERS IN YEAR OF FURTHER REFORM School Education Minister Peter Garrett has addressed the Australian Education Union’s Annual Federal Conference, identifying teacher quality as an ongoing priority for the federal government. Rewarding the best teachers, and recruiting and retaining highly effective educators were among the aims he outlined. Mr Garrett also acknowledged the important role that teachers will have in supporting students who have been affected by the recent floods. Read more... Wednesday January 19 2011: Melbourne, Australia NOVICE TEACHERS PROVING FIRST CLASS The Teach for Australia scheme, which sends high-performing non-teaching graduates into disadvantaged schools after six weeks of training, will be expanded into the ACT and Catholic schools this year. Despite opposition from the Australian Education Union, the program appears to have been successful, with the majority of the 2010 cohort electing to stay on to complete the Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching while continuing to teach this year. Read more... Saturday January 15 2011: Sydney, Australia ACADEMIC PAINTS A PICTURE OF ARTS AS A PRIORITY IN CLASSROOMS A paper written by University of Sydney academic Robyn Ewing has drawn on international research to analyse the effect of embedding arts in the curriculum. Improved academic outcomes and greater student engagement were among the benefits found by Professor Ewing, who underscored the importance of developing creative thought. With the national arts curriculum to be released in 2012, Professor Ewing is advocating that it be represented as an integral part of student learning. Read more... Saturday January 15 2011: Melbourne, Australia CATHOLIC SCHOOLS FUNCTION WITH LESS, FUNDING REVIEW TOLD A submission to the federal school funding review by the National Catholic Education Committee suggests that Catholic schools operate using less resources, with the lowest average spend per student of any sector. Despite this, academic outcomes are generally higher than average, with Catholic schools catering particularly well for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The difference in resourcing between Catholic and other non-government schools is largely attributed to the lower fees levied by Catholic schools. Read more... Saturday January 15 2011: London, UK EDUCATION PROVIDES ANSWER TO ECONOMIC DOWNTURN: RT HON WILLIAM HAGUE ADDRESSES WORLD'S MINISTERS Ministers and leaders from over 75 countries have attended the Education World Forum to explore the theme, Education for Economic Success. Rt Hon William Hague outlined Great Britain's commitment to education both within Britain, and as an important element of relations with growing economic powers such as Asia and the Gulf. The conference also heard Dominic Savage, director general, BESA, explain the importance of education during times of economic crisis. Read more... Saturday January 15 2011: Adelaide, Australia WORK & STUDY: IT MAKES DOLLARS BUT DOES IT MAKE SENSE? A new National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) study has found that full-time tertiary students who work are eight percent less likely to complete their studies. For part-time students working full-time, the figure rises to 12 percent. The study also found that finding the right job opportunities gave students an advantage in terms of future job prospects. Read more... Tuesday January 11 2011: Perth, Australia AUSTRALIA'S MOST COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION SURVEY Teachers, parents, students and other interested parties are being asked to participate in an education study that aims to gather respondents' opinions on a number of key issues in education. The survey can be taken via an online link. Read more... Tuesday January 11 2011: Brisbane, Australia CYBER BULLYING LAWS PLANNED The Independent Education Union of Australia (IEUA) is calling for the federal government to introduce specific laws targeting internet harassment and cyber-bullying as part of a review of discrimination laws. According to the IEAU, current laws do not adequately address issues such as staff or students being harassed by individuals from other education institutions. Discrimination on the grounds of family responsibility will also be examined as part of the review. Read more... Tuesday January 11 2011: Melbourne, Australia SCHOOL COMPUTER ROLLOUT STUTTERS A lack of infrastructure and technical support has contributed to the slow rollout of the school computer component of the federal government's digital education revolution program in Victoria. A change in Victorian Education Department guidelines, which now recommend schools buy notebooks, has also contributed to the delay. Nationally, around 44 percent of computers required by the December 2011 project deadline have been installed. In Victoria the figure is approximately 30 percent. Read more... Saturday January 8 2011: Melbourne, Australia UK KIDS CAN QUIT SCHOOL AT 14 A new government plan in Britain will allow students to cease academic studies at age 14 in favour of attending specialist technical and vocational schools. The push has come in response to the growing need for technicians to manage advancements such as nuclear power stations and high-speed broadband networks. The scheme has sparked fears that less able students will be funnelled into the vocational schools without the chance to develop adequate academic skills. Read more... Saturday January 8 2011: Sydney, Australia JUST PERFECT: PUPILS SHOW THE US WHO'S THE BOSS Australia's students produced strong results in the International Baccalaureate (IB) in 2010, with three of the 26 students known to have achieved the perfect score of 45 coming from one NSW school. Around 2 700 students are expected to study the IB this year, up from 2 000 in 2010. Only one student in the United States achieved the perfect IB score in 2010. Read more... Saturday January 8 2011: Adelaide, Australia MORE PARENTS CHOOSE HOME-SCHOOLING The number of home-schooled children in South Australia has increased by almost 70 percent in the last ten years, largely in response to unresolved bullying issues in traditional school settings. However, the Education Department has been criticised for the lack of support offered to home-schooling families, who do not receive the School Start Bonus and cannot pursue part-time home-schooling and part-time school attendance options which are available in Victoria. Read more... Saturday January 8 2011: Sydney, Australia UK STUDY BACKS WEBSITES LIKE MY SCHOOL A study by the Bristol University has concluded that making school results and league tables available to the public improves student performance. Improvements were most dramatic in schools with poorer and low-performing students. Plans to revamp the My School website later this year include moves to ensure that the information is not misused to formulate school rankings, as well as additional information such as school financial data. Read more... Wednesday January 5 2011: Brisbane, Australia UK PRESCHOOLERS CAN'T SPEAK, LISTEN A British study has found that UK students are arriving at school with poor listening skills as a result of exposure to background noise such as television. Children's speaking skills are also suffering because of limited conversation at home. The information has seen teachers in nursery schools focus on building students' vocabulary and on speaking in full sentences. Read more... Wednesday January 5 2011: New York, USA MORE SCHOOLS EMBRACING IPAD AS LEARNING TOOL Schools in the United States of America are increasingly turning to the iPad as an essential learning tool for students. Many are using government grants to provide the devices, which are used for everything from maths games to accessing textbooks. Publishers are also coming on board, developing applications that allow greater flexibility and interactivity to students. Some academics caution against schools passing over cheaper technology in favour of iPads, arguing that smartphones offer largely the same functionality at a greatly reduced cost. Read more... Wednesday January 5 2011: Sydney, Australia SCHOOL FEE RISES OUTSTRIP WAGES A study published in the Australian Journal of Education has revealed that while independent and Catholic schools have received government funding of between 15 and 70 percent of their operating costs, school fees have risen 70 percent in independent and 160 percent in Catholic schools since 1974. Disposable income levels have not risen to the same degree during this time. The study's authors suggest that private schools have used the extra money to lower class sizes and increase the quality of teaching, rather than to make schools more affordable. This has lowered the average socio-economic level of students in public schools. Read more... Wednesday January 5 2011: Melbourne, Australia HE'S TOP CLASS BUT, JUST LIKE 18% OF VICTORIA'S TEACHERS, HE HAS NOT GOT A JOB The Australian Education Union (AEU) is calling for closer monitoring of schools advertising contract positions for teachers to ensure that they adhere to set guidelines. The AEU claims that with almost 20% of the teaching workforce in Victoria on contract positions, some schools are using contracts to try out new staff, rather than for authorised purposes such as maternity leave replacements. Lack of ongoing job security is the most common reason cited by young teachers who see themselves leaving the profession within five years. Read more... Sunday January 2 2011: Canberra, Australia STATE SCHOOLS REACH HIGHER IN QUEST FOR THE BEST Michael Bryce, husband of the Governor-General and former government school student, will host a reception for other high achievers from government schools in an attempt to raise money for the Public Education Foundation of NSW. The intention is to use the donations, which are tax deductible, to establish scholarships to support state school students. Read more... Sunday January 2 2011: Sydney, Australia REMOTE SCHOOLS FEAR HAVING TO RECRUIT OWN TEACHERS The federal government proposal to give schools complete autonomy in the area of recruitment has been met with trepidation by some NSW school principals. In particular, it is feared that de-centralising the staff allocation system could leave remote schools struggling to attract staff. The lack of school councils in some NSW schools has also been identified as a potential issue if control over hiring staff is given to schools. Read more... Sunday January 2 2011: Sydney, Australia JULIA GILLARD PLAN TO LIBERATE SCHOOLS The federal government is aiming to give government and Catholic schools local autonomy by 2018. The proposal includes giving principals and school councils responsibility for staff recruitment and budget management, and will be implemented in two phases, starting in 2012. Australian Education Union federal president Angelo Gavrielatos has raised concerns that the move will effectively lead to privatisation of schools, while a spokeswoman for School Education Minister Peter Garrett has given assurances that state and territory representatives will be consulted before the plan is implemented. Read more... Sunday January 2 2011: Sydney, Australia CHAPLAINS IN SCHOOLS ARE 'INADEQUATELY SUPERVISED' At the behest of Northern Territory Ombudsman, Carolyn Richards, the Commonwealth Ombudsman will launch an investigation into the schools chaplaincy program. Ms Richards criticised the scheme for having inadequate guidelines, and for failing to clearly define the criteria and responsibilities of chaplains. Queensland activist Ron Williams has also launched a High Court action against the program on the grounds that it breaches the intent of keeping church and state separate. Read more... Wednesday December 29 2010: Melbourne, Australia INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION GROWS IN SA SA Premier Mike Rann attributes the growth in the international education industry in South Australia to the world-class opportunities and welcoming atmosphere students experience in Adelaide. The state's national market share grew by 0.2 percent over the last year in the face of obstacles such as the strong Australian dollar. International education is now South Australia's second largest export. Read more... Wednesday December 29 2010: Melbourne, Australia ENGLISH TEACHERS REPLACED BY ROBOTS IN KOREA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE OF TECHNOLOGY PROJECT Students in some South Korean schools are being taught English by an egg-shaped robot called 'Engkey' as part of a pilot project. Sponsored by the government, the robots are operated by English teachers in the Philippines, whose voice and facial expressions are conveyed to the students. A senior scientist on the project asserts that the students responded positively to the trial and explained that an added benefit is that Philippine English teachers are cheaper than teachers from other countries. Read more... Wednesday December 29 2010: Canberra, Australia SCHOOLS SUSPEND STUDENTS LONGER An extension of the maximum number of days a student can be suspended from school in the ACT to 15 has resulted in a decrease in the number of students being suspended, but an increase in the average length of suspensions. Some parents are, however, worried about the effect of longer suspensions on the education of the students being disciplined. ACT Education Minister Andrew Barr is cautiously optimistic about the success of the initiative. Read more... Wednesday December 29 2010: Sydney, Australia CHINESE STUDENTS TOP THE TESTS OUT OF HABIT, NOT ETHNICITY, STUDY SHOWS A University of Western Sydney study has revealed that developing effective study habits from an early age may explain the difference in achievement between various ethnic groups. The study found that children with Chinese backgrounds tended to study at a desk in their bedrooms, even during primary school, whereas children from Anglo-Australian backgrounds tended to study at the kitchen bench or in the lounge room. Researcher Megan Watkins concluded that successful study is a habit that takes time to form. Read more... Sunday December 26 2010: Sydney, Australia SCHOOL FUNDING REVIEW CONSIDERS STRICT OBLIGATIONS The school funding review panel established by the federal government is set to consider a range of issues raised by education groups to determine the obligations of schools who receive government funding. The aim of the panel is to ensure that all students have the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of socio-economic status or family background, but an issues paper outlining the areas to be investigated makes clear that this does not mean all students will achieve at the same level. The final report of the panel will be released in late 2011. Read more... Sunday December 26 2010: Sydney, Australia FREE-RANGE SCHOOLS WITHOUT RULES The democratic schooling movement appears to be becoming more popular as parents try and bring balance to the increasingly regulated and scrutinised lives of their children. Without formal structures or stringent testing regimes, but still following the state curriculum, democratic schools empower students to make key decisions about how the school is run. Initiatives such as child-centred learning and student councils have crossed over into the mainstream from democratic schooling origins. Read more... Sunday December 26 2010: Perth, Australia FEE-RISE ANGER SET TO DIVIDE TEACHERS The State School Teachers Union in Western Australia is warning of a possible backlash from teachers after the State Government authorised a $6 increase in teacher registration fees. Education Minister Liz Constable pre-empted the response, promising that no further increase will be allowed until a review of the WA College of Teaching's cost efficiency has been undertaken. Teachers are unable to work in WA schools without paying the registration fee. Read more... Sunday December 26 2010: Sydney, Australia 2009 NATIONAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM SCIENCE LITERACY REPORT RELEASED The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority has announced the release of a report of the National Assessment Program - Science Literacy results from 2009. Conducted on a three-year cycle, the Science Literacy tests are taken by a random sample of year 6 students across the country. A set of Science Literacy School Release Materials has also been made available to allow teachers to conduct similar assessments and compare the results with those achieved nationally. Read more... Wednesday December 22 2010: Virginia, USA SCHOOL PUNISHES KIDS FOR SHARING CANDY CANES THAT COULD BE USED AS WEAPONS Students from Battlefield High School in northeast Virginia have been given detention for handing out candy canes that the school alleges can be sharpened in the mouth and used as a weapon. The boys involved admit that distributing the candy may have resulted in litter in the school, however their parents say they were only spreading Christmas cheer. The school principal maintains that the disciplinary action was warranted. Read more... Wednesday December 22 2010: Sydney, Australia GARDENS PROVE PERFECT PATCH FOR GROWING MINDS A growing number of schools in the Sydney region are forming partnerships with community groups and organisations to institute gardening programs for students. NSW Education Minister Verity Firth asserts that school gardens allow students to become better global citizens, as well as to enjoy and understand food production and cooking. A book titled 'There's a lot growing in our Sydney region public schools', featuring photos and student artwork to complement school stories, has been released to demonstrate the effectiveness of school gardens. Read more... Wednesday December 22 2010: Hobart, Australia PRINCIPALS CALL FOR MORE FUNDS The Tasmanian Principals Association has formulated a submission to the state government asking for a three percent increase in state school funding. Rob Banfield, Tasmanian Principals Association president, has highlighted extra staffing in schools and extra special education resources as some of the key areas of need. The request is in addition to demands from principals for pay parity with their interstate counterparts. On average Tasmanian principals earn 11 percent less than principals in other states. Read more... Wednesday December 22 2010: Sydney, Australia ROCKETING SCHOOL FEES HEAD TOWARDS $35,000 In the wake of higher than average fee increases, concerns have been raised that private school tuition fees could reach as high as $35 000 within 7 years if fee hikes continue at the current rate. Parents are finding it increasingly difficult to fund their children's education with costs rising by almost nine percent between 2010 and 2011 in some schools. Read more... Sunday December 19 2010: Sydney, Australia TEACHER FACING SACK OVER NAPLAN CHEATING South Australia's Education Department has ruled that a teacher who was observed changing answers on year 7 NAPLAN papers should be sacked. Dismissal would mean that she would not be allowed to teach in South Australian public schools. The teacher is appealing the decision. Read more... Sunday December 19 2010: Perth, Australia PARENTS FEAR CHILDREN WILL GROW UP TOO QUICKLY A survey of Western Australian parents has revealed that the vast majority oppose moving year 7 from primary to high school. While many Catholic and independent schools have already made the change, Cabinet is still considering whether state schools will follow suit. Concerns have been raised that the new Australian Curriculum assumes year 7s are in high school, and the current organisation of WA schools has implications for its implementation. Read more... Sunday December 19 2010: Sydney, Australia BOYS DOMINATE RANKINGS; GIRLS TOP SUBJECTS Top university entry rankings in NSW were dominated by males this year, with 31 out of the 49 students who received the highest possible university entry rank being boys. Conversely, 70 of the 107 first-in-course awards were presented to girls. The median Australian Tertiary Admission Rank in NSW in 2010 was 69.8. Read more... Sunday December 19 2010: Canberra, Australia EMERGING ISSUES PAPER AND CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS A Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations review of funding arrangements for schools across Australia has resulted in the release of an Emerging Issues paper. Submissions are now being sought from interested parties who wish to address any of the issues raised in the paper. The submission deadline is 31 March 2011. Read more... Wednesday December 15 2010: Sydney, Australia BER REPORT GIVES DAMNING VERDICT ON NSW SCHOOL BUILDING MANAGEMENT Despite finding that most of the finalised projects have been satisfactorily completed, the report handed down by the Building the Education Revolution (BER) taskforce found that project costs were the highest in New South Wales, resulting in more complaints about value for money. The greatest number of complaints about delays in project implementation originated in Victoria. The taskforce also found that around $10.6 billion of the allocated $16 billion in BER funding had been spent, while 43 percent of BER projects had been fully completed. Read more... Wednesday December 15 2010: Ballina, Australia WETLANDCARE AUSTRALIA NATIONAL ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION 2011 Entries are now open in the WetlandCare Australia National Art and Photography Competition 2011. The competition theme for 2011 is 'Forested wetlands: their importance and wise use'. Designed to celebrate World Wetlands Day on 2 February, the competition has categories for both junior and senior children and also for adults. Fact sheets about forested wetlands and wise use of wetlands can be downloaded from the WetlandCare website. Read more... Wednesday December 15 2010: Melbourne, Australia CAREY STUDENTS SENT HOME AFTER DRUG USE Seven students from Melbourne's Carey Grammar School have been sent home from the Carey World Challenge Expedition, a leadership camp in Africa, for buying and using marijuana and misusing prescription drugs. The school is said to be offering the students counselling but some parents believe this response is inadequate. Eight other students on the trip were able to complete the expedition. Read more... Wednesday December 15 2010: Sydney, Australia TEACHER FOUND GUILTY OF ASSAULTING STUDENT A teacher from the Northern Territory could serve a jail term if it is found that she caused bodily harm during an assault on a student. The 59-year old has been found guilty of assaulting the student with a piece of sporting equipment. It is the first time a guilty verdict has been handed down in the Northern Territory in such a case. Read more... Sunday December 12 2010: Adelaide, Australia CYBER BULLYING GOES UNCHECKED Although 95 percent of parents report that they have discussed cyber bullying with their children, many believe that children do not fully understand the consequences of online bullying. A University of South Australia expert, Dr Barbara Spears, asserts that this is because there is no immediate feedback on the impact of online bullying in the way there is for face-to-face incidents. Dr Spears also believes that in response to the growing problem of cyber bullying, teenagers are now starting to develop their own code of ethics which involves measures such as not forwarding offensive images. Read more... Sunday December 12 2010: Melbourne, Australia PISA RESULTS CONFIRM THE NEED FOR INVESTMENT Australian Education Union Federal President, Angelo Gavrielatos, has called for changes to the federal education funding system to provide more resources to schools with students with the greatest educational needs. The plea comes after Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data showed a decline in Australia's literacy and maths results, and a growing gap in attainment levels of students from lower and higher socio-economic backgrounds. Mr Gavrielatos also stressed the need for exploring solutions that focus on improving teaching rather than on measures that have proved ineffective in other countries, such as performance pay for teachers linked to results. Read more... Sunday December 12 2010: Sydney, Australia PRIVATE SCHOOLS EXCEL AT GAINING EXTRA ASSISTANCE FOR HSC STUDENTS The proportion of students receiving special provisions such as extra exam time or scribes during the HSC exams in NSW is nearly double that of public schools and significantly higher than that of Catholic schools. Students from Arden Anglican School in Beecroft received the greatest assistance with 36.4 percent of its students granted special provisions. While special provisions in the independent sector grew by four percent this year, they have remained steady in the Catholic and public sectors. Read more... Sunday December 12 2010: Hindmarsh, Australia APPA PRESIDENT'S SPELLING 'TOOLS' QUEST Retiring Australian Primary Principals Association President Leonie Trimper is calling for contributions for a book she is collating to record mnemonics used by teachers. Ms Trimper believes that many of the clever rhymes and phrases used to help students remember spelling and other information may be lost if they are not recorded. Read more... Wednesday December 8 2010: Sydney, Australia EDUCATION MINISTERS ENDORSE NATIONAL CURRICULUM BUT DELAY ROLLOUT Despite committing to further development of the first four courses of the Australian Curriculum, most states and territories are working towards their own timelines for implementation. Schools throughout the ACT will be using the curriculum from next year, while Education Ministers from NSW, Queensland and Western Australia indicated they would be waiting until the document is finalised before beginning implementation. The Australian Education Union has welcomed the delay, suggesting that it makes sense to allow adequate time for the curriculum to be developed. The Coalition education spokesman, Christopher Pyne, believes the Labor government has again failed to complete an education reform to schedule. Read more... Wednesday December 8 2010: Sydney, Australia MY SCHOOL HEATS UP WITH CALL FOR INQUIRY The Coalition education spokesman, Christopher Pyne, is set to highlight flaws in the updated My School website in a letter to the Auditor-General. The move comes on the back of an announcement by Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett, indicating that the proposed update will be delayed due to inconsistencies in the financial data for schools and in the calculation of the social advantage measure which is used as a basis to compare like-schools. Mr Pyne has also questioned the competence of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority to manage the My School website. Read more... Wednesday December 8 2010: Canberra, Australia EDUCATION MINISTERS ENDORSE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM State and territory Education Ministers have endorsed the new Australian Curriculum, paving the way for the next stage of implementation of the English, mathematics, history and science components next year. Further consultation and development will occur before the finalised document is presented to the Ministerial Council in October 2011. An updated version of the Australian Curriculum is now available online. Read more... Wednesday December 8 2010: Sydney, Australia GET READING RIGHT SCHOOL WINS NSW DIRECTOR GENERAL’S 2010 AWARD A dramatic turnaround in reading outcomes has led to Blaxcell Street Public School in Granville being awarded the 2010 Director General’s School Achievement Award for improvements in literacy. The school is one of the first to adopt the Get Reading Right programme which uses synthetic phonics as the basis for literacy teaching, a method that deputy-principal Hani Zahra believes has contributed substantially to the school's success. Blaxcell Street Public School has been involved with the Get Reading Right programme for two years. Read more... Sunday December 5 2010: Sydney, Australia COALITION SAYS ETHICS CLASS LETTERS RELEASED SELECTIVELY Opposition education spokesman, Adrian Piccoli, has alleged that Minister for Education Verity Firth has misled parliament by releasing only 377 of the 745 submissions received about the introduction of ethics classes in NSW public schools. Despite this, a bill to allow the ethics classes to continue beyond their 2010 trial period was successfully passed by parliament and the lessons are set to be made available to year 5 and students from early 2011. Read more... Sunday December 5 2010: Perth, Australia GIRLS LEAD THE WAY SCHOOL GENDER GAP Girls are faring well in Western Australian secondary schools, with three-fifths of public school dux students being female this year. Slower maturation rates of boys and greater perseverance by girls are among the reasons identified to explain the results. A $1000 prize is awarded to the top student from each WA public school. Read more... Sunday December 5 2010: Canberra, Australia MY SCHOOL 2.0 TO BE LAUNCHED IN THE NEW YEAR Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth, Peter Garrett, has announced that the update to the My School website, scheduled for late 2010, has been postponed. The delay has been attributed to potential inconsistencies in independent school financial data which could mislead users of the site. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, together with accounting firm Deloitte, will extend the validation and consultation process until the problems are resolved, with the updates expected to go live in early 2011. Read more... Sunday December 5 2010: Melbourne, Australia THE CULTURE OF NEW GENERATION STUDENT CENTRED LEARNING EMERGES The inaugural Learning Spaces Design Summit held in Sydney examined the role of learning spaces in supporting changes to pedagogy and integration of technology. Melbourne architect Adrian Stanic, director of Lyons, outlined the collaborative process necessary to make meaningful changes to learning environments that allow for flexible and relevant student experiences. Mr Stanic identified learning spaces as an integral part of the culture of teaching and learning. Read more... Wednesday December 1 2010: Melbourne, Australia PARENT BACKLASH ON HOMEWORK BAN Victoria's Carranballac College has been forced to review its zero homework policy after parents expressed concern that their children will fall behind students at other schools. Backed by child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg, the school had made the decision not to set homework based on a belief that it was unnecessary, although it was also suggested that parents spend time reinforcing learnings with their children. The school has altered its policy so that homework tasks are not compulsory. Read more... Wednesday December 1 2010: Sydney, Australia TED BAILLIEU VOWS TO PROBE SCHOOL HALLS ROLLOUT New Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu has promised to review implementation of the Building the Education Revolution (BER) projects in Victoria. Delays and lack of school autonomy are among the criticisms of the program, which has seen only one in five Victorian BER projects completed by October. Mr Baillieu's background as an architect and strategic planner has given him a particular interest in the handling of BER funds in Victoria. Read more... Wednesday December 1 2010: Sydney, Australia STUDENTS SWITCH ON TO EXAMS IN A VIRTUAL LABORATORY The NSW Department of Education and Training in partnership with Janison Solutions, a software development company, has trialled online delivery of the assessment of laboratory skills of more than 32 000 year 8 students. The test involved a series of interactive simulations and received largely positive feedback from participants. All year 8 students in NSW will complete the entire assessment for laboratory skills online next year. Read more... Wednesday December 1 2010: Brisbane, Australia TEACHING KIDS A LIFESAVING LESSON IN MATESHIP A new program aimed at reducing risky behaviour by teens is being launched in Queensland by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). A pilot of the program, which focuses on encouraging kids to protect their friends, resulted in a decrease in cycle-related injuries and in injuries caused by violence, as well as a greater awareness of the consequences of risky actions. The program will also look to fostering connectedness in its year 9 participants as a way of ensuring that students feel like a part of the community. Read more... Wednesday December 1 2010: Melbourne, Australia KITCHEN GARDEN NATIONAL PROGRAM CELEBRATES 42 NEW SCHOOLS SET TO GROW NEW CROP OF CHEFS The latest recipients of grants of up to $60 000 under the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden National Program have been announced. Forty-two new schools have been accepted into the program, bringing the total number of schools who have the opportunity to maintain a fruit and vegetable garden and cook with the produce to 130. With government funding of $12.8 over five years, the program aims to have up to 190 schools participating by the end of 2012. Read more... Sunday November 28 2010: Sydney, Australia PRIVATE SCHOOLS' FURY OVER MY SCHOOL WEBSITE Inaccuracies in the data posted on the preview version of the updated My School website have resulted in threats of legal action from private schools. With the site due to go live next month, the approximately 300 schools who are disputing their information may not have their data on the site until their concerns are resolved. The enhancements to the My School website were designed to allow parents to make more meaningful comparisons between schools, however the federal opposition allege that the move is part of a Gillard Government plan to reduce funding to independent schools. Read more... Sunday November 28 2010: Sydney, Australia NSW HEAD TEACHERS BLAST NEW CURRICULUM The NSW Board of Studies, backed by principals from some of the top schools in the state, has recommended that Education Minister Verity Firth reject the Australian Curriculum when she meets with other state and territory education ministers on 8 December. A lack of cohesion and overcrowding of content have been identified as the key areas in which the new curriculum is lacking. The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority is still planning for implementation of the curriculum to begin next year. Read more... Sunday November 28 2010: Canberra, Australia FUNDING INCREASE RECOGNISES INCREASING COSTS The Federal Government's recent pledge to continue to index grants to independent schools in line with average state and territory government recurrent expenditure on government schools received a positive reception from the Independent Schools Council of Australia (ISCA). The decision will see an increase in recurrent funds allocated for both primary and secondary schools. There will, however, be a decrease of around 5% in the capital grants index. Read more... Sunday November 28 2010: Adelaide, Australia LATEST LONGITUDINAL SURVEY OF AUSTRALIAN YOUTH RELEASE A new briefing paper titled 'Early post-school outcomes of Indigenous youth: the role of literacy and numeracy' has been released. Based on data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth the paper compares the progress of indigenous and non-indigenous Australians between 1999 and 2007 in the post-school phase of their lives. Read more... Wednesday November 24 2010: Sydney, Australia INSTITUTE TO 'BOOST TEACHER CAREERS' Six figure salaries and fast-tracked career progression are among the goals of legislation introduced to the Legislative Assembly in Canberra. The proposal is part of a plan forwarded by Education Minister Andrew Barr to establish The Teacher Quality Institute, a body which would oversee standards of professional development for teachers. Read more... Wednesday November 24 2010: Sydney, Australia SCHOOL ETHICS CLASSES APPEAR DOOMED AT FINAL HURDLE Despite assurances from Premier Kristina Keneally that ethics classes will be introduced in primary schools from the start of 2011, the Coalition in New South Wales has announced that they will not support the program if they are elected. The St James Ethics Centre has been trialling the classes as an alternative for those students who opt out of scripture classes, but there has been strong opposition from church groups. Minister for Education, Verity Firth, insists that the ethics program has the support of parents, who should have a say in the matter. Currently students who do not attend scripture classes are not allowed to participate in alternative learning activities. Read more... Wednesday November 24 2010: Sydney, Australia ORACLE ENCOURAGES AUSSIE STUDENTS TO PUT THEIR THINKING CAPS ON FOR THINKQUEST INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 2011 Entries are now open to Australian students for Oracle Education Foundation's ThinkQuest International Competition 2011. The competition has three categories - ThinkQuest Projects, Digital Media, and Application Development - all aimed at providing participants with the opportunity to apply problem solving skills to real-life situations. Submissions must be completed by 27 April 2011. Read more... Wednesday November 24 2010: Melbourne, Australia SAVE THE CHILDREN AUSTRALIA TEAMS WITH CATHERINE FREEMAN Save the Children Australia has announced the development of a new resource that aims to educate primary school children about human rights issues. 'Finding My Magic' is a series of animated episodes, featuring the voice of former Olympian Catherine Freeman, that illustrate the rights and responsibilities of children in an engaging way. A teacher resource kit with clear curriculum links is also available. 'Finding My Magic' will be available in January 2011. Read more... Wednesday November 24 2010: Brisbane, Australia SCIENTISTS CALLED TO CLASSROOMS TO SOLVE CRISIS The first International Conference of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in Education will hear Associate Professor Jim Watters from the Queensland University of Technology advocate hiring maths and science industry professionals as teachers. According to Professor Watters, people with field experience are able to effectively promote learning in STEM areas as a pathway to a satisfying career. Professor Watters will also outline the rigorous training and support that will be required to bridge the gap between private industry and the teaching profession for those who are making a career change into education. Read more... Sunday November 21 2010: Melbourne, Australia AMERICA STUDIES MY SCHOOL WEBSITE Australia and the United States are set to collaborate on their approaches to education, with annual meetings and even pairing of Australian and American states to share ideas being considered. The initiatives were discussed during a visit by a delegation of American officials who came to view the updated My School website. Comparative data on the educational performance of each state in America is due to be published shortly. The United States deputy secretary of education, Tony Miller, indicated that dissemination of more detailed district results is also being considered. Read more... Sunday November 21 2010: Brisbane, Australia A MEETING OF MINDS: LIBRARY PROFESSIONALS IDENTIFY FUTURE DIRECTIONS Representatives from a range of schools and organisations interested in ensuring the future of school librarians have met in Brisbane. The group, concerned about the suspension of The House of Representatives Inquiry into School Libraries since the last federal election, identified four key priorities to ensure that the contribution of librarians to school services and learning is recognised. The results of a study that found a positive correlation between school librarians and literacy scores were also discussed. Both the Australian School Library Association (ASLA) and the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) have contacted incoming Members of the House of Representatives Standing Committee to maintain the focus on the role of libraries in education. Read more... Sunday November 21 2010: Sydney, Australia ST MARY’S COLLEGE STUDENT TO RECEIVE INTERNATIONAL INDIGENEOUS SCHOLARSHIP AT SCHOOL AWARDS CEREMONY The first ever Fay Wilmerding Indigenous Scholarship awarded by Student Exchange Australia New Zealand has been given to Broome student Emma-Lee Foy. The scholarship, valued at over $10 000 will see Emma-Lee spending 10 months living with a family and attending school in The Netherlands in 2011. Three Fay Wilmerding Scholarships are available each year to eligible Indigenous students from Australia and New Zealand. Read more... Sunday November 21 2010: Oklahoma, USA CREATIVITY WORLD FORUM OPENS IN OKLAHOMA CITY, SPEAKERS TACKLE EDUCATION Participants at the Creativity World Forum in Oklahoma have heard that the change in society from its industrial roots requires a corresponding change in the approach educators take with today's students. Plenary session speaker, Sir Ken Robinson, discussed the importance of fostering creativity to equip students to contribute effectively in modern workplaces. This year's Creativity World Forum is the 7th annual conference on creativity and innovation, and focused primarily on education. Read more... Wednesday November 17 2010: Sydney, Australia MY SCHOOL WEBSITE TO REVEAL HOW MUCH CHILDREN IMPROVE Changes to the controversial My School website will see schools allocated an average score based on National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) data for the previous three years, together with a comment indicating whether this is above or below expected student progress levels. Financial data including funding, donations and fees will also be added to give context to results, although other information such as bequests and property portfolios will not. The Index of Socio-Educational Advantage, which is used to compare like schools, has also been revised to include the educational and language background of students. Read more... Wednesday November 17 2010: Hindmarsh, Australia MY SCHOOL CHANGES ON TRACK BUT MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE The Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) has expressed approval of many of the changes to the My School website announced by Education Minister Peter Garrett today. In particular, the APPA is reassured by the inclusion of terms and conditions that users of the site must abide by which should protect schools from the misuse of data in league table rankings, and by increased transparency afforded by the inclusion of financial data. Concern still exists about the prominence of National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) data on the website. Read more... Wednesday November 17 2010: Sydney, Australia THE BLIND ASSESSOR: ARE WE CONSTRAINING OR ENRICHING STUDENT LEARNING? Professor David Berliner will be one of the keynote speakers at the upcoming Assessment Symposium at the University of Sydney. Professor Berliner's presentation entitled 'Standards, assessments and the narrowing of the outcomes of schooling and students' minds' will outline his belief that there are many undesirable side effects of high-stakes testing such as NAPLAN, including stifling of creative thought. The symposium, to be held on November 22, will explore a range of complex issues surrounding student assessment. Read more... Wednesday November 17 2010: Sydney, Australia POSITIVE PEERS ARE IMPORTANT IN THE MIDDLE YEARS TOO, SAYS PEER SUPPORT AUSTRALIA The recently appointed Chairwoman of Peer Support Australia, Jennifer Dalitz, has underscored the importance of positive social relationships for children in the nine to 14 age bracket. Citing a recent Mission Australia study, Ms Dalitz has explained how social forces influence learning outcomes and future success. A representative from Peer Support Australia will address an upcoming symposium on Middle Years issues. Read more... Wednesday November 17 2010: Sydney, Australia OUTSTANDING YOUNG AUSTRALIANS WIN MEDALS The Australian winners of this year's Australian Mathematics Competition have been presented with their medals. Twenty-six Australian secondary students were among the 65 medal winners worldwide who represent the top 0.01% of students sitting the test. The Australian Mathematics Competition has been run since 1978 and more than 40 countries competed this year. Read more... Sunday November 14 2010: Sydney, Australia CALL TO DELAY MY SCHOOL DATA AMID 'WILD' SWINGS A change to the way that the Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) is calculated has drawn complaints from some independent schools who claim that there are variations of up to 80 points in the scores of some schools. While last year's ICSEA scores drew on 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics data, this year the data is taken directly from schools. There are also concerns about the accuracy of financial data to be published on the 2010 version of the My School website. Read more... Sunday November 14 2010: Sydney, Australia SCHOOL CHIEFS REJECT PARTS OF CURRICULUM A joint letter from leaders of government, non-government and Catholic education systems in New South Wales indicates that New South Wales will not implement some dimensions of the Australian curriculum and will develop its own implementation schedule. Running the curriculum in two-year stages and reducing history content to fit into recommended time allocations are among the changes that will be made to the Australian curriculum in New South Wales. Despite this, it is likely that the adapted curriculum will be substantially implemented in New South Wales in 2013. Read more... Sunday November 14 2010: Melbourne, Australia LIB PLAN TO GIVE PRINCIPALS POWER In response to concerns raised by principals that they are being forced to narrow the curriculum to focus on NAPLAN and My School results, the Victorian Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu is pledging to grant principals more autonomy. Reducing paperwork for principals, changing requirements for monthly principal meetings and scrapping the student support system are among the initiatives that are being proposed. The Victorian president of the Australian Principals Federation has suggested that the policies will be well-received by principals. Read more... Sunday November 14 2010: Sydney, Australia TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE Angela Wong, a twelve-year-old pianist from Peakhurst has been selected to compete in the prestigious International Piano Competition Dedicated to Franz Liszt in Moscow. She is one of only 17 entrants invited to vie for the $10 000 prize in the under 13 section of the contest. Angela will be playing the ten pieces she has prepared for Moscow at a free recital at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music on 15 November. Read more... Wednesday November 10 2010: Melbourne, Australia DOUBT CAST ON TEACHER BONUS The federal government's plans to develop a scheme that offers teachers a bonus of up to $8 100 has been challenged by Drew Gitomer, a prominent researcher on teacher performance in the United States. According to Gitomer, student outcomes cannot necessarily be tied to a single teacher, but are the result of the student's cumulative educational experiences. He also acknowledges countries such as Finland and Singapore, whose teachers are considered to be very effective, accord a higher status to the teaching profession. Gitomer's research suggests that salary is one of the main reasons teachers leave the profession. Read more... Wednesday November 10 2010: Sydney, Australia PRINCIPALS CALLED IN TO BOOST TEST SCORES In an effort to lift student outcomes, compulsory meeting for all principals in the Northern Territory have been held. Principals have been instructed to audit student attendance each term in a bid to increase the teaching time for disadvantaged students. The man responsible for improving Queensland's literacy and numeracy results, chief executive of the Australian Council of Educational Research Geoff Masters, will also address principals. Read more... Wednesday November 10 2010: Canberra, Australia HELPING AUSTRALIANS BECOME ASIA LITERATE As part of the $62.4 million National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program, funding for initiatives that will increase Australian students' knowledge of Asian language and culture has been announced. Under the second round of Becoming Asia Literate grants, $2.68 million has been allocated to 191 schools for a total of 122 projects, while a further $3.6 million will be allocated to the Strategic Collaboration and Partnership Fund, which allows schools to develop virtual links with sister schools in Asia. In announcing the funding, Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett highlighted the importance of developing an understanding of our Asian neighbours. Read more... Wednesday November 10 2010: Adelaide, Australia CALL FOR PRINCIPALS TO BE BETTER TRAINED In response to the increasing demands being placed upon school principals, an Adelaide education consultant has suggested that a new course be developed to equip principals with the range of skills required to effectively perform the job. Business management, human resources and financial knowledge are just some of the areas that principals are currently offered little training for, and with calls for increasing autonomy for schools, the need for training is even more urgent. Role-specific training would help good teachers to become good principals. Read more... Sunday November 7 2010: Sydney, Australia CONSULTANT HIRED TO IMPROVE ACADEMIC RESULTS The consultant credited with improving educational outcomes in Queensland has been hired by the Education Department to do the same for the Northern Territory. Professor Geoff Masters from the Australian Council of Education Research has indicated that helping people understand the importance of education for lifelong success is the key to turning results around. He has also cautioned that the process may take many years. Read more... Sunday November 7 2010: Sydney, Australia FROM KINDERGARTEN TO HIGH SCHOOL, SCIENCE IS THE STICKING POINT While the curriculum for the three key areas of English, maths and science has largely been finalised, work is continuing on the science component of the Australian Curriculum. Chairman of the Australian Assessment, Curriculum and Reporting Authority (ACARA), Barry MGaw, remains hopeful that the science curriculum will be complete in time for it to be included for review by the education ministers in December, but concedes that it will be held back if developers are still not satisfied with its quality. The first four subjects of the Australian Curriculum are due to be substantially implemented in 2013. Read more... Sunday November 7 2010: Melbourne, Australia THOU SHALL NOT TEACH HUMANISM: ALP The Humanist Society of Victoria is claiming that students who opt out of Religious Education classes in government primary schools are being indirectly discriminated against. The claim comes after a move to offer humanism classes focused on ethics as an alternative was rejected by the Victorian state government on the grounds that the Humanist Society is not a recognised religion. Students who do not attend Religious Education classes are currently not allowed to be taught anything that their peers might miss out on. Read more... Sunday November 7 2010: Canberra, Australia GOVERNMENT COMMISSIONS EARLY ADVICE ON ASSISTANCE FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITY A working group has been established by Minister for School Education, Peter Garrett, to investigate the support needed in schools for students with a disability. The move has been made in response to concerns about the increasing number of students being identified as having special needs, and the consultation process will include representatives across all school sectors, as well as teacher unions and education experts. The group is due to report back to the Minister for School Education in December so that the information can be used for future planning in 2011. Read more... Sunday November 7 2010: Gold Coast, Australia FINALLY, GIRLS TAUGHT HOW TO DEAL WITH BULLIES! The chairperson of the Lifehouse Project has thrown down the challenge to schools to help teenage girls negotiate social relationships by implementing the 'Girls with a Purpose' program. Delivered in high schools, 'Girls with Purpose' runs for ten weeks and aims to help girls understand issues surrounding communication, safety and mental health. The Lifehouse Project is a non-profit organisation. Facilitator's manuals for Girls with a Purpose can be bought via their website. Read more... Wednesday November 3 2010: Sydney, Australia BOOKLET REVEALS SCHOOL BULLY SECRETS A program being trialled at Bundaberg State High School has involved school bullies in writing a booklet for victims. The process has allowed bullies to identify their behaviour as inappropriate and to better understand the impact it had on their victims. The booklet also explores why people become bullies. Read more... Wednesday November 3 2010: Sydney, Australia BER HEAD BRAD ORGILL TONES DOWN CRITICISM ON VALUE The federal opposition has questioned the reliability of the Building the Education Revolution (BER) Implementation Taskforce after its head, Brad Orgill, suggested that there is no evidence that the BER has not delivered value for money. According to opposition education spokesman Chris Pyne, this contradicts an earlier report that concluded concerns about value for money in the BER appeared valid. Mr Orgill has countered by saying that while some individual projects in New South Wales did not receive value for money, the majority of schools had positive experiences with the BER. Read more... Wednesday November 3 2010: Melbourne, Australia FUNDING DEFERS SCHOOL CLOSURES The Victorian government has given two independent schools funding of $1.5 million to allow them to remain open for the last six weeks of the school year. The schools, ICA Melton College and ICA Casey College, were set up by Brisbane company ICA Colleges, and both entered administration this week. It is uncertain whether the schools will be open next year. Read more... Wednesday November 3 2010: Sydney, Australia MORE SPENT EDUCATING INDEPENDENT STUDENTS The public education advocacy group, Save Our Schools, has released data that shows the gap between what independent schools spend on each student and what government schools spend on each student has almost doubled in the last ten years. The figures indicate that average independent school spending is $15,147 per student, against $10,723 in government schools and $10,399 in Catholic schools. The information is being used to support claims that government schools need a major funding boost. Read more... Wednesday November 3 2010: Brisbane, Australia STUDY SEEKS PARENTS' VIEWS ON CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE PREVENTION The input of Queensland parents is being sought for an online survey about child sexual abuse prevention. Conducted by the Queensland University of Technology, the survey seeks to find out parental attitudes towards child safety education in pre-schools and schools, and to gauge whether parents discuss these issues with their children. It is hoped schools will be able to use the results to formulate appropriate education programs. The survey is open until 12 December. Read more... Sunday October 31 2010: Sydney, Australia LATE NOTE LIKELY FOR PARED CURRICULUM Despite committing to substantially implementing the national curriculum by 2013, Australia's education ministers say that it will take three years from the time it is published, along with support materials, to be fully implemented, leaving the door open to speculation that it may be delayed. While the Maths, English and history curriculums have been revised incorporating feedback from previous drafts, the science curriculum is not yet complete. Education Minister, Peter Garrett, maintains that the draft curriculum will be ready by December. Read more... Sunday October 31 2010: Hindmarsh, Australia APPA AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION - SCHOOL SURVEY Members of the Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) are asked to complete a survey outlining the needs of their schools in relation to implementation of the Australian Curriculum. The data gathered will be used in the APPA's discussions with governments. Read more... Sunday October 31 2010: Sydney, Australia MY SCHOOL VERSION 2 CALL TO SCHOOL PRINCIPALS The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is calling for principals to register on its web portal in preparation for the launch of the second version of the My School website. My School Version 2 is scheduled for release late in 2010. Read more... Sunday October 31 2010: Melbourne, Australia STATE AND TERRITORY A+ TEACHERS ANNOUNCED The winners of this year's NEiTA 2010 ASG Inspirational Teaching State and Territory Awards have been announced, with 60 teachers being recognised for their contributions to education. Ten teachers from the group will now be selected to receive a NEiTA 2010 ASG National Teaching Award. The NEiTA (National Excellence in Teaching Awards) and the Australian Scholarships Group (ASG) have been in partnership to recognise teaching excellence since 1994. Recipients of the awards are nominated by Australian secondary students, parents, early childhood and school communities. Read more... Sunday October 31 2010: Sydney, Australia SCHOOLS SPEC DANCE REHEARSAL AT ENT CENTRE The rehearsal for this year's Schools Spectacular dancers at the Sydney Entertainment Centre will give students from country schools the opportunity to participate with their city counterparts via video link. The link has been arranged by principal sponsor, Telstra. Almost 4000 students from 351 schools will take part in the 2010 Schools Spectacular which will take place on 26 and 27 November. Read more... Wednesday October 27 2010: Armidale, NSW GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE EARLY LEARNING FRAMEWORK A symposium titled 'The Early Years Learning Framework in Action', and attended by more than 100 early childhood educators, has focused on effective use of the Commonwealth Government's national early-learning framework. Margaret Sims, Professor of Early Childhood at the University of New England, urged participants to focus on using core values such as fairness and respect to guide planning. Attendees also took part in interactive workshops on topics such as becoming effective communicators. Read more... Wednesday October 27 2010: Sydney, Australia TRY HARDER: TEACHERS DO THE MATHS ON CURRICULUM The Mathematical Association of NSW has called for a thorough review of the proposed senior years national curriculum, arguing that the four courses of Essential Mathematics, General Mathematics, Mathematical Methods and Specialist Mathematics will not meet the needs of students as comprehensively as the current HSC offerings. In particular, it is felt that the draft is not appropriate for students with learning difficulties or for gifted students. The association also believes that the courses have drawn heavily from existing Victorian curricula and NSW teachers would need substantial professional development to adjust to it. Read more... Wednesday October 27 2010: Melbourne, Australia MUM'S INSIGHT KEY IN DYSLEXIA BATTLE A new book with strategies to assist children with dyslexia has been released. Titled 'Helping Children with Dyslexia: 21 Super Strategies to Ensure Your Child's Success at School', the book was written by a mother struggling to help her child cope with school work, and draws on current research into dyslexia. With NSW the only state or territory in Australia where dyslexia is recognised as a learning difficulty, the book aims to provide support for children and their parents. Read more... Wednesday October 27 2010: Sydney, Australia DOW AGROSCIENCES JOINS FORCES WITH PICSE TO ATTRACT YOUNG STUDENTS TO SCIENCE Dow AgroSciences and the Primary Industry Centre for Science Education (PICSE) have announced a sponsorship program to encourage young students to pursue careers in science. Initially focused in New South Wales, the program will assist PICSE to engage students in science activities and help them see the value of science to society, and assist teachers with professional development. Dow AgroSciences also hopes the arrangement will attract bright young scientists to the company. Read more... Wednesday October 27 2010: Sydney, Australia ANCESTORS BRING HISTORY TO LIFE FOR AUSSIE KIDS Ancestry.com.au has launched a new online teaching resource called 'My Place in History'. The site draws on students' interest in their own family backgrounds to teach about social and living conditions through different eras, and to build an understanding of how the world has changed. The resource includes three units - Change through History, My Society Through History, and My Family History - and includes lesson outlines, discussion topics and the opportunity for students to create their own family tree. There is no cost to use the website. Read more... Sunday October 24 2010: Melbourne, Australia SCHOOLS GET BY ON A DIET OF CHOCOLATE The Australian Education Union's (AEU) annual survey of 12,000 teachers has revealed that 68 percent of Victorian respondents identified fund-raising as 'very important' to the school budget. Money acquired through fund-raising is being used for basics such as classroom supplies and sports gear, prompting the AEU president Angelo Gavrielatos to question funding arrangements for public schools. The AEU is calling for smaller class sizes and a greater investment in specialist teachers to support students with difficulties in the lead-up to the state election. Read more... Sunday October 24 2010: Sydney, Australia NATIONAL SCHOOL CURRICULUM 'IS UNCLEAR, NOT READY TO TEACH' The Australian Curriculum Coalition (ACC), a group representing government, independent and Catholic education sectors, has outlined a number of criticisms of the proposed national curriculum. Too much content, too little flexibility, and lack of time and resources to familiarise teachers with the requirements are chief amongst the concerns. The ACC has also highlighted assessment and achievement standards as areas that appear to have been neglected. The Australian curriculum is due to be implemented by schools from 2011. Read more... Sunday October 24 2010: Sydney, Australia JESSICA SPEAKS HER MIND This year's NSW Legacy Junior Public Speaking Award has been won by North Sydney Girls High School student Jessica Cheng. Jessica's prepared speech addressed Australia's involvement in Afghanistan while the impromptu topic was 'gone missing'. Jessica and runner-up Greer Brennan from Riverside Girls High will compete in the national championships in Melbourne next month. Read more... Sunday October 24 2010: Sydney, Australia COAG MAKING GAINS IN LITERACY AND NUMERACY A Council of Australian Governments (COAG) report has found significant improvement in the literacy and numeracy results of primary school students at both state and national levels between 2008 and 2009. Of particular note was the fact that indigenous students and students from disadvantaged backgrounds showed solid improvement in their outcomes. The COAG report also found that young people were affected by the economic downturn, with training graduates finding it more difficult to secure full-time employment. Read more... Wednesday October 20 2010: Canberra, Australia ACT TEACHERS TO LOSE HANDS-ON LIBRARIES The two remaining specialist libraries for teachers in the Australian Capital Territory are slated for closure at the end of this year. The availability of resources on the internet has been cited as the main reason for the closures. Although some resources will be moved to the University of Canberra's main library, many may be lost, including hands-on resources such as puppets and big books. Four hundred students have signed a petition against the closure of The Education Centre at the University of Canberra. Read more... Wednesday October 20 2010: Sydney, Australia LABOR TO DEFY CHURCHES: ETHICS CLASSES LIKELY TO START NEXT YEAR A report into the controversial trial of ethics classes in New South Wales government schools has recommended that ethics sessions continue to be offered to students not participating in scripture classes. While church groups have opposed the program on the grounds that students taking scripture classes will miss out, Minister for Education Verity Firth has backed the proposal as a way of meaningfully engaging students not in scripture lessons. The report indicated that adequate funding and resourcing will be required for the program to be successfully implemented. Read more... Wednesday October 20 2010: Sydney, Australia LESSONS IN AESTHETIC APPRECIATION PROPOSED FOR SCHOOLS Students from the foundation year through to year 8 will study the arts under the proposed national curriculum. Lobbying by the National Advocates for Arts Education ensured that the arts were included in phase two of the new curriculum. The five key areas of dance, drama, media arts, music and visual arts will be organised around three strands of generating, realising and responding to ensure students understand the artistic process from conceptualisation to appreciation. Despite concerns from the visual arts sector, the Draft Shape of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts paper has met with a largely positive response from the arts community. Read more... Wednesday October 20 2010: Sydney, Australia THE SIX RADICAL SEVRETS OF A MORE PRODUCTIVE CLASSROOM British education expert, Professor Dylan William, is advocating the use of simple techniques to improve student engagement in the classroom. After spending a term trialling his ideas, which are all low-tech and easily accessible, William found that some generally accepted practices such as raising hands to answer questions were easily replaced with systems that offer more equitable opportunities for participation. William also found that teachers should be focused on giving comments rather than grades to students. Read more... Sunday October 17 2010: Sydney, Australia TRADERS BACK 'NO SCHOOL, NO SERVICE' SCHEME In an attempt to curb truancy, 100 businesses in Alice Springs have agreed not to serve school-aged students during school hours. With such overwhelming support for the proposal, the Minister for central Australia has decided not to make the program mandatory. Read more... Sunday October 17 2010: Launceston, Australia THE RISE OF RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS IN AUSTRALIA A recent report by Jennifer Buckingham from The Centre for Independent Studies has found that more than 90 percent of students in non-government schools attend schools with religious affiliations. Islamic schools and schools representing new Christian denominations are growing the fastest. The report also acknowledged the role religious schools play in reducing conflict within government schools by providing alternatives to meet the needs of different groups in our society. Read more... Sunday October 17 2010: Sydney, Australia PRIVATE SCHOOL PROFITS SPARK DEBATE ABOUT GOVERNMENT FUNDING With revelations that some elite private schools recorded large budget surpluses last year, there are calls to examine the role of government funding for these institutions. Schools such as Geelong Grammar received grants under the Building the Education Revolution program of up to $6.4m, which contributed to massive surpluses for last year. There is also concern that the financial reporting information to be included on the My School website will not include assets held by private schools such as bequests, shares and property, and the picture presented will therefore be distorted. Read more... Sunday October 17 2010: Melbourne, Australia OVERHAUL FOR NATIONAL CURRICULUM AFTER CRITICISM The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is set to make major revisions to the proposed national curriculum in response to concerns expressed during the feedback process. Criticisms included over-crowding of the science curriculum and a lack of Asian and post-World War II content in the history curriculum. The standards in the maths curriculum were identified as being too high for the average student. Implementation of the science, history, maths and English components of the curriculum is due to commence in 2011. Read more... Sunday October 17 2010: Melbourne, Australia YOUNG WRITER THE NEW FACE OF ANTI-BULLYING CAMPAIGN Project Rockit, an organisation that empowers students as leaders against bullying, has announced Amber McHenry as the winner of their recent Story Writing Competition. Amber's entry effectively portrayed the effect that bullying has on victims and will be used as part of a broader campaign to raise awareness of the issue. Project Rockit is based in Victoria. Read more... Wednesday October 13 2010: Sydney, Australia MORE HSC STUDENTS OPT FOR TOP-LEVEL MATHS EXAM Figures released by the New South Wales Board of Studies show that there has been a strong increase in the number of students sitting four unit mathematics exams this year. However, the president of the Mathematical Association of NSW, Dr Mary Coupland, has called for more detailed analysis of long-term trends in the study of mathematics asserting that the actual percentage of students taking higher level maths has not risen. Dr Coupland also expressed concern that the proportion of students not studying a maths subject in HSC has risen by 11 percent since 2003 and the percentage of students taking two unit maths has also decreased. Read more... Wednesday October 13 2010: Hindmarsh, Australia CURE THE BULLIES - SCHOOLAID'S CYBERBULLYING AWARENESS CAMPAIGN SchoolAid has launched a new website to help fight against cyberbullying. Called 'Cure the Bullies', the site uses characters depicting viruses such as 'Onlookerosis' to depict the various aspects of cyberbullying. Students can also take a quiz to see if they have caught the 'bullies virus'. Read more... Wednesday October 13 2010: Melbourne, Australia MELBOURNE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION RESPONSE TO THE DRAFT SHAPE OF THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM: THE ARTS The draft Shape of the Australian Curriculum paper for the arts has met with a positive response from the University of Melbourne’s Graduate School of Education (MGSE). According to MGSE, the paper emphasises the importance of the arts and will ensure that all students have access to various forms of arts expression including dance, media arts and visual arts. In feedback to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, MGSE intends to stress the critical role that pre-service teacher education and professional development for practising teachers will play in successful implementation of the new arts curriculum. Read more... Wednesday October 13 2010: Armidale, NSW EDUCATORS REPORT ‘SENSATIONAL’ SUCCESS OF QUICKSMART A maths intervention program developed by the University of New England has proved highly successful with middle school students. QuickSmart focuses on improving automatic response to simple maths tasks, which frees up working memory to allow children to more easily approach complex problems. Over 450 schools used the program in 2010. Read more... Sunday October 10 2010: Sydney, Australia IT'S NOT DOCKET SCIENCE - BUT PARENTS ARE LEARNING NEW WAYS OF BEING A GOOD SPORT Schemes such as Coles' Sports for Schools Program and McCain's Vegie Patch Program have come under fire for putting pressure on parents to change their shopping habits in order to obtain resources for their child's school. Under Coles' new promotion, more than $26000 needs to be spent in order for the school to receive one football. NSW Education Minister Verity Firth maintains the schemes are a positive thing for schools as any items obtained under promotional programs are over and above government funding. Read more... Sunday October 10 2010: Adelaide, Australia PARENTS HAVE BENEFITS CUT OFF AFTER CHILDREN MISS SCHOOL A Queensland trial to reduce truancy has seen 45 parents have their income support payments suspended. The trial, conducted in 30 schools in mainly urban areas, involves sending warning letters out to parents whose children are not regularly attending school. Support payments are suspended in cases where parents have not taken reasonable action to ensure that their children return to school. The program could be rolled out nationally if it proves successful. Read more... Sunday October 10 2010: Melbourne, Australia DEBATE RAGES OVER ARTS CURRICULUM Two hours a week will be devoted to studying the arts from kindergarten to year 8 if recommendations in the latest shape paper for the new national curriculum are adopted. The paper divides the broader arts curriculum into five areas - media arts, drama, dance, music and visual arts - which are to be included every year until year 9, when students can start to specialise in an area of interest. Supporters feel the arts curriculum will give students the opportunity to have a wide range of experiences within the arts field, while critics argue that too much is being squeezed into the curriculum at the expense of more traditional arts subjects. Read more... Sunday October 10 2010: Sydney, Australia SCHOLASTIC AUSTRALIA RAISES $25000 FOR AUSTRALIAN ORANGUTAN PROJECT Scholastic Australia's campaign to help endangered orangutans has raised $25 000 for the Australian Orangutan Project to use to support orphaned orangutans in Sumatra. The campaign tied in the International Year of Biodiversity, and presented opportunities for students to learn about orangutans and their habitats, and how simple actions can make a big difference. Schools can still get involved with helping save the orangutans through the Colour It Orange program. Read more... Wednesday October 6 2010: Sydney, Australia POOR SCHOOL SHOWING NO BARRIER TO SUCCESS A study by the Australian Council for Educational Research has found that almost three quarters of poor academic performers go on to successful full-time employment or study. The factors most likely to influence success include having a positive school experience and a clearly defined career goal. Socio-economic status also played a role, with students from disadvantaged backgrounds tending to fare less well than those from higher socio-economic backgrounds. Read more... Wednesday October 6 2010: Perth, Australia SCHOOLS A BACTERIA 'DISTRIBUTION CENTRE' The annual Australian Infection Control Conference has heard that schools are a breeding ground for bacteria due to the lack of hygienic soap options offered. At present there is no overall policy as to whether soap is provided in schools and when dispensers are provided they are often vandalised and non-functional. A US study has found sick days for stomach upsets dropped by 51% when hygienic hand washing practices were followed in schools. Read more... Wednesday October 6 2010: Sydney, Australia CATCHY SCIENCE TITLES, PATCHY KNOWLEDGE IN SCIENCE CURRICULUM The Australian Council of the Deans of Science has asserted that the new science curriculum needs a further six to 12 months to be ready for implementation. The main concern is that while the ideas contained in the curriculum are likely to appeal to students, they are not cohesively linked to a unified set of major scientific concepts. The council of deans suggests that the curriculum has been too reliant on teachers for its development and needs people who know about science to ensure that it adequately covers the progression of scientific understandings through the ages. Read more... Wednesday October 6 2010: Sydney, Australia CAMPAIGN TO ALLOW SCHOOLS TO DISPLAY ADS As part of the recent trend for schools to raise funds from the corporate sector, Warringah Council is looking to allow schools to display ads on their front fences by making amendments to its local environment plans. Critics of the proposal are arguing that schools should be adequately funded to avoid the need for corporate sponsorship. The Department of Education in New South Wales does not have a specific policy that relates specifically to schools selling advertising space, but encourages commercial partnerships. Read more... Wednesday October 6 2010: Sandy Bay, Australia THE FUTURE OF OUR TASMANIAN DEVILS? "WE NEED THE KIDS!" A new school resource kit for lower, middle and upper primary students aimed at educating them about the Tasmanian Devil has been launched as part of the Save the Tasmanian Devil program. Developed with the assistance of teachers, the kit is linked to curriculum outcomes and teaches students about the importance of the Tasmanian Devil and about how to save it from extinction. The school resource kit can be downloaded or ordered online. Read more... Sunday October 3 2010: Hobart, Australia BACKING FOR FOUR SCHOOL TERMS The Catholic Education Office and Independent Schools Tasmania are both pushing for Tasmania to change their school year to four terms instead of the current three. The Executive Director of Independent Schools said the change would make implementation of the new national curriculum easier. According to the State Government, there are no plans to change the term structure in Tasmania at this stage. Read more... Sunday October 3 2010: Sydney, Australia GARRETT PUSHES FOR NEW CURRICULUM TO BE READY BY DECEMBER DEADLINE Federal Education Minister Peter Garrett has pledged to have the national curriculum ready to be approved by December, even if it means long hours for those involved in formulating the documents. While Mr Garrett acknowledged concerns with the draft identified by bodies such as the NSW Board of Studies, he hopes these will be worked out over the coming months. The national curriculum for maths, English, science and history is due to go before the education ministers for approval in December. Read more... Sunday October 3 2010: Melbourne, Australia SITE REVAMP LETS PRIVATE SCHOOLS SHIELD THEIR ASSETS A planned revamp of the My School website for later this year will not require private schools to include details of their assets. The new financial details section on the site will force schools to publish their annual income and taxpayer funding but Angelo Gavrielatos, head of the Australian Education Union, contends that leaving out assets may be misleading. According to a representative from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) including the information would be too costly as it would involve valuing 10 000 school properties around Australia. Read more... Sunday October 3 2010: Sydney, Australia PRINCIPAL STOOD DOWN OVER NAPLAN TESTS A Brisbane principal has been stood down amid allegations that he gave students extra time to complete their National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests. The incident is just one of 51 NAPLAN cheating allegations under investigation by education departments nationally and comes after the establishment of the My School website which benchmarks schools based on NAPLAN results. Complaints against teachers administering NAPLAN tests have ranged from giving students advanced notice of test topics to minor issues such as leaving educational posters up in the room. Read more... Sunday October 3 2010: Berlin, Germany US FUTURIST SAYS E-BOOKS WILL REPLACE TEXTBOOKS WITHIN THREE YEARS The New Media Consortium's Horizon Report, due to be officially released in January, is predicting that within two to three years electronic books will replace traditional textbooks in tertiary institutions. Benefits of e-books include their light weight, versatility and appeal to the current generation of students. Laurence F. Johnson, Founder and CEO of the New Media Consortium, will preview the report more fully at Online Educa Berlin, a global e-learning conference, from 1- 3 December. Read more... Wednesday September 29 2010: Melbourne, Australia DONORS SHOULD NOT PICK SCHOOLS: UNION A new charitable foundation established by the Victorian government to make it easier for businesses to make donations to government schools has drawn strong criticism from the Australian Education Union. The criticism stems from a fear that allowing businesses to choose which schools benefit from their generosity will lead to a widening in the gap between well-off and disadvantaged schools given that alumni from selective schools are likely to be more successful, and to donate to the school that they attended. Independent schools are already classed as 'charitable organisations' and donations in that sector are therefore tax deductible. Read more... Wednesday September 29 2010: Sydney, Australia PERFORMANCE FIGRUES FOR SCHOOLS KEPT UNDER WRAPS Despite releasing data showing how much selective schools improved the performance of their students earlier this year, the NSW Department of Education has refused to release the same information for comprehensive high schools. The director-general of Education apologised for rejecting the request, explaining that the decision to provide the selective school data was incorrect. The request for the information was made by the Sydney Morning Herald under the new Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009. Read more... Wednesday September 29 2010: Adelaide, Australia ONLINE BID TO STOP ONE-IN-THREE TEACHERS QUITTING WITHIN FOUR YEARS New teachers in South Australia will be given extra support in the form of a new online forum announced by the state government. The initiative has been developed to combat the high attrition rates of new teachers by offering them extra support and an opportunity for networking. Around 30 percent of graduates leave teaching within the first five years. Read more... Wednesday September 29 2010: Sydney, Australia STATEMENT FROM ACARA CHAIR PROFESSOR BARRY MCGAW ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM Professor Barry McGaw, Chair of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) has released a statement about the timing and process for the Australian Curriculum. With the English, maths, science and history curricula scheduled to be presented to the Council of Ministers of Education in December, schools will be free to implement the curriculum from 2011. However, schools will have some discretion over the timing of implementation, with a requirement to have substantially adopted the new curriculum by 2013 being communicated. Achievement standards, work samples and other resource material will be released to support the new Australian Curriculum. Read more... Wednesday September 29 2010: Brisbane, Australia MATHS ADDS UP TO EXCITING CAREERS The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is hosting a half-day Maths Futures event to show secondary students with a passion for maths and problem solving potential career paths. The event will feature presentations from 11 mathematicians from a range of industries including health, engineering and IT. The Maths Futures event will be held on 8 October at QUT Gardens Point Campus. Read more... Sunday September 26 2010: Sydney, Australia MORE TIME TO WORK ON NEW CURRICULUM In response to concerns from the states, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) has postponed the ministerial endorsement process for the national curriculum to December. Chairman of ACARA, Professor Barry McGaw, indicated that the drafts have been substantially revised since they were released for public consultation, but conceded that more work needs to be done on reducing content. The revised timeline for the Australian Curriculum has a commitment from most states to substantially implement the new standards by 2013. Read more... Sunday September 26 2010: Canberra, Australia BARR ATTACKED OVER CUTS FOR DISABLED ACT Education has come under fire for releasing a consultation paper that includes proposed cuts to support teachers for children with disabilities on the eve of the school holidays. School counsellors are also under threat under the plan, which aims to save $4 million from the education budget. ACT Education Minister Andrew Barr has assured parents and teachers that no staff would be made redundant under the cuts, which are mainly directed at head office jobs. Read more... Sunday September 26 2010: Hindmarsh, Australia BETTER RESOURCING FOR AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION The Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) has launched a paper entitled 'Requirements for Implementing the Australian Curriculum' in an effort to ensure that schools are adequately supported while adopting the new curriculum. The paper suggests that Australian governments should pool their resources as an estimated $100 million a year will be needed to support the initiative and make sure that assistance is directed where it is most needed. The APPA's other recommendations include establishing consistent but flexible professional development for teachers and providing clear and simple expectations about what is required to implement the curriculum. Read more... Sunday September 26 2010: Sydney, Australia JUNIOR LANDCARE GRANTS ROUND 4 The last round of Junior Landcare grants for schools who would like to involve their students in landcare projects is closing shortly. Schools need to identify appropriate local landcare groups or other community links to work with to implement a School Environment Management Plan. Applications close on 22 October. Read more... Sunday September 26 2010: Sydney, Australia LEADERSHIP EDUCATION GETS A STIMULIUS: FREE TICKETS FOR ALL AUSTRALIAN HIGH SCHOOLS The Halogen Foundation, an organisation dedicated to developing leadership skills in young people, is offering free tickets to its National Young Leaders Day. With events being held in Sydney Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, every secondary school in Australia is eligible to claim two free tickets for students to attend. Guest speakers include Vanessa Amorosi, Anh Do and Jessica Watson. National Young Leaders Day events for secondary students will be held in November, while primary school events are planned for early 2011. Read more... Wednesday September 22 2010: Melbourne, Australia PRINCIPALS FAIL NATIONAL CURRICULUM Victorian principals have joined their New South Wales counterparts in suggesting that their schools will not be ready to implement the national curriculum in 2012. The Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals has cited the lack of readiness of the curriculum in areas such as science and geography content and assessment practices as reasons to delay adoption of the new curriculum. The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority also expressed reservations about the national curriculum, especially with regards to its application in composite classes and its provision for children with special needs. Victorian Education Minister Bronwyn Pike has said that teachers will receive training over the next year to support their use of the national curriculum. Read more... Wednesday September 22 2010: Melbourne, Australia ANGLICANS MOVE TO BRING ABORIGINAL STUDENTS INTO MAINSTREAM In an effort to help end the disparity in educational outcomes of Aboriginal children, the Anglican Church has adopted a policy that will see every Anglican school offer a programme to help Aboriginal education. Initiatives include boarding Aboriginal students and drawing on elders and 'aunties' to enrich Aboriginal history and culture studies. The plan has the support of prominent Aboriginal leaders such as Bishop Jim Leftwich. Read more... Wednesday September 22 2010: Sydney, Australia KIDS 'LETTER PERFECT' IN SPELLING COMP Seventy-six students from 20 schools competed in the South-East New South Wales Regional Final of the Premier's Spelling Bee. The class 3 and 4 winners were both from Merimbula Public School, while the overall winner was Christian Maala from Queanbeyan South Public School. The Premier's Spelling Bee was first held in 2004 and promotes improved literacy skills. Read more... Wednesday September 22 2010: Sydney, Australia FOCUS ON BASIC SKILLS BLAMED FOR DECLINE IN READING STANDARDS Professor Barry McGaw, head of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), has attributed Australia's fall in world rankings for reading achievement to a focus on basic skills rather than extending able readers. Professor McGaw also noted that achievement levels in Australia were more closely tied to socio-economic background than in high performing countries such as Finland. Angelo Gavrielatos, president of the Australian Education Union, expressed concern that the results indicate that Australian education is not heading in the right direction. Read more... Wednesday September 22 2010: Sydney, Australia THE WISE INITIATIVE - BUILDING THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION The second World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) will be held in Qatar from 7 - 9 December 2010. The Summit aims to offer the opportunity for discourse among education professionals with a view to identifying and implementing specific initiatives. WISE is an initiative of Qatar Foundation, and was established to address urgent issues facing 21st century education. Read more... Sunday September 19 2010: Canberra, Australia ANU LOSES NATION'S TOP RANKING IN WORLD LIST A new Times Higher Education university ranking list has placed the Australian National University (ANU) behind the University of Melbourne, shaking its reputation as the best tertiary institution in the country. The University of Melbourne came 36th in the rankings, seven places ahead of ANU. ANU also slipped three places in the Quacquarelli Symonds rankings. Read more... Sunday September 19 2010: Hindmarsh, Australia AUSTRALIA-INDIA SCHOOL LEADERS EXCHANGE The Leadership for 21st Century Schools: Australia-India School Leaders Exchange programme is seeking applications from educators who are interested in participating in a Study Tour of India, and hosting an Indian school leader in their own school. Successful applicants receive a grant of $1500 towards the costs of the tour, which is supported by the Australia India Council (part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade), and Australia Education International in New Delhi. Applications close on 15 October 2010. Read more... Sunday September 19 2010: Sydney, Australia NSW CANS 'INFERIOR' NATIONAL CURRICULUM Despite a commitment to implement the new national curriculum by 2013, NSW Education Minister Verity Firth has indicated that New South Wales schools will not be adopting the curriculum in its current form during 2011. According to Ms Firth, the quality of education would be compromised if the new curriculum were used, as it is inferior to the syllabus already followed in NSW. Concerns with the national curriculum include overcrowding of content in history and the organisation of subjects and general capabilities. Read more... Sunday September 19 2010: Melbourne, Australia WHAT IS IF DAY? The KIDS Foundation annual Injury Free or IF Day aims to increase awareness of preventable injury at school, home or in the workplace. On IF Day, students are encouraged to identify changes that can be made to avoid injuries. Schools can also enter a video or photo that conveys a safety message in the IF Day online competition for an entry fee of $100. IF Day is Friday 29 October. Read more... Sunday September 19 2010: Sydney, Australia ICT SCHOLARSHIPS ON OFFER AS PROMETHEAN AND CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY JOIN FORCES Primary and secondary school teachers are invited to apply for scholarships to study for a Graduate Certificate in ICT. The scholarships, offered by interactive classroom solutions company Promethean in partnership with Charles Sturt University, cover 25 percent of the total fees for the course. Applications close on 1 October 2010. Read more... Wednesday September 15 2010: Melbourne, Australia PRINCIPALS SLAM RESOURCES FOR DISABLED A survey of Victorian state school principals has found that more than 70 percent of respondents are unhappy with the level of support offered to students with a disability. While the Education Department in Victoria has an explicit policy of inclusion, principals report that access to funding for aides and special programmes is becoming more difficult. The Australian Education Union has launched a website called myschoolneeds.com.au to highlight what schools need to help them support students to reach their full potential. Read more... Wednesday September 15 2010: Sydney, Australia TOP SCHOOL'S SECRET WEAPON: 95% OF STUDENTS OF MIGRANT HERITAGE It has been revealed that more than 95 percent of students at New South Wales' highest performing school, James Ruse Agricultural High School, are from non-English speaking backgrounds. An academic from Monash University asserts that the selective school system in NSW is 'entrenching advantage in one particular ethnic group,' a claim backed up by the fact that children with Chinese heritage had the highest success rate in selective school entry tests. Only 20 percent of students accepted into selective schools each year are from English-speaking backgrounds. Read more... Wednesday September 15 2010: Brisbane, Australia BULLYING PARENTS PRODUCE BULLYING CHILDREN New research into bullying has found that children who are bullies generally learn these behaviours from their parents. The consequences of bullying can be quite severe for the perpetrators who often suffer with relationship issues that can persist into adulthood and even result in drug taking or criminal behaviour. Research has shown that the most effective way to stop bullying is to help the bully empathise with the victim. However, when the problem stems from the family, children are unlikely to learn from being shown that bullying is bad unless their families are involved in or support the change in the bully's behaviour. Read more... Wednesday September 15 2010: Canberra, Australia GOVERNMENT DECLARED, EDUCATION BACK ON THE AGENDA The Australian Council of State Schools Organisations (ACSSO) has released a statement outlining its hopes for the newly-sworn-in Gillard government. The ACCSO has expressed relief that many of the initiatives started in the previous Labor government term, such as the National Partnerships programme, will now continue. The organisation now plans to work with the government to improve public education in areas such as infrastructure and hardware to support the use of 21st century technologies. Read more... Sunday September 12 2010: Sydney, Australia RISE IN STUDENTS EXEMPT FROM TEST While New South Wales' participation rates in the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) remains the highest in the country, the number of students being granted official exemptions has doubled since the introduction of the controversial My School website. Greens MP John Kaye insists the increase is a direct result of the pressure to perform that the My School site is bringing to bear upon schools, however, a NSW Department of Education spokesperson said that the change represents a natural fluctuation in student cohorts. The NSW opposition spokesman for education also expressed concern that schools might prevent lower performing students from sitting the tests to improve their scores. Read more... Sunday September 12 2010: Melbourne, Australia GROWING GAP IN COUNTRY EDUCATION A report indicating a relative decline in university participation rates in regional Australia has led credence to independent MP Rob Oakeshott's concerns about the quality of education in country areas. The federal education department report found that socio-economic status had a greater influence than access to tertiary institutions in determining university participation rates and also indicated that poor quality secondary schooling in regional areas contributed to the lack of university entrants. The federal government has allocated up to $500 million from its Education Investment Fund to regional priorities. Read more... Sunday September 12 2010: Sydney, Australia TOUGH STANDARDS FOR ASPIRING TEACHERS New standards for teaching courses will require students to have English and maths results in the top 30 percent if they are entering a primary teaching course, and in the top 30 percent for English if they are studying secondary teaching. The standards have come from a consultation paper released by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). Under AITSL's plan for national accreditation of teachers, teaching degrees will also have a greater emphasis on broader aspects of teaching, including behaviour management, assessment and special education. Read more... Sunday September 12 2010: Sydney, Australia HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS SLOW TO IMPROVE GRADES The much-anticipated release of the 2010 National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) scores has shown disappointing results from high school students. While primary schools students improved more than expected between years 3 and 5, year 7 students performed below expectations for spelling and grammar, while year 9 students performed below expectations across the board. Inevitable comparisons between states showed that Queensland and the Northern Territory continue to achieve the lowest NAPLAN scores in the country, with the ACT, Victoria and NSW showing the strongest results. The ACT and Victoria also had the lowest participation rates. Read more... Wednesday September 8 2010: Sydney, Australia SPRINGBOARDS FOR PHILANTHROPY SchoolAid, a national schools-based philanthropy network, has launched some new free teacher resources. Focusing on social responsibility and values-based education, the resources offer ideas and support for teachers to guide students to develop an understanding of the issues facing various communities around the world, and to help them take action. The resources are aimed at middle and upper primary school students. Read more... Wednesday September 8 2010: Melbourne, Australia LITERACY TESTS 'FULL OF FLAWS' Language experts have suggested that up to half of the questions on the English section of the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests are flawed. Ambiguous directions and incorrect use of grammatical labels are among the criticisms levelled at the test. Summary results of the NAPLAN tests will be available on Friday, with students' individual reports being distributed next week. The My School website will be updated with the data in December. Read more... Wednesday September 8 2010: Melbourne, Australia NATIONAL TESTING RESULTS IN TRUANCY, DROPOUTS, EXPERT SAYS A British education expert has highlighted the dangers of investing too much importance in test results, explaining that tying schools to test targets has resulted in increased truancy and a larger number of students opting for independent education. Professor Alan Smithers also warned that teaching to the test does not result in lasting improvements in achievement. Both major parties in Australia have vowed to retain or extend national testing and the publication of results on the My School website. Read more... Wednesday September 8 2010: Sydney, Australia JUDGMENT DAY LOOMS FOR VERDICT ON ETHICS CLASSES PILOT An independent evaluator is currently considering submissions from a range of church and school groups regarding the trial of ethics classes in New South Wales schools. The classes, run at the same time as scripture lessons, have been popular with participating students, but strongly opposed by religious groups. The evaluator's decision will determine whether the ethics programme is offered throughout the state as an alternative to scripture classes on an ongoing basis. Read more... Wednesday September 8 2010: Perth, Australia GROWING FUTURE INNOVATORS After completion of a scoping study examining how contemporary arts organisations can work in partnership with schools to foster innovation, the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) has announced the launch of the Growing Future Innovators programme. To be piloted over the next three years, the programme aims to nurture qualities such as creativity, risk-taking, resilience and leadership by direct involvement with professional artists, and using modern contemporary arts methodology. Rio Tinto has announced a three year partnership with PICA throughout the Growing future Innovators pilot. Read more... Sunday September 5 2010: Melbourne, Australia CHAPLAINS IN SCHOOLS CHALLANGED A Queensland parent is mounting a High Court constitutional challenge to Australia's school chaplaincy programme. The challenge comes amid criticism of the programme by groups such as The Australian Council of State School Organisations, who don't believe that it is an appropriate solution for schools. The scheme has also come under fire for subsidising existing chaplains in elite private schools by up to $60 000 a year. Christian groups providing the chaplaincy services maintain that school communities are finding the programme valuable. Read more... Sunday September 5 2010: Melbourne, Australia TRANSFORMING CHILDHOOD TRAUMA: CONNECTING WITH EMPATHY AND COMPASSION World renowned child trauma expert, Dr Bruce Perry, is conducting a speaking tour to share his expertise about the effects of various forms of trauma on young children. The sessions will examine the potential of traumatic and abusive situations to alter children's brains and future learning, and the implications this has for intervention and support strategies. Dr Perry will speak in Melbourne, Cairns, Brisbane, Darwin, Canberra and Sydney from 8 - 22 September. Read more... Sunday September 5 2010: Armidale, NSW RESEARCH TEAM SEEKS FEEDBACK ON DRAFT STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS A research team from the University of New England is seeking feedback on behalf of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership about the draft Professional Standards for Teachers. The Standards outline expectations for teacher knowledge and skills at four different levels: Graduate, Proficient, Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher. Researchers are aiming to gain feedback from 14000 teachers across 1000 schools throughout Australia. Surveys will be available online for teachers not included in the target sample from mid-October. Read more... Sunday September 5 2010: Berlin, Germany UK INNOVATION STRATEGIST: SCHOOLS LEAVING TOO MANY CHILDREN BEHIND UK management thinker and author Charles Leadbeater is urging a total overhaul of our approach to education in order to ensure teaching remains relevant and effective for current and future students. Leadbeater is scheduled to present his vision for an education system that offers immediate payback to students in the form of solving problems, earning money or producing something, at Online Educa, a global e-learning conference in Berlin. Online Educa Berlin will run from 1 - 3 December. Read more... Wednesday September 1 2010: Sydney, Australia SCHOOL UNIFORMS - A GREAT LEVELLER OR A PART OF THE GREAT DIVIDE? In the wake of the Labor Party's pledge to introduce a uniform rebate, debate is raging as to whether or not school uniforms are desirable. A Victorian parliamentary committee found that some government schools were feeling pressure to offer a more expensive uniform to keep up with the look of independent schools. The committee also found that having dresses and skirts as the only uniform options might inhibit girls' participation in some activities. Despite the perception that neat uniforms equate to stronger values and greater academic achievement, a recent US study found little evidence linking uniforms with achievement. Read more... Wednesday September 1 2010: Melbourne, Australia GRADUATES ‘THREE YEARS AFTER’ Graduate Careers Australia (CGA) have released the results of a new study into the welfare of university graduates three years after their degree is finished. The 'Beyond Graduation Survey' found that bachelor degree graduates had lower unemployment rates compared with the overall market and experienced a median of 40% salary growth in the three years since graduation. GCA Senior Research Associate, Graeme Bryant also stressed the importance of appropriate work experience as an avenue to employment after university. Read more... Wednesday September 1 2010: Sydney, Australia REDKITE AND CANTEEN LAUNCH NEW DVD SUPPORT TOOL FOR PARENTS OF YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING WITH CANCER RedKite and CanTeen have joined forces to produce a new DVD resource to support parents and families of young people living with cancer. 'It's Like This...' explores a range of issues that families might encounter, including treatment and bereavement, and offers practical advice from parents and young people who have faced cancer. 'It's Like This...' is available free from both the CanTeen and RedKite websites. Read more... Wednesday September 1 2010: Sydney, Australia HURRY! ACMF NATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION CLOSES SOON The Australian Children's Music Foundation (ACMF) is calling for further entries into this year's National Songwriting Competition. The competition is open to students of all ages, with monetary prizes available to be used for music tuition and instruments. The competition closes 24 September 2010. Entry is free. Read more... Wednesday September 1 2010: Brisbane, Australia SICK KIDS STRUGGLE AT SCHOOL 'Growing up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children' has been used as the basis for analysis that has revealed that children with special health care needs in early childhood often struggle with social and learning development. The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) study asserts that this can have ramifications for a child's long term educational and social success. QUT researchers have suggested that the information could be used to develop targeted intervention programmes for children at risk. Read more... Sunday August 29 2010: Sydney, Australia 10-YEAR TEACHING RULE TO GO UNDER SHAKE-UP A review of the public school recruitment system in South Australia is likely to lead to a number of changes, including removal of the rule that forces teachers to change schools every ten years. Other proposed changes include creating greater opportunities for permanent teaching positions rather than contracts, and giving principals more control over recruitment decisions. Education Minister Jay Weatherill will set up a hotline for principals to use to communicate concerns and ideas about the issues in October. Read more... Sunday August 29 2010: Sydney, Australia NINE-YEAR-OLDS DON'T BELONG IN HIGH SCHOOL, SAY PARENTS Hurstville Public School parents are protesting against a proposal to relocate year 5 and 6 students to Hurstville Boys' High. Concerns about having girls as young as nine in close proximity with teenage boys, as well as fears that the move will affect the school's opportunity classes for gifted and talented students, are chief among the complaints. A spokesperson for NSW Education Minister Verity Firth has explained that barriers and a separate entrance will ensure that high school and primary school students do not mix. Read more... Sunday August 29 2010: Sydney, Australia NATIONAL KIDS HEALTHY EATING CAMPAIGN As part of the National Kids Healthy Eating Campaign, families are being aske