PUBLIC EDUCATION VOICE

Founded in 1946, ACSSO is the peak organisation that represents the interests of the parents and students associated with government schools throughout Australia. It has ten affiliated bodies in the states and territories, each of whom represent government school P&C associations, school councils or both. ACSSO is supported by a Grant in Aid from the Australian Government, and affiliation fees. Visit the affiliate(s) in your state, or contact them via the email link provided above.

ACSSO is committed to the principles of

Access
Equality
Equity in Educational Outcomes
Excellence, and
Participatory Democracy

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About this Newsletter

This newsletter is being made available to every government school in Australia. It is posted to publicly available email addresses. When you receive it, we would be grateful if the receiver could copy it for your parent organisation or forward it on electronically to appropriate people. You may also want to make a copy for your staff.

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ACSSO President

Judith Bundy from the SA Association of Parents Clubs (SAASPC) is President for 2003. Judith was elected at the 2002 Annual Conference, and brings to ACSSO a wealth of experience in parent representation.

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ACSSO Adelaide Declaration

One of the key outcomes of the 2002 Annual Conference in Adelaide was the preparation of the ACSSO Adelaide Declaration, to mirror the MCEETYA Adelaide Declaration of several years ago. In essence this sets out our aspirations for public education in this country. Should you wish to read this declaration in full, visit the ACSSO homepage at http://www.acsso.org.au/ and follow the link. To read the original MCEETYA Adelaide declaration go to http://www.curriculum.edu.au/mceetya/adeldec.htm.

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Media Release

As school returned this month, President Judith Bundy issued the following Media Release:

PUBLIC EDUCATION – KEY TO AUSTRALIA’S SECURITY

ACSSO President Judith Bundy reflected today on the new school year starting at a time when national and world security matters dominate the political agenda. However she cautioned that “any nation that sidelines education for even the briefest period, is guilty of short-changing its youth and its own future.”

“There can be no greater long term investment in national security than through support for a strong public education system.”

Judith reflected on the divides that still characterise Australian education, and asked how we as a society can continue to tolerate the inequities that are so evident.

“What is fair about the funding mechanisms that see some children starting school in well equipped air-conditioned classrooms whilst others are consigned to shabby and hot transportables?”

“How can a decent, multicultural society encourage the creation of gated mono-cultural schools which shield their children from the critical thinking and questioning of the kind that contributes to the very foundations of our democracy, and is so evident in our public schools?”

“State education ministers have signed up to the statement that quality government schooling is important for ensuring a socially and culturally cohesive society. ACSSO is concerned that the Commonwealth Government does not endorse this view.”

“Unfortunately, the Commonwealth appears to have no position on equity and the relationship between quality public schooling and the health of society.”

“How can we be content with the fact that whilst our highest performing fifteen year olds rank with the best in the world, there is a huge number of young Australians at the other end of the scale - and these students are generally boys, indigenous or socio-economically disadvantaged.”

“ACSSO looks forward to 2003 as the year when equity is returned to Commonwealth Government school funding policies. Of the nine Australian ministers of education, only the Commonwealth Minister has failed to embrace a new set of funding principles for schools in this country.”

“These principles are not radical, but they do have the fundamental principle of ‘giving every child a fair go’ as their base. The gap between the educational rich and poor needs to be closed, and quickly.”

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ACSSO Projects

ACSSO is currently involved in a number of government funded national projects: These are:

Literacy Translation Project: This involves the production of a leaflet for wide distribution on how parents can assist their young children develop skills in literacy. This leaflet has been translated into 10 community languages.
FamilyMatters: This project builds on the MindMatters project already in a number of secondary schools around Australia. It aims to show parents how they can work with their local school in building a resilient and positive outlook on life, in order to successfully negotiate the stresses of the teenage years.
Parent Partnerships Literature Review: ACER has just conducted a literature review on behalf of ACSSO, the APC (non-government parents) and DEST (Department of Education Science and Training. The Review explores the nature and value of parents as partners in education at a number of levels, and how successful partnerships can lead to improved learning outcomes for Australia's children.

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Boys' Education

As a follow up to the recent House of Representatives Inquiry into the Education of Boys, the Minister has announced the Boys' Education Lighthouse Schools Program. ACSSO is pleased to have nominated ACSSO Vice President Mr Les Smith from SAASSO for this project's Advisory Committee. In stage 1 of this project, schools or groups of schools will be selected to document and showcase how they develop and implement their boys education best practices. All Australian schools will be invited to participate, with case studies and findings of project schools being collected for dissemination and to guide the development of the next phase.

For all the information on Boys: Getting it right

http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/edt/eofb/index.htm

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Federal Minister Dr Nelson

Dr Brendan Nelson has a website that is very useful for those who want to keep abreast of government thinking on the full range of educational issues. Visit the website at http://www.detya.gov.au/ministers/nelson/media.asp. It is possible to subscribe to all the Media Releases issued by the Minister from this site.

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Crystal Ball - from the US

Public Schools Turn To Professionals To Raise Money

For years, public schools sponsored car washes, dances and raffles to raise extra cash. Now, in increasing numbers, they are hiring professionals to solicit donations from individuals, corporations and foundations. Some fundraising efforts are as ambitious and sophisticated as those found in colleges. Should public schools be in the business of fundraising? Some critics of the practice express concerns that private fundraising is inequitable and does not address the needs of most public school students. And some superintendents resist the trend claiming they are educators first and foremost, not alms-seekers. But for many cash-strapped schools, outside dollars provide an indispensable financial transfusion that help secure many of the basics that wealthier schools

take for granted.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/02/13/fund.raising.ap/index.html

This item is courtesy of the US based Public Education Network.

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Contact ACSSO

The ACSSO Secretariat is located in offices at Hughes Primary School in Canberra. Our mailing address is:

ACSSO

PO Box 323

Curtin ACT 2615

Telephone (02) 6282 5150

Fax (02) 6285 1351

Email: Letters@acsso.org.au for contributions or comments on the content of this newsletter, executive.officer@acsso.org.au on professional matters and admin@acsso.org.au for administrative matters.

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