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2017 (31) 20 November


ET News Digest
Your Weekly Education Newsletter
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Leading change and innovative practice: Building teacher capacity

 

Donna Evans explores how principals can create workspaces that are more professionally fulfilling for graduates, teachers and for themselves

 

There is a rumour that when joints get brittle, skin crisps and wrinkles from constant exposure to the elements, and the muscles relax, and relax, and relax, PE teachers have no other option than to seek school headships. What do you think? Regardless of what their pedigree is, what we can agree on is that the role of principals is becoming more and more complex. Read More

NSW schools face delays in spending money they have earned

A new NSW Auditor-General's report on sharing school and community facilities says there are "significant delays" in approving $56 million worth of projects that schools will pay for themselves with money raised through leasing their playgrounds and classrooms to community groups. 

     More than 700 projects that public schools will pay for with their own fundraising money are stuck in a backlog in the NSW Department of Education. Read More

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Better-off parents are turning away from private schools

Better-off parents are choosing a public school instead of an independent, reversing the drift towards private that has worried educators and commentators. According to an analysis by the Bureau of Statistics for Fairfax Newspapers, government school enrolments have increased proportionately by almost 7 per cent since 2006. In NSW a decade ago 43.6 per cent of parents were sending their children to public schools Read More

Townsville Christian school to close secondary and boarding

Shalom Christian College, currently a Prep to Year 12 school, will only accept primary students next year, cutting its enrolment by more than half and ceasing its role as an indigenous boarding school. The Uniting Church-owned and operated Condon school was heavily scrutinised as part of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Read More

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Independents counter Catholic Education funding arguments

The independent Schools Council of Australia (ICSA) has rejected claims by some Catholic school systems  that the new Federal funding arrangements create distortions in terms of how parents' capacity to pay fees is assessed. 

     ICSA argues that the new funding arrangements utilise a measure of parental capacity to pay, the 'SES methodology' which has been in place for both Independent schools and Catholic schools since 2005. Read More

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It must be true... I googled it

A new report, co-written by QUT, shows more than half of Australian school children consuming news on the internet hardly ever or never check if it’s fake. 69 per cent say news makes them feel smart or knowledgeable but 54% of young people don’t check whether news stories are true.

     The report was released at the first national news and media literacy conference for kids and teens Read More

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Student entrepreneurs solving problems to fix education

Research by the Mitchell Institute reveals how 21 schools across NSW and Victoria are ‘shifting the education paradigm’ by enhancing capabilities and promoting entrepreneurial thinking. 

     Increased confidence, greater resilience, stronger collaboration skills and improved empathy are benefits reported by students taking part.

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2018 named ‘Year of Women in School Leadership’

A developmental undertaking to specifically improve the occupational opportunities of women working across Australia’s schools has been announced. Named the ‘Year of Women in Leadership’ by the National Excellence in School Leadership Initiative (NESLI), who are managing the project, the venture will run throughout 2018. Read More

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BPAY offers new schools $1000 rebate on set-up costs

The first 50 schools to become  BPAY Billers before 30 March 2018 will receive a $1000 rebate towards their BPAY set-up costs and will automatically go into a draw to win a $10,000 grant.

     Offering BPAY as a payment service empowers families to manage their school fee payments in a convenient, fast, and secure way.

     The BPAY website lists 1000 schools that are BPAY Billers. Read More

NSW universities to make early offers to IB students

International Baccalaureate students will get early offers from a number of Sydney universities based on their predicted results, up to three weeks ahead of the new December 21 round of offers for HSC students. Read More