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PUBLIC EDUCATION VOICE Newsletter of the Australian Council of State School Organisations ACSSO - The national voice of parents who send their children to Australia’s public schools Schools and Parents in Partnership in 2004! | |||||
| December 2003
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The last edition of public education voice for 2003 is largely devoted to the issue of how schools can develop productive partnerships with parents. Compelling research points to the benefits for all schools that choose to go down the path of involving their parents and the wider community. Certainly the strongest argument for involving parents is the lift in student achievement levels that results from genuine partnerships, that go beyond the "two parent/teacher nights, canteen and fete model" that is widespread across Australia. Firstly, ACSSO President Judith Bundy provides some comments on 2003 and the year ahead. Then follows a brief introduction to the notion of school parent partnerships, supplemented with several snapshots of research and a checklist of ideas that are easily implemented in the context of most Australian schools. The eight principles that underpin good practice for school communities, and educational administrators were originally developed in the US but would seem to have equal applicability to Australia. Each edition of PEV will feature a couple of high quality or innovative websites of interest to parents and teachers. Two quotes on leadership from Bill Cosby and Peter Drucker are included, as both are relevant to the work of schools. The last edition featured the results of a survey of Year 11 students conducted by the Australian Democrats. In this it was clear that the students did not have a high regard for the quality of the carresr counselling that they received from their teachers. A government department has responded with information about a new resource kit. We then give a brief outline of Families Matter, a major project which ACSSO is rolling out to clusters of schools in all states and territories in 2004. After the November edition, a number of letters have been received. Two are reproduced in Your Say, both in relation to university fees. |
Partnerships With Parents - Ideas for your school Communicating student progress
Communicating school curriculum and events
Bringing parents into the school
Take the school to the parents
These notes are adapted from a presentation "Family Partnerships with Schools" used by the ACT Department of Education, Youth and Family Services. The presentation is available by clicking HERE
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An Education Election? Firstly on behalf of all parents I want to extend my sincerest appreciation to all of the government schools in Australia for their continuing fine work in 2003. Many, like Thursday Island State High School featured in the "Weekend Australian" have carried the banner of public education proudly, making a very real difference to the lives and futures of their students. Schools can and do overcome all kinds of adversity, but they need excellent teachers, principals and resource levels. Schools with these three elements then have the means to improve student outcomes, lift attendance rates, improve discipline and in the case of secondary schools, retain more students to the end of Year 12. Excellent schools will also develop working partnerships with parents and carers, as they know that student outcomes are enhanced when entire communities work together. 2004 will be a another critical year for education in the political arena. We have seen the government's higher education bill passed in the last few days, and observe the very mixed feelings in the community. Parents and students are not convinced that the reforms are fair, and many anticipate that any increase in HECS debt levels will prove a disincentive for lower income students to embark on a university degree program, thereby lowering the pool of talent available to universities. Already students who are unable to stay at home with their families face crippling living expenses, often being forced into one or even two jobs to support themselves. A new schools funding bill is due in 2004. ACSSO has never wavered in its belief that government funding policies have progressively marginalised public education, by subsidising already wealthy schools, at the expense of the genuinely needy. We note new Labor leader Latham's promise of ensuring that public education forms one of the "rungs of the ladder of opportunity". Parents look forward to the ALP expressing this phraseology in policy and dollar terms, and indeed to the policies of all the parties in relation to their support for public education in the run up to the next election. On behalf of ACSSO, may I wish all parents, students and teachers a safe and happy holiday season Judith Bundy, President | |||||
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Partnerships with parents can usually be classified as having a number of different forms, such as; Home/School Communication - good two way communication serves as the basis for all other partnership activities. Communication strategies are tailored to the community Parents as Supporters - this represents the traditional role played by parents, such as fund-raising, attending performances and other school activities Parents as Learners - the school develops strategies and opportunities for parents to increase their knowledge about the school curriculum and policies, as well as enhancing their parenting skills Parents as Teachers - reflects the crucial fact that parents are the child's first and foremost teachers, and that learning at home is an important strategy Parents as Advisers, Decision Makers and Advocates - means that parents share with teachers and principals their views and influence decisions on issues that affect their children Adapted from Parent Involvement in Education: A Resource for Parents, Educators and Communities - Dept of Education, State of Iowa | |||||
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What Research Says About Family/School Partnerships
Can you afford not to develop strong partnerships with the families in your school? The summary above was prepared originally by the ACT Department of Education, Youth and Family Services, and can be accessed by clicking HERE. The eight point plan of action at right has been adapted from work by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory in the US. Readers can access all of this research by clicking on this LINK.
AND THIS ONE K
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1. Recognise that all parents, regardless of income, education level or cultural background, are involved in their child's learning and want their children to do well in school 2. Create programs that will support families to guide their children's learning 3. Work with families to build their social and political connections 4 Develop the capacity of teachers to work with families 5. Link family and community engagement to student learning 6. Focus efforts to engage families through developing trusting and respectful relationships 7. Embrace a philosophy of partnership and be willing to share power with families 8. Build strong connections between schools and community organisations
Habit is a
cable; we weave a thread of it each day, and at last we cannot break
it.
Leadership is not magnetic personality that can just as well be a glib tongue. It is not "making friends and influencing people" that is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. Peter Drucker
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Many readers would be familiar with the MindMatters Resource materials which have been distributed to all Australian secondary schools. These materials assist teachers to develop ways of assisting teenagers with the pressures of adolescence and high school life. Also funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, ACSSO, in partnership with the APC, is rolling out a project that complements MindMatters, by informing parents about issues such as resilience, coping skills and good mental health in a series of parent run workshops in some 300-400 secondary schools. Very shortly, schools will be invited to participate in this stage of the project in 2004. Parents will be trained in all eight states and territories to deliver the workshops, with the assistance and blessing of the selected schools. | |||||
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This letter was received from a parent concerned with changes at the tertiary education level: Dear Editor, I believe we are effectively
taxing intelligence through the imposition of The financial burden of undertaking tertiary education for country students is even greater as they face relocation and housing costs not always faced by metropolitan students. All country students should automatically get Austudy in recognition of the extra burdens they and their families face accessing tertiary study. The so called safety valve of paying lump sums off any HECS debt is elitist. Only the wealthy have the capacity to make lump payments, to gain any discounts available. The 25% discount for up front payments is even more discriminatory for those in the community on low incomes. In light of the above points the
current methods of funding for students is Australia rewards academic achievement through rising debts! (Name and email address supplied) Have your say on this and other issues by writing to ACSSO |
Families and University Fees A second letter to ACSSO from a Victorian parent on this issue says: "It is
with great regret that my husband and I read the developments regarding
university fees. Both of us have Master's Degrees, earned at a time when
the cost to us was minimal. We both had studentships to sustain ourselves
and could devote full energy to our studies in the seventies and
eighties. (Name and email address supplied) | ||||
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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 to the right. |
Visit ACSSO and its affiliates VIC VICSSO and Parents Vic | ||||
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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. Feel free to make a copy for your staff, and to use any of the contents with appropriate attribution to the source. Should you wish to unsubscribe, please email acsso with the message "unsubscribe" in the subject panel. End of Newsletter | |||||