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AUSTRALIAN EDUCATION DIGEST

Volume 4 Number 30, 24 August 2010

FUNDING: Private schools stay quiet on cash bonanza
HEALTH & WELL-BEING: (3 items)
SOCIAL SERVICES IN SCHOOLS: Target children via school
CIVICS & CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION: They heard the news today
SCHOOL LIBRARIES: Every Australian student deserves a quality school library with a qualified teacher librarian.
SCIENCE EDUCATION: (4 items)
MATHEMATICS EDUCATION: (2 items)
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION: The Water Education Toolkit
SCHOOL AGE CARE: My Time, Our Place
TERTIARY EDUCATION: (2 items)
AROUND THE STATES & TERRITORIES: (13 items)
CONFERENCES & EVENTS: (4 items)
REMINDERS
ACSSO EMAIL NEWSLETTERS

FUNDING

Private schools stay quiet on cash bonanza

Anna Patty, Sydney Morning Herald, August 23, 2010

THE state's wealthiest private schools posted financial surpluses of up to $8.4 million last year after the Commonwealth delivered them as much as $10 million in annual subsidies.

Annual reports lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission for last year show Queenwood School for Girls in Mosman generated a net surplus of $4.7 million after receiving $16.8 million in fees, $1.06 million in donations and $3.2 million in government funding.

Ascham School at Edgecliff recorded a surplus of $3.04 million after receiving $21.6 million in fees and $2.5 million in government funding.

And Cranbrook registered a net surplus of $8.4 million, which took into account consolidated revenue from all sources, including $2.7 million in bequests and donations. The headmaster, Jeremy Madin, who will retire this year, said the consolidated net surplus included capital works grants under the federal government stimulus program, which had been spent. The school's operations, which included fees of $29.9 million, generated a surplus of $968,585. Mr. Madin said the school depended on making a surplus to cover capital works and maintenance costs. "We have to stand on our own two feet to raise funds to build classrooms and laboratories. Until the BER [Building the Education Revolution] program, the government has not provided us with any capital works funding."

Cranbrook and other schools that are registered as non-profit companies limited by guarantee must lodge an annual financial report with ASIC in compliance with the Corporations Act. But many other schools, including The King's School, Shore and Sydney Grammar are not required to lodge the statements with ASIC because they are covered by different acts of parliament, including one that covers schools associated with the Anglican Church.

Mr. Madin said his school believed in transparency and supported all schools making their finances public on the My School website. "We think it's about time," he said. "We should know the cost of all schooling."

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HEALTH & WELL-BEING

Young people’s Social and Emotional Wellbeing - Research Project

Australian Research Alliance for Children & Youth, August 2010 Update

The aim of this project is to examine what is meant by social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) for children and young people, how it might be measured, and implications for policy and practice that flow from monitoring it. Measurement of SEWB presents particular challenges for policymakers and researchers.

While many people are comfortable with monitoring indicators of material well-being, health and educational achievement, there is no single indicator or set of indicators relating to SEWB, in adults or in children, that enjoys consensual approval.

We start off with a ‘whole child’ approach that involves mapping SEWB to other aspects of children’s and young peoples’ wellbeing. Recent Australian strategic policy documents emphasise the importance of the whole child, meaning, as the 2008 Melbourne Declaration puts it, that children and young people should be successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens; and also that children’s and young people’s social, economic, ethnic or indigenous backgrounds should not be seen as determining their future place in society.

We argue that any indicators of SEWB have to aim first, towards positivity, towards ‘the good life’ – this is implicit in ‘whole child’ approaches. Second, they should also aim, as far as possible, towards universality – being equally relevant to all children. Third, they should be interpreted in the wider context of the child’s or young person’s physical, social and material environment, and respect the young person as a reflexive and critical agent.

The conceptualisation of wellbeing, and SEWB, is a political process. Ideally it should be based on a truly consensual vision of the good life. Children and young people need to be involved in this debate - what ‘the good life’ in general, and what SEWB in particular, means for them, and how they would measure it.

Read the Report: http://www.aracy.org.au/cmsdocuments/SEWB%2007_071%20(2).pdf

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Qualified counsellors are required for every NSW Public School

Helen Walton, President, NSW Federation of Parents & Citizens Associations, 19 August 2010

The Federation of Parents and Citizens’ Association is asking all political parties to explain their policies specific to the provision of a school counsellor in public schools to deal with the increasing mental health issues being experienced by students in NSW schools.

This question follows the report in the SMH on August 16th 2010 that ‘about one in five young Australians suffers from mental illnesses. These include anxiety, depressive disorder, anorexia and bulimia. Some 10 percent of young Australians suffer abuse or neglect while one in five have a parent with poor mental health or a physical disability.‘

In addition, an Inquiry carried out by Tony Vinson some years ago, found that ‘Mental health and wellbeing issues are said to increase the risk of dropping out of school, becoming homeless or ending up in the justice system.’

‘A positive and proactive approach would protect a number of vulnerable students, and their families, as they struggle to cope with the diverse issues that affect them’ stated Helen Walton, P&C President. ‘The issue of mental health and its associated impact on the youth of today, has been a major focus for many community organizations but there needs to be a concerted effort by all political parties to support ongoing initiatives.’

Unfortunately, the current funding for the national School Chaplaincy program does not offer an alternative.

‘In NSW, these funds could be better utilized to employ additional trained school counsellors for our Public schools’ commented Ms Walton.

‘As a continuing priority for the Federation, we will reiterate our call to all political parties to address their stance on the provision of adequate and appropriate support for adolescent mental health programs.’

http://www.pandc.org.au/

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Special schools a fast track to prison

Justine Ferrari, the Australian, 18 August 2010

BOYS are being segregated from the mainstream school system for behavioural and emotional disorders at about six times the rate of girls.

A study by Macquarie University researchers has found a disturbing pattern suggesting specialist behaviour schools may act as a "school-to-prison pipeline", in which students do not return to mainstream classes but enter juvenile justice centres.

Based on an analysis of data from NSW, which has the most transparent education system, the study, to be published next month in the journal Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, examined the diagnoses of students enrolled in special classes and schools.

It found boys and girls were almost equally represented in intensive English classes for new migrant children, and that the diagnosis of physical disabilities such as hearing and vision impairment, or moderate to severe intellectual disability, has remained relatively stable over the past decade.

But the study found boys with physical disabilities were more likely to be in special schools than girls, while the numbers were more representative of the general student body in special classes in mainstream schools.

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SOCIAL SERVICES IN SCHOOLS

Target children via school

Andrew Trounson, the Australian, 18 August 2010

MAKING schools the front line for delivering social services could be the best way to tackle educational disadvantage among children from low socioeconomic backgrounds, says Deborah Cobb-Clark, the new director of the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research.

Professor Cobb-Clark said schools would need to be properly funded and managed to play such a role. But it could present problems over where a school's responsibility and that of a host of welfare agencies intersect. Professor Cobb-Clark said better targeting of social services at children was the key because the source of disadvantage was often rooted in the circumstances of their parents, whether they were long-term unemployed, had a disability or chronic illness or were simply single parents.

Social services were largely targeted at the adults in these families, rather than directly at the children, she said. While there were programs for the long-term unemployed, for example, she noted there were no programs for children growing up with unemployed parents.

"Some of the difficulty is that we don't have great mechanisms or social institutions for dealing with children, other than through the school system," Professor Cobb-Clark said. "My guess is that the best way to solve this is to operate through schools. But you have to recognise that schools are doing more than education. They are front-line social institutions for dealing with the next generation and they aren't currently resourced or structured for that."

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CIVICS & CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION

They heard the news today

Ainslie MacGibbon, Sydney Morning Herald, August 23, 2010

Where were you when the September 11 attacks occurred? When man walked on the moon? The memory of watching momentous events unfold on television can stay with you for a lifetime. When a growing number of young people in Australia think back to where they were when, for example, Kevin Rudd apologised to the stolen generations; when Barack Obama became president and when Australia's first female prime minister was sworn in, the answer will be: in the classroom.

Bridget Grimshaw, who lives at Cammeray and is the mother of two primary schoolchildren, says: "I can remember so clearly my daughter jumping in the car after school yelling 'Mummy, do you know Australia got its first woman prime minister today?' They had obviously been given the news in an exciting and emotional way and I like knowing that she will always remember that moment." Grimshaw also recalls her son's response to the apology to the stolen generations: "His school made a very big deal about it and the school came together to watch it live," she says. "There is no downside to children witnessing events of national significance, or historical significance. I think it's great, provided they don't put political spin on the information," she says.

Schools are helping students digest current affairs not only by discussing the issues but also by introducing them to a range of media so they become familiar with reading a newspaper, or processing digital information.

Educational goals cited by the National Curriculum Board include enabling children "to make sense of their world and think about how things have become the way they are" and being "responsible global and local citizens". News and current affairs have a significant role in attaining this, but experts say it is all in the delivery.

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SCHOOL LIBRARIES

Every Australian student deserves a quality school library with a qualified teacher librarian.

Georgia Phillips

A quality school library is kid friendly and student focused. The school library is not just a storehouse run by a loans assistant, but a vital learning centre, operating under the guidance of a dual-trained teacher-librarian, in partnership with classroom teachers.

Learning today means more than memorizing facts. It means learning to learn for a lifetime. Savvy parents and educators know that the school library is key to teaching students not just to read but to practice the skills they need to seek, evaluate and use information throughout their lives. In fact, research shows those students from schools with professionally staffed, fully equipped libraries score higher on literacy and achievement tests.

How does your child's school library measure up?

Is there a qualified teacher librarian? Is there adequate support staff?
Does your child have access to the school library anytime during the day that he/she needs to use its resources?
Does the library offer remote access from home via computer?
Is the school library budget adequate to provide a full range of both print and electronic resources?
Is the library central to the school’s literacy program?
Are school administrators knowledgeable and supportive of the school library?
Does the school provide ongoing training to support teachers and staff in learning about new technologies and integration of information skills?
Are teachers encouraged to work with the teacher librarian to extend learning opportunities?
Is there a process for ongoing evaluation of the school library?

Children cannot be educated to live and work in the 21st century using resources from the 1970s. Let your principal and school parent group and/or school board know of any concerns. Work with your principal to ensure support for the school library program.

Georgia Phillips is convenor of The Hub: Campaign for quality school libraries in Australia http://hubinfo.wordpress.com/

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SCIENCE EDUCATION

Australian Museum Eureka Prizes in Science 2010

University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize –

This prize is awarded to students for a short film that communicates a scientific concept in an accessible and entertaining way. This year’s prize recipients are:

Primary Section: Lily Colmer, Albany Hills State School, Queensland - “Can you hear the music?”

Secondary Section:

First Prize: Betty Cherigi, Matt Dalla Rosa, Paul Dalla Rosa, Steven Megaloudis, Byron Mihailides & Even Raif, Year 11, St Helena Secondary College, Victoria – “Rontgen: A bright spark”
Second Prize: Brandon Gifford, Year 9, Casino Christian School – “The Incredible Feather”
Third Prize: Chris Daniels, Milan Dobrijevic, Emilio Pace & David Waters, Year 11, St Peter’ College, SA – “A Timely Intervention”

University of Technology Sydney Eureka Prize for Science Teaching:

This prize is awarded to a secondary school science teacher who has motivated and inspired students to become involved in science and impacts on science participation and performance of students.

Awarded to: Jane Hall-Dadson, Exeter High School, Tasmania

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Australians victorious at International Science Olympiads

Australian Science Innovations, 2 August 2010

Thirteen of the country’s brightest stars have returned home from the International Science Olympiads in triumph, having collectively secured 11 medals and two honourable mentions.

The Year 11 and 12 students were selected to represent Australia based on their outstanding efforts in a series of challenging exams and training sessions thanks to funding from the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, MSD and Monash University. The Olympiads took place in Korea (Biology), Croatia (Physics) and Japan (Chemistry) throughout July.

The gifted Australians competed against hundreds of students from all around the world, and were given the opportunity to further develop their skills and be exposed to new ideas and technologies.

Acting Director of Olympiad programs at Australian Science Innovations (ASI), Dr Matthew Sorell, said the number of medals and honourable mentions collected by the team illustrates their real potential as future stars of the industry.

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Fairfield student takes bronze at Chemistry Olympiad

Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation, Media Release,19 August 2010

Kelvin Cheung of Fairfield has done Australia proud at the 42nd International Chemistry Olympiad in Tokyo, taking home three bronze medals.

A Year 12 student from James Ruse High School, Kelvin was selected by Australian Science Innovations and sponsored by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). He competed with the world’s brightest young scientists from more than 70 countries in the Olympiad at University of Tokyo and WASEDA University.

Kelvin was part of a successful Australian team that won a total of eleven medals.

Before departing, Kelvin was given a tour of ANSTO’s facilities and given the chance to speak to scientists in his field of interest. Daniel chose to speak to medical researchers from ANSTO LifeSciences whose work into fundamental biology aims to provide better ways to prevent and treat a range of diseases. One such field of study has led to human trials in the United States of ground breaking new methods to diagnose Alzheimers and Parkinsons Disease.

ANSTO supports budding young scientists in fulfilling their aspirations through a range of sponsorships and programs.

Read more: http://www.ansto.gov.au

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Mona Vale student returns from Boston MIT experience

Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation, Media Release, 19 August 2010

Year 12 student Daniel Comber-Todd of Mona Vale has returned to Australia after experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform hands-on scientific experiments at Boston’s world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Supported by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Daniel attended MIT’s Research Science Institute and worked with top international physicists on original research. The Research Science Institute is a competitive research program for senior high school students from 26 countries hosted by MIT, which is famous as the alma mater of dozens of Nobel Prize laureates in scientific fields.

Daniel, who attends the Mater Maria Catholic College in Warriewood, met with scientists at ANSTO’s Bragg Institute to learn more about nuclear physics before embarking on the visit to MIT. The Bragg Institute leads Australia in the use of neutron scattering and X-ray techniques to solve complex research and industrial problems in many important fields. Daniel was also supported in his trip to Boston by the National Youth Science Forum, a program dedicated to exposing students who are thinking about a career in science, engineering and related disciplines to major scientific institutions.

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MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

Call to tackle crisis in maths teaching

Andrew Trounson, the Australian, 16 August 2010

THE shortage of qualified maths teachers must be tackled more directly by training those being forced to teach out of their field.

The call came from the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute yesterday. AMSI director Geoff Prince said government measures to boost the supply of mathematics teachers were not working. Rather than trying to attract qualified professionals into teaching, he said, the immediate priority must to be on training the under-qualified teachers being forced to carry the maths load at Years 7-10. Professor Prince said governments should fund short courses for teachers to upskill.

"The very first thing that needs to be done is to get the people who are teaching out of field and give them the content knowledge. They have already got the teaching skills," he said. "It is such a serious strategic issue, but there is no one who has both hands on the wheel to navigate us out of this quagmire."

The federal government has provided HECS incentives for mathematics, science and teaching. And last week Julia Gillard made maths and science the focus of the $16.1 million Teach Next program in which, from 2012, 450 qualified professionals will be encouraged to retrain on a faster track as teachers.

The new national maths curriculum being developed has provisions for extending students' abilities but Professor Prince said the critical factor was ensuring enough qualified maths teachers.

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English restricts the language of mathematics

Professor David Clarke, Opening Keynote, Australian Council for Educational Research Conference, 16 August 2010

The international mathematics education community’s capacity to study, understand and enact classroom practice is constrained by the dominance of the English language, Professor David Clarke will told the ACER annual conference in Melbourne on 16 August.

In the opening keynote address Professor Clarke, the Director of the International Centre for Classroom Research at the University of Melbourne, told delegates that the emergence of English as the ‘lingua franca’ has restricted international access to some of the subtle and sophisticated concepts used by mathematics teachers and teacher educators in non-English speaking countries.

“The theories we construct are constrained to those ideas and relationships we are capable of naming,” Professor Clarke said.

“Each community has developed its own language to describe those things it values. This is particularly true in education. The insights of a culture are embedded in those activities it has chosen to name.”

Follow links to all conference presentations: http://www.acer.edu.au/conference

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ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

The Australian Government’s Water Education Toolkit – now updated

Department of Environment, Water, Heritage & Arts, 17 August 2010

The Water Education Toolkit has been updated and now holds over 1000 water education resources.

Classroom teachers can spend considerable time looking for the right resources to help students understand different water concepts. With the launch of the Australian Government’s Water Education Toolkit, finding the right water education resource for your classroom just became much easier.

The classroom provides a great environment for children and young adults to learn about water issues and incorporate water savvy behaviour into their everyday lives.

Created out of a need to consolidate the vast amount of water education material available on the web, the Water Education Toolkit brings together more than 1000 national, state, territory, regional and urban water education resources into one easily accessible, convenient and comprehensive web portal.

Teachers and students will be able to find case-studies, lesson and unit plans, visual aids, in-class activities, Indigenous cultural resources, informational resources, games, experiments and more.

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SCHOOL AGE CARE

My Time, Our Place

Draft National School-Age Care Framework released for consultation

National Out of School Hours Services Association (NOSHSA), 20 August 2010

It is an exciting time for the school age care sector in Australia. Governments are developing a national school age care framework.

Titled “My Time, Our Place”, the framework articulates outcomes for children attending a quality school age care service and suggests the type of experiences that are offered to achieve these outcomes.

The framework for school age care will articulate the work of the school age care educator and the value of that work in the community. Thus the very nature of the framework will provide an opportunity to raise the status and profile of the profession and emphasise the critical importance of the often forgotten “middle years”.

It will acknowledge and give the school age care sector professional status and recognition that is long overdue.

The draft framework is now released for reading and reflection. DEEWR will be conducting consultations on the document later in the year.

Read the draft framework: http://www.netoosh.org.au/noshsa/articles/draft_framework_2010.pdf

Read the Facilitated Discussion Paper: http://www.netoosh.org.au/noshsa/articles/framework_flyer.pdf

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TERTIARY EDUCATION

TAFE to offer degrees

Adelaide Now, August 22, 2010 (AAP)

TAFE institutes are to offer bachelor degrees and could compete with universities for students under a bold plan aimed at combating skills shortages.

The government-owned institutes want funding from next year to offer degrees in areas such as accounting, community services, finances and information technology, The Sun-Herald newspaper says.

In February next year, TAFE's Sydney Institute will begin offering a bachelor of design through its Enmore Design Centre. More bachelor degrees are expected to be offered by TAFE's Northern Institute and Western Institute in 2012.

New South Wales TAFE was last month accredited by the state government, under national guidelines, to become a higher-income education provider, allowing it to follow Victoria's TAFE, which is already offering a limited number of degrees.

The head of TAFE in NSW, Pam Christie, said TAFE wanted to extend opportunities to all communities to gain the sorts of degrees industry was demanding.

"We're not trying to compete with universities; we're trying to build relationships with them," she said.

This would include associate degrees offered in conjunction with universities across many of TAFE NSW's 10 institutes and 130 campuses, as well as bachelor degrees.

Source: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/breaking-news/tafe-to-offer-degrees-in-nsw/story-e6frea73-1225908362997

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Unis resist TAFE push to offer degree courses

Natalie Craig, The Age, August 22, 2010

TAFE institutes could offer bachelor degrees and compete with universities for students under a bold plan aimed at combating skills shortages.

The government-owned institutes want funding from next year to offer degrees in areas such as building, nursing, IT and accounting.

TAFEs say they have also been approached by industry to provide degrees in areas such as optometry, psychology, dentistry, project management, architectural design, technology, social work and aviation.

Universities say the plan could cheapen the value of an Australian degree at a time when the sector's international reputation has been challenged.

The collapse of private colleges catering to foreign students and confusion over the future visa status of some students have caused a decline in international enrolments.

But TAFEs say they would offer degrees meeting national standards, and would improve poor and regional students' access to higher education.

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AROUND THE STATES & TERRITORIES

NSW: Indigenous gap widens

ABC News, 23 August 2010

A new report assessing the lives of indigenous people in New South Wales shows the gap is continuing to widen on the key indicators of health, education and violence.

The 'Two Ways Together' report compares progress between indigenous and non-indigenous people across the state.

It presents a stark picture.

Aboriginal women are six times more likely to be involved in family related violence than non-Aboriginal women and reports of child abuse and neglect among Aboriginal children increased by 71 per cent over the reporting period.

It also reveals that while the number of Aboriginal students achieving Year 12 has more than doubled over the five years to 2008, there is still a significant gap in the achievement of Aboriginal students in NAPLAN testing.

And while the suicide rate for Aboriginal people has declined, they are more than twice as likely to be hospitalised for self-harm than the total population.

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/23/2990933.htm

Read the report: http://www.daa.nsw.gov.au/news/files/TWT%20RoI%202009_Complete%20Report_Low%20Res_Final.pdf

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NSW: Questions over private school surpluses

ABC News, 23 August 2010

The Greens want private schools in New South Wales to increase their financial transparency, with revelations the state's most elite schools are posting large surpluses while receiving government funding.

Figures from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission show Sydney's Queenwood School for Girls made a net surplus of $4.7 million last year after receiving $3.2 million from the government.

Greens MP John Kaye says it is time for a new look at how wealthy private schools are funded and how they report their finances.

"It's inappropriate where we have public education struggling to find the money to educate all children that private schools, particularly the very wealthy ones, can run a profit," he said.

"It seems that public money is being used to bolster the profit levels of these schools, while public education is struggling with the small amount of money it gets."

John Kaye says the nation's 161 wealthiest private schools jointly received more than $400 million in federal funding this year, with one New South Wales school generating a surplus of $8.4 million.

"With schools like Ascham and Cranbrook showing massive surpluses as well as large amounts of Federal Government funding, it's time for a new look at how these schools are funded, and how they have to report on how they spend that money," he said.

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/23/2990656.htm

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NT: Garma consensus for local solutions

Nicolas Rothwell, the Australian, 23 August 2010

A new commitment to education is galvanising this year's festival among the Yolngu in Arnhem Land

IT is the cool season in the Top End, when dew falls, soft winds blow and indigenous policy experts eagerly head north. But this year's Garma Festival at the northeast tip of Arnhem Land marks a fresh start for Australia's best established Aboriginal cultural event: new plans, new hopes, new management after a brief, brutal power struggle, even what seems at first like a new slogan: "Looking up to the future".

That slogan, though, is rooted in nostalgia: it was the motto of the region's old Dhupuma boarding college, which, in its heyday four decades ago, was Australia's most successful remote area school for indigenous students.

The return of education to the top of the agenda reflects the controlling hand now being taken once more by Garma's first architect, Gumatj clan leader Galarrwuy Yunupingu, and the revival of his longing for a dedicated learning institute, a college that would build bridges between Western disciplines and the knowledge systems of the region's Yolngu people.

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QLD: Goovigen school closure be 'devastating'

Shelley Old, ABC News, 17 August 2010

Parents in the small town of Goovigen, west of Gladstone, say the local state school is a vital part of the community and its closure would be a blow to the central Queensland region.

The school is one of about 15 schools around the state earmarked for closure.

P and C president Bec Glover says enrolments at the school are expected to increase and she is confident the Education Department will reconsider its decision.

"It would be devastating for the community to lose the school," she said. "The community is 110 per cent behind the school. It's a vital part and plays a vital role in the community and it keeps the community together."

Ms Glover said it is important that rural towns have a school.

"It's vital for the school to remain open in a small community like this," she said. "One of the reasons why people choose to live in a rural area is because of a school being there.

"They have their farming and they've made that choice. It's just another blow to them and another blow to rural families when they look at closing schools because they want to supersize schools."

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/17/2984985.htm

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QLD: Queensland firms rake in millions in fees under Building the Education Revolution program

Tanya Chilcott & Tuck Thompson, Courier Mail, 21 August 2010

MORE than $24 million in management fees were pocketed by six construction firms under the controversial federal Building the Education Revolution program in Queensland.

The stunning scale of how lucrative the program has been so far has been revealed for the first time in documents released by the Education Department.

The documents also reveal the State Government has been paid almost $20 million in administration fees through July.

BER is due to deliver about $3.1 billion worth of new buildings for Queensland schools, but only 60 per cent of projects have been completed on time.

Department officials defended the fees as being within Commonwealth program guidelines and necessary for the program's success.

But LNP education spokesman Bruce Flegg said it was a waste to pay hefty fees to the states and to major companies that didn't actually do the work.

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SA: School arts dream comes to fruition

Border Watch, August 23, 2010

The Mount Gambier High School arts faculty, community and dignitaries gathered on Thursday, August 19, to celebrate the official opening of the Garry Costello Centre for Creative Arts?—?a haven that will continue to “build the education revolution” through self-expression.

With four art and design studios, a gallery, information technology suite, performance space that seats over 140 and plenty of storage room, the centre was described as “remarkable” by Mr Costello. The facility also boasts an outdoor kiln and ceramics workshop.

A plaque to commemorate the opening of the $1.8m federally funded project was unveiled by Senator Dana Wortley on behalf of Federal Education Minister Simon Crean.

The state-of-the-art facility will enhance Mount Gambier High School as a centre for the arts, according to acting principal Mary Anne Fenwick.

Ms Fenwick said it was essential to facilitate student enthusiasm and growth, particularly in the school’s Boys Only dance program.

Mr Costello, now the Limestone Coast regional director of education, told the crowd he was a “very small part of the whole picture”. Principal of the high school from 1997 until the end of 2008, he was the driving force behind the centre’s creation nine years ago.

“The students here are part of a tradition where others have achieved at the highest levels academically, in sport and the arts,” he said, citing the famous quote “the arts involve the better angels of our nature”.

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TAS: Marine research hub plan for waterfront

ABC News, 20 August 2010

The Tasmanian Government is handing over a large chunk of Hobart's waterfront to the University of Tasmania with the aim of making the state a centre for marine and antarctic research.

In a deal announced today, the Government will give the University of Tasmania Princes Wharf Number 2 Shed for an Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies.

It will also hand over the university's original location, Domain House, in return for the former Royal Hobart Hospital clinical school building.

The Premier David Bartlett says the deal will inject money into the state's economy and create jobs.

"The state will be getting $70 million injection into the building and construction industry right now and some $200 million shot in the arm for the economy in high-skill jobs and in making Hobart a global centre for marine and Antarctic studies," Mr Bartlett said.

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TAS: Union claims Govt youth justice negligence

ABC News, 18 August 2010

The Tasmanian Government has been accused of negligence in its management of youth justice services in the state's south.

There are meant to be five youth justice workers in Tasmania's south; on Wednesday two were in training and three on leave.

The Public Sector Union, which represents youth justice workers, says young offenders are at risk of harm and falling into further crime because there are no staff to supervise and support them.

"It's negligent to have no workers operational or very few workers operational in the southern region for youth justice," the union's Mat Johnston said. "In the end the stakes that are being played with here are too high."

The union says youth justice workers are burnt out and unable to cope with escalating caseloads, and as a result young offenders are not completing court orders or attending drug and alcohol treatment and education programs.

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VIC: Parents threaten legal action to remove primary school 'bully'

John Masanauskas, Herald Sun, 18 August 2010

PARENTS of a six-year-old boy may take legal action to remove an alleged bully who has been tormenting their son in class. Taner, a pupil at Roxburgh Homestead school, in Melbourne, has allegedly been kicked, punched, ridiculed and verbally abused by a classmate for several months. But Taner's parents, Sue and Cane, yesterday accused the school of failing to protect him even though staff had admitted the perpetrator was "fixated" on their son and a psychologist had recommended he be moved.

Sue, who asked that the family's surname not be published, said Taner had become so distressed by the bullying that he was admitted to hospital after vomiting and complaining of stomach cramps and breathing problems. "He said, 'Mum, I can't go to school. Every time I go he's just going to hit me and hurt me all the time'".

Sue said the Roxburgh Park school had promised to deal with the issue, but the attacks had continued. Taner's parents want the other boy removed from the class, but so far the school has offered only to transfer Taner. A child psychologist has recommended that Taner remain in his class, but an Education Department student wellbeing officer has told the parents the alleged bully will not be moved.

Roxburgh Homestead principal Barb Adam said the school had been dealing with the issue and wanted to continue talking with both families to resolve it. The department confirmed it was investigating the matter. "We're working with both families to resolve the issue," a spokesman said. "No bullying is tolerated in our schools."

Parents Victoria spokeswoman Elaine Crowle said there was rarely a win-win situation in these matters. "The child and the parents deserve to feel supported by the school and we would always encourage parents to try and have it handled by the school," she said.

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VIC: Wanted: teachers to go the distance

Caroline Milburn, The Age, August 23, 2010

A SQUAD of educators from Australia's Top End braved Melbourne's winter cold last week for a recruitment roadshow to hire teachers for the nation's most difficult schools.

Victoria is the biggest supplier of teachers to remote Aboriginal schools in the Northern Territory. But territory officials are alarmed that too many teachers seem ill-suited or under-prepared for the challenges of these schools. A teacher's average length of service in remote schools is nine months, according to Chris Keightley, director of the territory's Remote Teaching Service, who helped stage the recruitment seminars in Victoria.

She says the territory government realised it had to radically change the way it recruited teachers to combat chronic student underperformance and high staff turnover in its desert schools. More than 95 per cent of teachers in its remote schools are hired from interstate.

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VIC: Cyber-bullies tell Yarra Valley student to kill herself

Alex Munro, Lilydale & Yarra Valley Leader, 23 August 2010

CYBER-BULLIES have targeted a Yarra Ranges year 10 student imploring her to kill herself because “everybody hated her”.

The incident is one of several recorded within a week at a Yarra Ranges secondary school, including two cases of students being groomed by sexual predators.

Yarra Ranges youth resource officer Leading Sen-Constable Sally Jensen revealed several disturbing incidents occurring at the school, as the Leader launches its campaign against cyber-bullying this week. The most serious cases included:

• A year 9 student who suffered character assassination on an online forum by a fellow student. The victim refused to re-attend school and there were calls for the cyber-bully to be expelled.
• A year 10 student who was told by a fellow student that everybody hated her and she should kill herself.
• A year 7 student who was groomed by a sexual predator through her mobile device, with her parents unaware of sites being accessed.
• A year 8 student who was groomed by sexual predator through an online forum. The student divulged her name and suburb to the stranger.

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WA: Charges for farm school injury

Bethany Hiatt, the West Australian, 16 August 2010

WA's work safety watchdog is prosecuting the Education Department over an accident in which a teenage girl almost lost her leg when it was caught in farm machinery. The student, who was 17 when she was injured while connecting a rotary tiller to a tractor at Morawa Agricultural College, suffered several broken bones, lacerations to her abdomen and had to have four toes amputated.

WorkSafe said the Education Department had been charged with failing to provide a safe work site for a person who was not an employee and would face a maximum penalty of $400,000.

The department has pleaded guilty. The case will come before Geraldton Magistrate's Court next month.

It is the first time WorkSafe has taken legal action against a government agency since the Occupational Safety and Health Act was changed in 2007 to make it easier to prosecute government departments.

WorkSafe WA commissioner Nina Lyhne said college rules forbidding anyone from standing behind a tractor while it was running had been ignored, as had the instruction manual for connecting the tiller. "Tragically, a young student was seriously and permanently injured in an incident which should not have occurred at all," she said.

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WA: Push for non-exam uni entry

Bethany Hiatt, the West Australian, 19 August 2010

Curtin University has warned that some schools are trying to sidestep the Curriculum Council to get more students into tertiary study without doing Year 12 exams. Curtin deputy vice-chancellor for education Robyn Quin said she was concerned that schools were looking for ways to avoid compulsory exams. "There is a flight away from external exams and my concern is that there are efforts afoot to try to find other ways into university than sitting the external exams," she said.

Professor Quin said some public schools had approached Curtin asking if it would offer "enabling programs", which students could do while still at school and obtain direct entry to university. She would not say which schools. "So far we've said no because what that essentially does is destroy the whole Curriculum Council's reforms of upper-school education," she said.

This is the first year when WA Certificate of Education exams are compulsory unless students are doing a trade certificate or taking courses at stage one, the easiest of three stages of difficulty.

"In a lot of schools there is a concern the students do not want to sit external exams," Professor Quin said. "That puts a lot of pressure on schools to find alternative means of satisfying these students' aspirations." All universities have enabling programs for people who have not qualified for a degree course, but Professor Quin said they were not usually offered in schools.

Education Minister Liz Constable said universities approached admission in a range of ways, particularly when trying to achieve targets for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

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CONFERENCES & EVENTS

Parents Victoria Annual Conference 2010

Celebrating Relationships
How we fit together

7-8 September, The Downtowner on Lygon, Carlton, VIC

Key presenters this year include Dr Joni Samples, Chief Academic Officer, Family Friendly Schools, Virginia, USA - a sought after and popular keynote speaker/trainer in the area of family engagement - and Andrew Fuller, Clinical Psychologist, on Creating a Resilient Life.

Download flyer and registration form: http://www.parentsvictoria.asn.au/conference-2010.pdf

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2010 International Conference on Distance Learning and Education ¨C ICDLE 2010

3-5 October 2010, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA

This event will bring together innovative academics and industrial experts in the field of Distance Learning and Education to a common forum.

The primary goal is to promote research and developmental activities in Distance Learning and Education. Another goal is to promote scientific information interchange between researchers, developers, engineers, students, and practitioners working in USA and abroad.

The conference will be held every year to make it an ideal platform for people to share views and experiences in Distance Learning and Education and related areas. ICDLE 2010 proceedings published by IEEE and All the presented papers will be archived in the IEEE Xplore and Indexed by Ei Compendex and ISI. English is the official language of the conference.