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PUBLIC EDUCATION VOICE
Newsletter of the Australian Council of State School Organisations ACSSO - The national voice of parents in Australia's public schools and their school communities March/April 2004
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Welcome to the second edition of Public Education Voice for 2004. Recipients of the Newsletter are encouraged to pass it on to parents in your school community. Feel free to copy any part of it (with appropriate acknowledgement) for your principal and teachers, as well as parents. For example, the article from the US dealing with how to deal with children lying is a good resource for teachers and parents alike. ACSSO is keen to make Public Education Voice as interactive as possible. Whether you agree or disagree with any of the material published, let us know. Letters to the Editor will be published with the aim of encouraging dialogue and assisting ACSSO to formulate national education policies that reflect parental thinking around the nation. In this regard, ACSSO has recently upgraded its’ website. Earlier editions of this Newsletter are posted on the site, along with ACSSO newsflashes, media releases, submissions to inquiries and policies. Click on the link to visit www.acsso.org.au | |||||||||
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President's Column Term 1 has been a busy time for ACSSO on the national education scene. The organisation participated in the launch of Services First on 24 March, in a bid to convince the government that it should invest in a range of services, including public education, before it makes any decision to introduce taxation cuts in the next budget. More on Services First appears elsewhere in this edition. In recent weeks new leader Mark Latham has commenced to outline some of his thinking in relation to Labor’s schools policy. It would appear that Labor will take into account existing resource levels, from both public and private sources rather than just using the seriously flawed SES model to fund non-government schools. With the Coalition coming to an agreement with the Catholic school sector to bring it under the SES funding model, and observing the political elements of the Minister’s 10 point plan for improving schools, it is becoming increasingly clear that the education will play a key role in the outcome of the 2004 election. ACSSO notes these developments in the hope that all politicians eventually realise that increasing public investment in public education is the surest way of securing this nation’s future. Before the election, the next quadrennial schools funding bill will be introduced into parliament. Details available at this stage indicate that there is little of benefit for public schools apart from indexation. High fee, well resourced independent schools continue to enjoy the largesse derived from being the Federal Government’s preferred providers of school education. Australians have witnessed considerable debate over the last few weeks about the shortage of male teachers. ACSSO shares the view that all children should ideally have a mix of male and female teachers over their time in schools. The best way to tackle this problem is to look for the causes, not the quick fix, and possibly dangerous type of solution such as amending the Sex Discrimination Act in order to offer a small number of male only teaching scholarships. When teaching ranks with other professions in terms of status, salaries, conditions and opportunities, then more men will be attracted to this career. Finally I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new Executive Officer, Terry Aulich. Terry brings to ACSSO his distinguished experience as an educator, consultant, businessman and former member of both the Tasmanian and Federal parliaments. Judith Bundy |
"If I were asked to enumerate ten educational
stupidities, the giving of grades would head the list... If I can't give a
child a better reason for studying than a grade on a report card, I ought
to lock my desk and go home and stay there." "Good learning has to do with atmospheres of hope rather than
fear; feelings of adventure rather than sameness; and newness rather than
custom." "The past gives us experience and memories; the present gives
us challenges and opportunities; the future gives us visions and
hope." "Learning from a teacher who has stopped
learning is like drinking from a stagnant pond." | ||||||||
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Minister's Awards for Outstanding Contribution to
Improving Literacy and/or Numeracy 2004 - closing
soon | |||||||||
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Another Alliance with the US? Writing about the Republican Party’s education agenda in “The Progressive”, Milwaukee based correspondent Barbara Miner starts with a simple questionnaire. Republican strategists want to privatise education because: a) education is a multibillion dollar market, and the private sector is eager to get its hands on those dollars. b) conservatives are devoted to the free market and believe that private is inherently superior to public. c) shrinking public education furthers the Republican Party goal of drastically reducing the public sector. d) privatisation undermines teacher unions, a key base of support for the Democratic Party. e) privatisation rhetoric can be used to woo African American and Latino voters to the Republican Party f) all of the above. Not surprisingly, Miner gives the last as the correct answer, and then goes on to quote a leading Republican strategist who when talking about school vouchers said “school choice reaches right into the heart of the Democratic coalition and takes people out of it.” Closer to home, professor Alan Reid from the University of SA has written about the same kind of agenda evident in the US operating here. He says “defining private schools in relation to public education constructs the latter as a public good alongside which private schools can operate because we believe in the democratic right of people to opt out of public provision if that is their wish. It is a different thing altogether to make private education the defining norm of our education system. Through the slick rhetoric of choice, the Coalition is seeking to seduce us into accepting that since education is a commodity, it makes sense to encourage consumers to shop around for the right brand of product. In this view the civic and democratic purposes of education are subservient to the benefits it confers upon individuals”. In saying that the
real but hidden agenda of the present government is to fundamentally
redefine public education, Reid says that Australians need to debate this
as a matter of urgency. He goes on to say “after all, to ask questions about the sort of
public education system we want in the 21st century is to raise
fundamental questions about the nature of Australian democracy. These are
questions the government and the Minister have studiously
avoided”. Click on the
links above to read the original articles |
ACSSO Free News Service
New subscribers welcome Every Monday, ACCSO publishes a round-up of national and international education news stories from the previous week. A short summary of each is produced, with a link to the source URL so that subscribers can read the entire document from the newspaper’s own website. International stories are generally chosen on the basis that their content identifies educational trends relevant to Australia. Readers are better able to predict the consequences of embracing new policies, such as charter schools, when they can weigh up information from overseas sources as well as local information. Existing subscribers find this a good way to keep themselves up to date with what is happening on the educational scene. ACSSO is happy to add additional subscribers to its email data base. Simply contact admin@acsso.org.au for
your | ||||||||
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Back to School Day May
18 The EF wants people who have been to public schools, primary or secondary, to go back to their school and inspire young people with their stories of revealing challenges and inspiring achievements. A few relevant words from people who share a similar background can be just what young people need to hear to give them the confidence to tackle decisions about career and life choices. Go to the EF website by clicking here Read Phillip Adams article by clicking here | |||||||||
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ACSSO has identified a range of obvious un-met needs in the provision of educational services in Australian government schools, which educate some 69% of Australian students. It believes that the provision of services in these schools is the joint responsibility of federal and state governments. It does not accept any argument that implies that there is some limit, cap or limited responsibility for the provision of federal funding for public schools. Education is an investment in the future of this country, and as such is a prime federal responsibility. The Intergenerational Report (2002-03 Budget Paper No.5) projects a worrying scenario in that the proportion of young people in the 5-24 yr old age group will fall to 21% in 2042 from its current level of 28%. A smaller workforce will need to be highly skilled, internationally competitive and well-remunerated to provide a taxation base that in turn supports the healthcare and other needs of an ageing population. Australia cannot afford to accept that because some children are poor that their educational opportunities will be inferior to those from wealthier families. In particular, ACSSO has identified the following specific needs that require extra funding. 1. Funding the National Goals of Schooling Many of the National Goals remain chronically under-funded since
their formulation in 1999. Specifically, the government should provide
extra support those goals relating to: b) Initiatives to promote the “affective curriculum” of schools, including programs to develop personal attributes such as self-confidence, optimism, high self-esteem, judgement, decision-making, enterprise and acceptance of responsibility. These attributes can only be developed in small group settings, not classes of 25-30. c) better outcomes in the basic skills of literacy and numeracy for disadvantaged students. 2. Funding School Infrastructure a) many public school buildings do not meet acceptable occupational health and safety standards, in terms of heating and cooling, plumbing, and playground safety. Repairs and maintenance programs are often delayed. State governments should be supported in providing basic amenities for all schools. b) schools should all have broadband access and high speed cabling to classrooms if students are to participate in the information age. (see also National Goal 1.6) 3. Funding Parenting and Early Childhood Initiatives The experiences of children from birth to 8 years old set the
foundation for learning. b) classes in the first 3 years of primary schooling should be reduced to 20 or less. c) free pre-school education should be available to all families in all localities. d) good health is fundamental to good early learning, so easily accessible, affordable, quality health care must be available for all young children. 4. Funding “Australia’s Teachers – Australia’s Future” This report requires a government response, backed with funding, to ensure that all localities, schooling levels and subject areas are supplied with well-trained, well-qualified, well-paid, skilled teachers who keep professionally up to date. This report requires a long term response, but funding is required immediately to kick start a range of identified policy initiatives. For more information go to the Services First website www.servicesfirst.org.au | |||||||||
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Dealing with Lying: The Do's and Don'ts Jason
Roberts listened to his son's explanation of the missing cookies and then
called him a liar. Brenda Taylor thought her three-year-old's lies were
cute, so she ignored them. Yee Chen told her daughter that if she told the
truth this time, she would let it go. Chick
Moorman and Thomas Haller are the authors of "Couple Talk: How to Talk
Your Way to a Great Relationship" (available from Personal Power Press in
the US). They also publish a FREE email newsletter for couples. Subscribe
to it at ipp57@aol.com. Visit www.thomashaller.com |
1. Do understand that all children lie. Dogs bark. Cats meow. And
children lie. Your neighbours' children lie. Your sister's children lie.
And yes, your own children lie. Visit the author's website by clicking here | ||||||||
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Your
Say ACSSO Affiliates NSW Federation of P&C's Qld Council of P&C Assoc Unsubcsribe
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