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AUSTRALIAN EDUCATION DIGEST

Volume 3 Number 35, 22 September 2009

COMPARING SCHOOL PERFORMANCE: (7 items)
TEACHER EDUCATION: National Mapping of Teacher Professional Learning Report
SAFETY AT SCHOOL: (2 items)
HOMEWORK: (2 items)
BUILDING THE EDUCATION REVOLUTION: Issues
DIGITAL EDUCATION REVOLUTION: Moving toward a new vision of education
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
DANCE EDUCATION
AROUND THE STATES & TERRITORIES: (9 items)
CONFERENCES & EVENTS: Beyond Beliefs
REMINDERS
ACSSO EMAIL NEWSLETTERS

COMPARING SCHOOL PERFORMANCE

Chicago Public High School teachers say they felt pressure to change grades

Roslaind Rossi and Art Golab, Chicago Sun-Times, August 29, 2009

Nearly a third of Chicago public high school teachers say they were pressured to change grades this past school year.

One in five report they actually raised a grade under such prodding.

And dozens of teachers -- elementary and high school alike -- say they believe someone changed their grades last year without their approval.

Those are the results of an unprecedented survey of more than 1,200 Chicago Teachers Union members conducted by the CTU and the Chicago Sun-Times in June and July.

The findings raise serious questions about whether some of the data used to judge Chicago public schools has been inflated, artificially manipulated -- or in some cases outright altered.

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Gillard’s Favourite School Reporting Model is Totally Discredited

Trevor Cobbold, Save Our Schools, September 8, 2009

Julia Gillard’s beloved New York City school reporting system has been totally discredited following the release of new letter grades for New York City elementary and middle schools last week.

The new results have been received with utter disbelief and ridicule by the New York media, academics and parent groups.

Of the 1058 schools graded, 889, or 84%, scored an A compared to fewer than 400 last year. Some 97% of schools received an A or B compared with 60% in 2007. A mere 27 received C’s, D’s or F’s.

Only two schools received an F, down from 35 in 2007, and five schools scored a D. All the schools that were failed last year and remained open received an A or B this year.

The New York Post, which has supported the report card system, referred to an “avalanche of A’s” which simply beggar the imagination and contrary to plain common sense.

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Parents reject school tables

SBS World News (AAP), 14 September 2009

Almost two-thirds of parents want the federal government to intervene and block the use of school league tables, a new poll has found.

he biggest concern is that it could demoralise students and teachers and create a huge loss in confidence.

A total 63 per cent of respondents want the government to step in and create new laws preventing the creation of the tables, which would use test scores to openly rank schools.

"Parents understand that naming and shaming schools in league tables is damaging," Australian Education Union president Angelo Gavrielatos said in a statement.

"League tables are the modern equivalent of the dunce cap for schools.

"Instead of lifting up struggling schools it pushes them down."

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Scrap school league tables, say experts

Graeme Paton, Telegraph, 16 September 2009

School league tables should be scrapped because they promote a culture of “teaching to the test”, according to a report published by Britain’s biggest exam board.

Official rankings force pupils to “jump through hoops” to boost schools’ positions at the expense of a decent grasp of basic subjects such as mathematics, it was claimed.

The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance study said schools were “frequently preoccupied” by tables, meaning lessons were often reduced to rote learning to make sure pupils maximise their scores.

Extra attention was also focused on borderline pupils on the verge of gaining a C grade – considered a good GCSE pass – at the expense of poor-performers or the very brightest.

It is the latest in a series of attacks on the testing culture at the heart of the English education system.

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Gillard urged to publish funding details

Dan Harrison, Sydney Moning Herald, 16 September 2009

PRIMARY school principals and the education union are calling on the Education Minister, Julia Gillard, to abandon plans to publish individual schools' results in national tests until she can also publish how much funding each school receives.

The nation's education ministers have agreed to publish a range of information about every school online before the end of the year, but do not plan to publish information about each school's financial resources until next year.

The president of the Australian Primary Principals Association, Leonie Trimper, said some schools received as much as $10,000 per student more than others. ''We must ensure that schools can be judged on the full amount of information, not just the test results alone,'' she said.

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School exams 'taking joy out of childhood'

Graeme Paton, Telegraph, 16 September 2009

Children are being reduced to little more than “currency” to boost schools’ exam results, according to the architect of the National Curriculum.

Pupils’ final year of primary school is being spoilt as schools are pitched against each other in a battle for the best scores, it was claimed.

Mick Waters, former director of curriculum at the then Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, blamed the Government’s fixation with testing and league tables. He insisted young people risked missing out on a “joyful childhood”.

Mr Waters was in charge of drafting the new National Curriculum – taught in every state school in England – before resigning this summer.

In an interview, he said: "The accountability framework is so demanding with schools pitched against each other. "

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Our bid to give school results

Nick Leys, Sunday Telegraph, September 19, 2009

NSW parents have been denied basic information about the performance of their children's school for too long. On their behalf, The Sunday Telegraph today launches a campaign to deliver that information - even if it results in prosecution and a hefty fine.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, this paper has asked the Department of Education to supply the 2008 and 2009 results for every public, Catholic and independent school in the State, including mean scores and the number of students in every performance band for each school year.

This is information parents need to answer the vital question: How well does your child's school compare with other schools in the area?

These are the same results released each year under the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy and the same results parents in other states are able to use when deciding which school their child should attend.

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TEACHER EDUCATION

National Mapping of Teacher Professional Learning Report

The Hon Julia Gillard MP, Minister for Education, 17 September, 2009

The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, today released the National Mapping of Teacher Professional Learning Project Report 2008 which provides a comprehensive picture of teacher learning practices across Australia.

In the Report, educational leaders and school principals acknowledge that professional learning is a vital component in any agenda to bring about educational change. Teachers also attribute change in their professional practice to professional development.

The key findings of the report show that teacher professional learning is:

a key way to implement reform at both a system wide and school level
integral to the professional lives of teachers and not an ‘add on
being shaped by standards-based reforms
dynamic, collaborative and generative
grounded in local school communities
inclusive of an enhanced role for universities
comprised of practitioner inquiry which is strongly collegial and collaborative in nature.

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SAFETY AT SCHOOL

Year 1 sex assaults prompt policy review

Steve Gray and Gabrielle Dunlevy, Sydney Morning Herald, September 21, 2009

Queensland schools have been urged to review their child safety policies after claims boys as young as six sexually assaulted classmates at a school north of Brisbane.

The Courier-Mail newspaper revealed on Monday that at least three Year One and Two boys are alleged to have sexually assaulted classmates in separate incidents at the school in June and September.

The parents of two girls have removed them from the school, where the boys remain.

Education Queensland has declined to provide any details of the incidents.

But the department's director-general Julie Grantham said on Monday all appropriate measures were taken once the incidents came to light.

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Qld primary school at centre of sex allegations

Charlotte Glennie, PM ABC Radio, September 21, 2009

MARK COLVIN: Controversy is intensifying at a Queensland primary school where little boys as young as five have allegedly been sexually assaulting classmates.

It's now clear that parents of at least two girls have removed their children from the school.

The case involves a state school north of Brisbane.

Four schoolboys aged between five and seven have been accused of allegedly sexually assaulting girls the same age.

Neither the school nor the children can be named for legal reasons.

Education Queensland has called in police and the Department of Child Safety to investigate.

Charlotte Glennie reports.

CHARLOTTE GLENNIE: The first sign of trouble among year one and two students at the Brisbane state primary school at the centre of the allegations occurred in June.

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HOMEWORK

All work and no play

Caroline Milburn, The Age, August 24, 2009

AT PSYCHOLOGIST Judith Paphazy's clinic in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, a steady stream of 12-year-olds with headaches, insomnia or anxiety seek her help. Accompanied by their parents, these children reveal a common bond: all have large amounts of homework set by their schools.

Dr Paphazy, one of Australia's leading experts on resilience in children, sees growing numbers of year 7 and 8 students doing homework for 90 minutes or more most nights. The trend is most evident in the private school sector and among Victoria's top-performing state schools.

''The amount of homework is insane,'' says Dr Paphazy, a consultant psychologist. ''What terrifies me is that our children are so sedentary: there's no time to play outside, ride your bike, take the dog for a walk or grow vegetables in your garden.

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Life after school: all homework, no play

Ainslie MacGibbon, The Age, September 21, 2009

The children arrive home from school, you offer them a snack while asking about their day before sending them off to play until dark. Hardly.

What's more likely to ensue is a quip about starting homework, followed by measured promises about what there ''may'' be time for ''after you finish your homework''.

The merit and need for some homework is generally accepted in secondary schools, but the practice has crept all the way down to kindergarten, where its benefits are highly contentious.

Australian seven- to eight-year-olds spend an average of 954 hours in the classroom annually, according to the OECD Education at a Glance 2009 - among the highest of the OECD countries. This excludes time spent on homework. Compare this with the same age group in Finland, who spend on average 608 hours.

A Finnish child usually starts schooling closer to age seven, when it is deemed developmentally appropriate - two years later than Australian children. Yet Finland is regarded as having the most successful education system in the world, based on OECD and World Economic Forum indicators.

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BUILDING THE EDUCATION REVOLUTION

Issues

Transcript, 5AA Radio, 17 SEPTEMBER 2009

LEON BYNER: One question, are you happy with the fact that both the Department of Infrastructure and the Education Department are taking management fees off the money that you put in for school spending and the schools in many cases don’t get to decide what they want done, it’s the department that tells them?

JULIA GILLARD: Leon, you don’t want to believe everything you read in the newspapers and you don’t want to believe everything that’s said by the Liberal Party about this program. Let’s remember they voted against it so they don’t support a dollar of this expenditure.

The Building the Education Revolution program has administration fees capped at 1.5 per cent. That is the arrangement we have with state and territories and with the Catholic and independent school authorities.

We’re asking them to roll out the biggest school modernisation program in the nation’s history, quickly, in order to support jobs, the very tradespeople you’re so concerned about, during the days of a global recession.

So yes, that means they’ve got to ramp up efforts really quickly so we are providing them with some administrative support but it is capped at 1.5 per cent of the money that is being spent on the Building the Education Revolution guidelines.

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DIGITAL EDUCATION REVOLUTION

Moving toward a new vision of education

FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology, 15 Sep 2009

Successfully introducing Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) into classrooms is one of the biggest challenges proposed by new educational plans. A research group from the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU) has studied substituting the current way in which education is structured for a new one that takes full advantage of the potential of new technologies.

Little by little, Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) have started to penetrate the educational sphere. A few years ago, the experts thought that the arrival of computers and the Internet in classrooms would have a drastic effect on the way that classes were given and received.

However, "the studies carried out at compulsory education level were not able to show the transformation and improvement of learning in schools that had been promised as a result of incorporating technology into the classroom", Asun Martínez, one of the authors involved in the UPV-EHU study, tells SINC.

This group of researchers has spent 10 years working with teaching staff from various school levels to look at the role played by technology in innovation processes within education, training and research, as well as in non-school contexts, such as museums.

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EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Government invests $970 m in high quality early childhood education

The Hon Julia Gillard MP, Minister for Education, joint Media Release with the Hon Kate Ellis MP, 17 September 2009

The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, and the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Child Care and Youth, Kate Ellis, today announced that all State and Territory governments have signed on to the Rudd Government’s $970 million Universal Access to early childhood education initiative.

Early childhood education is the foundation of the Rudd Government’s Education Revolution.

Working in partnership with State and Territory governments, this investment will help make preschool services more affordable and accessible for all Australian families.

The Universal Access initiative will ensure that by 2013, all children will have access to 15 hours a week of quality early childhood education delivered by a university-trained early childhood education teacher for 40 weeks a year, in the year before they start school.

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First ever national measurement of early childhood development

The Hon Julia Gillard MP, Minister for Education, joint Media Release with the Hon Kate Ellis MP, 19 September 2009

The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, and Minister for Early Childhood Education, Child Care and Youth, Kate Ellis, today announced the completion of the first stage of data collection for the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI).

As part of the Education Revolution, the Rudd Government is investing $21.9 million in rolling out the Australian Early Development Index nationally.

The AEDI will help us paint a better picture of the health and development of Australian children by the time they start school.

The AEDI is a population measure that provides information on the development of children at the local community level.

Local communities will be able to access the preliminary results for their community online from December 2009.

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DANCE EDUCATION

QUT honours eight giants of dance education

Queensland University of Technology, 21 September 2009

Queensland University of Technology will embrace the state's dance heritage tomorrow night when it holds a special awards ceremony to recognise eight of the greatest dance teachers Queensland has produced.

The dance community will gather at QUT for Queensland's Great Dance Teacher Awards - an inaugural event that is the brainchild of the university's Creative Industries Faculty.

Creative Industries executive dean Professor Susan Street said the night would celebrate the contribution of teachers who "laid the foundation for what we enjoy in dance today".

"These women are eight dance pioneers who have guided generations of aspiring young dancers," she said.

"Throughout their careers, they have not only trained dancers, but the next generation of dance teachers."

She said the contribution of the eight teachers being awarded had helped create the strong Queensland dance community which QUT was part of through its innovative dance degree.

Professor Street is a former professional dancer and was the first dance educator to be promoted to the title of full professor. She has also received an Australian Dance Award for Services to Dance Education.

The eight dance teachers (or their representatives) will be presented with a QUT achievement award by David McAllister - the artistic director of The Australian Ballet.

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AROUND THE STATES & TERRITORIES

ACT: Stronger suspension powers for school principals

Andrew Barr, MLA, 17/09/2009

ACT school principals will be able to suspend disruptive students for longer under legislation introduced into the ACT Legislative Assembly by Minister for Education and Training Andrew Barr today.

If passed by the Assembly the Education Amendment Bill 2009 will allow principals in ACT public and Catholic systemic schools to suspend unruly students for up to 10 days, an increase from the current limit of 5 days.

“After community feedback, ACT Labor went to the 2008 election with a commitment to provide better support to our teachers to help them get the best results for every student in their schools,” Mr Barr said. “This legislation delivers on that commitment.

“Suspension is a very strong step to take. It is a last resort and a step never taken lightly or in isolation."

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ACT: ACT Education Minister Should Resign

Trevor Cobbold, Save Our Schools, 20 September 2009

Save Our Schools today called on the ACT Minister for Education, Andrew Barr, to resign because he misused research evidence in his decisions to close schools.

SOS Convenor, Trevor Cobbold, said that the Legislative Assembly should pass a no confidence motion in the Minister if he fails to tender his resignation.

“The Minister has no choice but to resign following the Assembly report on school closures which shows that he misused research in his decision to close small schools.

“The Minister has been indicted by the Education Committee of the Legislative Assembly for wrongly using the research findings of Professor Brian Caldwell on small schools to justify school closures. He has been repudiated by the Professor himself. He has been effectively condemned by his own Labor colleague on the Education Committee. "

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NSW: NSW to check education stimulus spending

The Age, September 16, 2009

NSW is to set up an audit flying squad to make sure it gets bang for its buck from the rollout of the federal government's stimulus spend on education.

Education Minister Verity Firth has told a budget estimates hearing the squad would conduct "spot audits" of all Building the Education Revolution projects in each region.

Projects will be assessed on the time each takes, the cost and the quality of the finished work.

Independent audits will also be conducted by private firm Deloitte and the NSW Audit Office.

The announcement came a week after federal Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull claimed the education stimulus spend had been "riddled with problems", including inflated prices and gross inefficiency.

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NSW: Special education reform put on hold

ABC News, Sep 18, 2009

The New South Wales Government has deferred the reform of special education in public schools for allow time for further consultation.

It has been proposed that teachers be trained to cover a broader range of needs instead of specialising in areas such as autism, language or behavioural difficulties.

The Education Minister, Verity Firth, says a decision on the plan now will not be taken until the middle of next year - but trials at schools will go ahead.

The Green's Education Spokesman, John Kaye, has welcomed the decision, but still harbours concerns.

"The idea of using online training for just 110 hours and put teachers infront of students with diverse special needs was always absurd," he said.

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NT: Skilling our Students

Paul Henderson, Minister for Employment, Education and Training, 16 September 2009

More than 500 Territory students will get a chance to turn their hand at a trade during the annual Darwin Try’a Trade event this week.

Speaking at the event, the Education and Training Minister Paul Henderson said students have the opportunity to undertake small projects in skills shortage areas ranging from plumbing and hospitality to hairdressing and carpentry – guided by qualified tradespeople and apprentices.

“The strong NT economy and the increasing demand for skilled labour are two good reasons why students should consider vocational education and training as a career pathway,” he said.

“With several large projects, including Inpex, due to come on line and provide thousands of jobs, the Territory must be ready to take up the challenge of filling those jobs.

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SA: Schools to receive budget details shortly

Education Minister Jane Lomax-Smith, September 17, 2009

State schools will receive details of their budgets for 2010 when schools return from a two-week break on Monday 12 October.

Education Minister Jane Lomax-Smith says the Rann Government remains committed to implementing its proposed reforms to school resourcing.

“We are pleased with the support from principal groups and the State’s peak school governing council organisation for our proposed new school resourcing model.

“However, given the continuing arbitration proceedings in the Industrial Relations Commission, the Government will now seek to introduce these reforms from 2011, and not from 2010 as originally proposed.

“This is a responsible decision that will allow DECS to provide schools with certainty about their budgets and staffing for the 2010 school year.”

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TAS: Tenders Called For Australia's First Big Picture School

David Bartlett MP, Premier and Minister for Education and Skills, 19 September 2009

Tenders have been called for the construction of Australia’s First ‘Big Picture’ School in Hobart’s Northern suburbs.
The Premier and Minister for Education and Skills, David Bartlett, said the new $1.35 million school was part of the $49.325 million Glenorchy Schools project.

“The Glenorchy Schools project is designed to provide more options and opportunities for students in the area. Big Picture schools focus on teaching one child at a time, offering a more personalised approach to learning both in the classroom and the community,” Mr Bartlett said.

“The school, on the Goodwood Primary site, will have around 120 students split up into small class groups.

“The school will operate independently but will be linked to a new high school, Montrose Bay High, which will be formed in 2010 with the amalgamation of Claremont High and Rosetta High on the Rosetta High site."

Read more at http://www.media.tas.gov.au/release.php?id=27839

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WA: Big changes to early learning welcomed

Education Minister Liz Constable, 17/09/2009

All Western Australian children will be offered four more hours of kindergarten a week by 2013.

The changes to early childhood education, announced by the Federal Government, will ensure all children have access to 15 hours of kindergarten at their chosen school by 2013.

Welcoming the $98.4million announcement, WA Education Minister Liz Constable said in four years’ time the increased attendance hours would be offered at all public, independent and Catholic schools.

“This is a major step forward for early childhood education and help generations of WA children get the best possible start to learning,” Dr Constable said.

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WA: Academic praises independent schools plan

ABC News, Sep 20 2009

An education academic says a plan by the State Government to make 30 public schools in WA independent is the right way forward.

Under the scheme, the schools will be given independence over the curriculum, the hiring of staff and the disciplining of students.

Teachers are threatening to strike if the government does not stop the process and hold further consultation.

But Professor Max Angus from Edith Cowan University says the move is positive and overdue.

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CONFERENCES & EVENTS

Beyond Beliefs

Free One-Day Professional Development Workshop for Secondary Teachers

ADELAIDE Monday 19 October, Adelaide Convention Centre
MELBOURNE Thursday 22 October, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
PERTH Thursday 29 October, Hyatt Regency Perth
SYDNEY Monday 2 November, Hilton Sydney
BRISBANE Thursday 5 November, Stamford Plaza

All workshops 9.00 am to 2.30 pm. Registration from 8.45 am.

This professional learning opportunity is brought to you by the Australian Curriculum Studies Association (ACSA) in conjunction with Issues Deliberation Australia (IDA), and The Myer Foundation. For further information call ACSA on 02 6260 5660.

BEYOND BELIEFS is a powerful new curriculum resource for secondary students exploring the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims living in Australia. The resource includes a DVD of the award-winning documentary Beyond Beliefs (Winner IQ One World Award and Silver Screen Award, US International Film and Video Festival), a study guide and information booklet.

All participants at the workshop will receive this resource kit at no cost.

BEYOND BELIEFS provides a compelling insight into one of the most challenging social issues of our times. This professional learning opportunity will give you the confidence and tools to tackle this difficult issue with your students.

This is a free workshop and places are strictly limited.

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REMINDERS

26-27 September - NSW Computer Education Group State Conference - Stanhope Gardens, NSW - http://www.nswceg.org.au/

26-28 September - ACEL International Conference - Darwin, NT - http://www.acel.org.au/index.php?id=858

29-30 September - Asia Pacific Conference on Educational Integrity - Wollongong, NSW - http://www.uow.edu.au/conferences/4APCEI_2009/home.html

2-4 October - Australian Curriculum Studies Association Biennial Conference - Canberra, ACT - http://www.acsa.edu.au/pages/index.asp

6 October - Ed Directions - Sydney, NSW - http://south09.webdirections.org/workshops#ed-directions

11-17 October - Anti-Poverty Week - http://www.antipovertyweek.org.au/

12-13 October - ACSSO National Conference - Hobart, TAS - http://www.acsso.org.au/natconf09/

20 October - Symposium: Building school partnerships with commerce & industry - Melbourne, VIC - http://www.spheresofinfluence.com.au/

23-24 October - Art Education Victoria Annual Conference - Melbourne, VIC - http://www.aev.vic.edu.au/pd/conference/2009/index.html

24-25 October - Asian Conference on Education - Osaka, Japan - http://ace.iafor.org/

9 November - Innovation in Education One-Day Conference - London, UK - http://www.guardian.co.uk/innovation-education

9-12 November - London International Conference on Education - London, UK - http://www.liceducation.org/

18-21 November - NAEYC Annual Conference & Expo - Washington DC, USA http://www.naeyc.org/conference/

24-26 November - Family Relationship Services Australia National Conference - Sydney, NSW - http://www.frsa.org.au/site/

25-27 November - International Conference on Primary Education 2009 - Hong Kong - http://www.ied.edu.hk/primaryed/

24-26 March - Going Global 4 - London, UK - http://www.britishcouncil.org/goingglobal.htm

9-10 April - National Coalition against Bullying Conference - Melbourne, VIC - http://www.amf.org.au/NCABConference/

4-7 July - National Conference for Teachers of English & Literacy - Perth, WA - http://www.englishliteracyconference.com.au/index.php?id=46&year=10

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Family School Partners : http://www.familyschool.org.au/news/ (monthly)
Public Education Voice : http://www.acsso.org.au/pev.htm (quarterly)

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