President's Column

Welcome
2005 promises to be another very active year for ACSSO. We have a full agenda of meetings and are partners in a number of projects that are all designed to make the experiences of students in the public education sector as rewarding as possible. ACSSO will continue its dialogue with all major political parties, and will increase its efforts to convince the Government that strong support for public education is in the best long term interests of Australia.

A Common Year 12 Examination?
Minister Nelson promoted a discussion of this concept through the media several weeks ago. In doing so, he criticised the NSW HSC and offered three quite distinct proposals for the future. One was a common examination, saying that he could not guarantee, for example, that the standard of Year 12 Chemistry was the same from state to state. Implying that a common examination at the end of year 12 would solve this issue, he did not venture into the consequences of this proposal - that the examination would have to be underpinned by a national curriculum in the years leading up to the common examination. The second was a suggestion that the common examination could be an academic aptitude test. This of course does not require a national curriculum, but anyone who has knowledge of the various tests used in the US would understand that there are major flaws that would need to be overcome. The third was a suggestion that the International Baccalaureate, already utilised in a number of Australian schools could provide a model. Parents will always want the best system for their school leavers, and appreciate that the Minister has a role in stimulating such discussion as it is not likely to be initiated by the States. We will wait and see if there is a will to progress this issue through a serious and rigorous research study. Tenders for the initial work were advertised at the end of February.

Partisan Politics in Senior English Courses?
Parents want their children to be taught 'how to think', and expect teachers to stop short of teaching them 'what to think', especially in relation to politics. Politicians on the other hand spend their lives trying to convince people of 'what to think', and rightly get very agitated if they think teachers are occupying their patch. Young voters should be able to recognise 'political spin' for what it is, irrespective of which party is doing it. Teachers tread a very fine line in teaching critical thinking, but they must use real world examples, including those drawn from politics.

Judith Bundy

Letter to the Editor

Values - What Values!!

“I found myself in the position of having to rear my grandchild over five years ago. She had been through a lot and unfortunately suffers other problems, one of them being a learning disability. Not wanting to disrupt her from everything she knew, it was decided to keep her at her familiar school, although it was 25 km away. Narrabundah Primary School has educated her to reach her full potential.

They guided me through when I was unclear on the process of rearing her. They provided transport to and from school daily. Most trips were made by her own class teacher, and when that was not possible, by the school secretary. The cost to me? Nil.

I was persuaded to allow her to go on school camps with the promise they would care for her. This was a major step for her as she was terrified of anyone or anything unfamiliar. The camp was a happy occasion and she went again voluntarily the next year.

After this I watched her confidence and socialisation skills develop gradually but surely. She began to smile then she began to play jokes. Narrabundah encouraged her to play the violin and sing, to play sport, to care about others and respect their differences.

She is in special learning classes and those dedicated and loving teachers have made my role so much easier and helped produce a happy and well adjusted child instead of one who may have been put in the “too hard” basket.

I cannot thank them enough and would recommend this school to everyone. What a beautiful happy place for a child. Everyone is family there. Thank you forever.

Julie Randall

This was a letter to the editor of the "Canberra Times", in support of Narrabundah Primary, a small community public school in the ACT which serves a significant indigenous and disadvantaged population. Visitors to the capital who want to see a value driven school in action should contact Trish Keller, Principal. (Editor)

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ACSSO ANNUAL CONFERENCE

CANBERRA 17 – 19 OCTOBER 2005

ACSSO’s National Education Conference for 2005 will be held in Canberra at the Chifley on Northbourne Hotel, from Monday 17 October to Wednesday 19 October 2005.

The theme of this year’s Conference is: “Public Education: The Real Choice”

This is the Conference that links parents with teachers, social workers, counsellors, media, educators, researchers and education decision makers.

Challenging speakers include

Hon Dr Brendan Nelson MP, Federal Minister for Education
Katy Gallagher MLA, ACT Minister for Education
Michael Carr-Gregg
Richard Eckersley
Lyndsay Connors
Robyn Williams
Mignon Souter
Alan Reid
Sue Dockett
Brian V. Hill
Luise Lang
Brian Caldwell
Peter Garrett

A wide ranging agenda explores

Challenges for Families and Communities
How we and our children feel and why it matters
Helping young people achieve resilience and belonging
Exploring the Big Education Issues
Enriching the Curriculum: Science, Arts, Languages and Culture
Why Private Schools – commissioned original research
Public Education: Whither………… or wither?
Values, Spirituality and Community
Early Childhood – Starting School the Right Way
Indigenous Education and Community Building.

A range of information stalls at the Conference will provide an opportunity for interaction and engagement with a wide variety of initiatives, agencies and providers from right across the field of education.

Conference activities include opportunities for discussion and networking with colleagues across the country and abroad:

Cocktails on Monday 17 October
Conference Dinner on Tuesday 18 October

Further details are available on our Website at: http://www.acsso.org.au/natconf.htm

ENQUIRIES: Melissa Donaldson
Phone: (02) 6282 5150 Fax: (02) 6285 1351 Email: admin@acsso.org.au

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In his book “A Promise of Miracles: Celebrating the Scientific Experience, Robyn Williams describes his purpose: “We shall, as broadcasters, try to ensure that secondary school kids don’t simply become loaded with yet another burden. What we hope to do, instead, is augment what’s already in their heads. Make sense of it. And, along the way, show them how science works – and that Australia has some of the best scientists in the world.”

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“The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts, but to discover new ways of thinking about them” - William Bragg.

How much money has been allocated by the government?

$289 million over four years as start up money. In addition recurrent student funding will be allocated on the same basis as for existing government and non government schools.

Is this enough to build, equip and staff 24 new colleges?

No. Some specialist facilities may be built but existing infrastructure will have to be used.

Who will attend?

Students in Years 11 and 12.

What size will the Colleges be?

300 students on average.

What courses will the students be enrolled in?

All students will be enrolled in School Based New Apprenticeships, particularly in the areas of metals and engineering, automotive, building and construction, electrotechnology and commercial cookery. Academic courses such as English, Science, Mathematics and Information and Communication Technology will also be offered. Students will have an option of continuing to University if they choose this pathway.

What Certificates will students achieve?

Students will be enrolled in a Certificate 111 but are unlikely to complete this whilst still at school. THey will also gain the Year 12 Certificate that applies in their particular state.

Who will run the Colleges?

They are Federal Government funded colleges that will be endorsed and led by local industry. Each College will have a Governing Council that will appoint the principal.

Will the Colleges have to be registered as schools in the state in which they operate?

Yes. To offer the State based Year 12 Certificates, they must meet State requirements.

How will staff be selected?

The Principal has responsibility for staff appointments, who will be employed under Australian Workplace Agreements with a performance pay component.

Do staff have to have the same qualifications as teachers in the regular schooling system?

This is not addressed in the available documentation, although there is a statement that "teachers and trainers will need to be appropriately qualified and accredited for their role within the Colleges"

Can there be "non-government" technical colleges?

Yes. A technical college could come under the auspices of a non-government organisation such as an existing private or catholic school or a Registered Training Organisation.

Will students in a"non-government" college be required to pay fees and those in a "government" college come under the voluntary contribution regime?

Yes

How is funding to be allocated, and to whom?

DEST is conducting an open tender process during 2005. Consortia of organisations are being invited to tender, and could include existing schools, TAFE's, RTO's, industry bodies, local communities and so on.

When will the first college open?

In 2006, but perhaps as not fully functioning entities.

Where exactly are the Technical Colleges to be located?

NSW (8) - Hunter, Illawarra, Queanbeyan, Pt Macquarie, Lismore/Ballina, Dubbo, Gosford, Western Sydney

Victoria (6) - Geelong, Warrnambool, Bendigo, Sunshine, Bairnsdale/Sale, Eastern Melbourne

Queensland (4) - Townsville, Gladstone, Nth Brisbane, Gold Coast

South Australia (2) - Adelaide, Whyalla/Pt Augusta

Western Australia (2) - Perth South, Pilbara

Tasmania (1) - Northern Tasmania

Northern Territory (1) - Darwin

Where can I get more information?

At the DEST wesite. Click HERE

The following questions are raised by ACSSO

Have parent organisations been formally invited to participate in this initiative?

No

Can parents participate in any way?

Only if they are part of a bidding consortium

Can the government be accused of pork-barrelling in marginal electorates rather than promoting a genuine educational initiative?

If there is a genuine skills shortage in the identified areas then this charge can be answered.

What are the industrial issues raised by this initiative?

The Australian Education Union is likely to vigorously oppose this initiative, as it opposes AWA's and anything it considers to be performance pay systems. The initiative can be regarded as a clever industrial lever as the consortia who are chosen to operate the colleges (and these may include present schools and TAFE's) will have to sign up to the new industrial conditions. This could significantly weaken the influence of the AEU.

Is co-operation with existing feeder schools important?

Yes, students will need to be provided with quality careers advice, however industrial issues could cut across this important goal.

Will parents be included on the governing bodies of the technical colleges?

No, not according to the documentation produced to date. This is a significant departure from accepted practice where existing School Boards or Governing Councils have parent representation.

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“What are you – some sort of spelling fascist?”

In his recent book “Lost for Words: The Mangling and Manipulation of the English Language”, English writer John Humphries observes:

“One professor who was in the habit of deducting marks for bad spelling, poor grammar or clumsy sentences that failed to express the ideas clearly… no longer does that. He is afraid if his marking is challenged he will be held to be discriminatory. This is not only silly on an heroic scale, it is deeply depressing…..…If you want to aspire to any sort of academic achievement you need to be able to express yourself clearly. How can you assess the quality of someone’s mind if they can’t tell you what they know and how they think? “

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