Items of Interest, Research and Links

National Walk to School Day now on 11th September

SOS Research Brief: Public Schools Face Funding Crisis, Private Schools are in Clover

ATO Paying it forward teaching resource, K-6 - The Paying It Forward resource has been co-designed with primary school teachers, is aligned with the Australian and state curriculums, and includes 120 fun and engaging standalone activities for K-6 students in digital and printable formats.

SOS Education Policy Comment on Turnbull Memoirs - Exposing the hypocrisy and unchristian practice of the Catholic Church in diverting taxpayer funding

More outrage, more handouts for non-government schools - Minister Dan Tehan's Media Release

National Simultaneous Storytime - Whitney and Britney the Chicken Divas - this year it's a virtual event, as we may be learning from home - grab your copy and let's all read together on Wednesday May 27th at 11am - For more information and to Register for free click here or Download this fun colouring activity in the meantime

Save our Schools Research brief: Teachers say there is too much administrative work and stress in schools

Coronavirus Covid -19 Information and Links for Parents

April 2020 - For links to information regarding Learning from Home and Covid-19 please click here to see our "Support at Home" page

ACARA - Draft February Content for Parents Draft February Content for Principals

Save our School's Education Policy Comment: The Federal Govt has a National responsibility to fund public education

Our ACSSO Director Sarah Jefferson shares 5 back to school tips: Please follow this link

Save our Schools Research brief: Low SES schools have far less resources than High SES schools

Save our Schools Policy Comment: OECD Says 3 in 4 Australian Students Do Not Try on PISA Tests

ACER Review: Communicating Student Learning Progress - A Review of Student Reporting

Save our Schools Education Research brief - The Facts about School Funding in the ACT

Save our Schools Education Research brief - The Spending Arms Race between Elite Schools is out of control

Save our Schools Education Research brief - The Facts About School Funding in Tasmania

Our ACSSO Director Fiona McGaughey contributed to the recent ACARA Blog with a parents view on Naplan

Save our schools - Education Research Brief - More Studies Show That Money Really Does Matter in Education by Trevor Cobbold

Parent-School Engagement during Family Separation or Divorce Research - by University of Southern Queensland - click here for parent information

Public School by Choice! - by the ACSSO team. We visited a local public school and chatted with the parents of these gorgeous little kindy's, a group of friends who met when they were babies. They told us why they chose their local public school -click here

A new education brief from Save our Schools summarises a new review of academic studies in the United States, of the relationship between increased expenditure on schools and student achievement, to read the brief click here

Drought Taskforce - a great initiative to link remote communities in hardship with govt agencies to gain access to assistance due to this shocking drought. Events happening in Feb - Events happening in Feb 12th - 14th for more information click here

25-09-18 Currently in the media with news of non government schools receiving $4.6b in funding, many articles are coming forth. David Gillespie hits the nail on the head.....click on link for David's piece

Why are we throwing money at people who CHOOSE not to use public education? Why Indeed!

Good Health Practise Guidelines

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Health Council has committed to a national childhood obesity prevention project, which includes five actions that aim to limit the impact of unhealthy food and drink on children. Under this project, consultation is now open for the draft Good Practice Guide - Supporting Healthy Eating and Drinking at School (Good Practice Guide).

Draft - Good Practise Guide supporting healthy eating and drinking at schools

Survey - have your say on the draft

International Links

New Zealand

New Zealand Parent Teacher Association (NZPTA)

NZPTA seeks to “to work within the education system, to help all children develop their talents, self-esteem and character and to ensure they have the ability to lead a full and productive life”. They support parents in schools; Inform parents of news and issues in education; represent parent issues to government and other educational groups; are involved in government working parties; and work to support other educational groups. Individual school parent support groups belong to the national organisation through one of the two federations, North Island and South Island.

New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA)

NZSTA represents and supports the operation of Boards of Trustees in schools across New Zealand, providing training, information and publications to promote and enhance effective governance standards and processes in all schools.

Unites States

National PTA

National PTA works on behalf of children and youth in schools and the community, to ensure their voice is heard in decision making processes affecting children; support parents in the raising of their children; and encourage parental and public involvement in the public schools of the nation. Every person who joins a local PTA automatically becomes a member of both the State and National PTA; and direct membership to National PTA is open to anyone who supports their mission and purpose.

SEDL (formerly: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory)
The mission of SEDL is to solve significant problems facing educational systems and communities to ensure a quality education for all learners. SEDL is committed to long-term, systematic, research- and experience-based solutions derived from research, development, evaluation, information provision, technical assistance, and professional development. SEDL’s primary efforts are in five program areas: improving school performance, strengthening teaching and learning in content areas, integrating technology into teaching and learning, involving family and community in student learning, and connecting disability research to practice. Work in these areas concentrates on K-16 education and on underserved students, particularly those living in poverty.

Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP)
Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) strives to promote more effective educational practices, programs, and policies for disadvantaged children and youth by generating, publishing, and disseminating our and others’ research. HFRP was founded in 1983 at the Harvard Graduate School of Education by its director, Heather B. Weiss, Ed.D. HFRP is launching a new concept called complementary learning. HERP believes that for children and youth to be successful, there must be an array of learning supports around them. These supports, which must reach beyond school, should be linked and work toward consistent learning and developmental outcomes for children from birth through adolescence. Examples of nonschool learning supports include early childhood programs, families, after school programs, libraries, and other community-based institutions.

Canada

Education in Canada is organised wholly on a Province basis – there is no federal Education Minister or Education Department.

School Council organisations which provide a parent and family voice, and promote the effective engagement of parents in education are also established and operate separately in each Province – with a National body, the Canadian Home & School Federation (Federation Canadienne des Associations Foyer-Ecole).

School Councils Associations/Federations in Canada

Canadian Home & School Federation – CHSF (Federation Canadienne des Associations Foyer-Ecole)
The Canadian Home and School Federation is the national voice of parents, promoting excellence in public education as well as the social well being of children and youth.

Member organisations in each Province are:

Alberta School Councils Association (ASCA)

British Columbia Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (BCCPAC)

Manitoba Association of Parent Councils (MAPC)

New Brunswick Federation of Home & School Associations (NBFHSA)

Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils (NLFSC)

Nova Scotia Federation of Home and School Associations (NSFHSA)

Ontario Federation of Home and School Associations (OFHSA)

People for Education

Prince Edward Island Home & School Federation (PEIHSF)

Quebec Federation of Home and School Associations (QFHSA)

Saskatchewan Association of School Councils (SASC)

Each Province has an organisation of School Boards which are responsible for most aspects of school governance, including the hiring and firing of staff, building construction and maintenance, financial planning and financial management etc – which also have formed a National association, the Canadian School Boards Association – CSBA (L’Association Canadienne des Commissions/Conseils Scholaires).

School Boards and School Councils in Canada.

Canadian School Boards Association – CSBA (L’Association Canadienne des Commissions/Conseils Scholaires)

While recognising that Education is the responsibility of each Provincial government, CDNSBA notes that school boards have been partners with communities and provincial governments as long as Canada has been a country – though under the Constitution, each provincial government will decide the details of role, operation and funding of boards in their province – some collect local taxes and have a much stronger say in how education dollars are spent in their community. Common functions include setting and administering budgets; hiring, promoting and dismnissing teachers; setting local school policies; building schools; and purchasing supplies. While education is a provincial responsibility, there are a number of national policy areas of the federal government which directly or indirectly impact upon the delivery of education at the provincial and local levels, and upon the role of school boards as employers. CSBA seeks to provide a national voice for school boards in such allied areas; and provide national leadership in areas of research, project development, and publications on current issues. Their member organisations are:

Alberta School Boards Association – ASBA

Prince Edward Island School Trustees Association – PEISTA

British Columbia School Trustees Association – BCSTA

Quebec English School Boards Assocations – QESBA

Ontario Public School Boards Association – OPSBA

Saskatchewan School Boards Association – SSCB

Other Provincial school board associations are:

Manitoba School Trustees Association – MAST

Newfoundland and Labrador School Boards Association – NLSBA

Nova Scotia School Boards Association – NSSBA

First Nations Education Steering Committee

This organisation seeks to progress and enhance the educational and development opportunities available to the students and families of the first nations and indigenous peoples of Canada.

Parents in Education Research Network (PERN)
With growing recognition of the importance of parents to children’s learning, research about parents’ role in education is growing rapidly. The Parents in Education Research Network (PERN) is a UK-based network of individuals and organisations concerned with the promotion, dissemination and application of research about the participation and effects of parents, families and carers in the education of children – in the home, in the school, in the community and more widely.

National Home School Development Group (NHSDG)
This national voluntary group has been in existence for well over 10 years. Its membership consists of people drawn from a wide range of working contexts throughout the United Kingdom – all of whom share a common interest in the development of productive collaboration between families and schools. Many are authors in their own right and most are also members of other, well-known national organisations.

Europe

ERNAPEErnape is an association of networks organised by areas. Each network is autonomous. In October 1993, with financial support from the European Commission, a group of researchers working in the field of parents in education in different parts of Europe met in Glasgow to discuss how to increase contact across Europe, to exchange knowledge of research developments in Europe and to stimulate research about parents in education at all levels, including intercultural European research. The group decided to establish ERNAPE (European Research Network About Parents in Education) and to organise this research network by language areas, rather than by countries. ERNAPE facilitaties an international Conference each two years. The most recent was in Cyprus in 2007. The next will be in Malmo (Sweden) in 2009.

Nordic Network of Researchers about parents in Education (NORNAPE)
This network was established in 1993 under The Nordic Academy for Advanced Study. The purpose of the network is to work as a critical, informative, theory-generating base for studies of partnership between parents and teachers in education and local society, training of doctoral researchers, exchange of information between researchers and organisations dealing with the subject, and collecting information on research and development in this field in the Nordic countries. NORNAPE is a satellite to/a branch of the ERNAPE. The network is interdisciplinary and the core network covers a great number of research fellows and doctor students from Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

Nordic Educational Research Association (NERA) /Nordisk frening for pedagogisk forskning (NFPF)
NFPF/NERA is the main association for educational researchers in the Nordic countries. It is a basis for cooperation and development of educational research. It is open for everyone that has an interest in educational research in the Nordic context. NFPF/NERA has a number of activities. One is the yearly congress, where researchers meet and discuss their research work. The journal Nordisk Pedagogik / Nordic Educational Research is another important part of NFPF/NERA. There is also a network structure where reserachers can meet around common special interests.

European Educational Research Association (EERA)
The European Educational Research Association (EERA) is an association of national educational research associations. Only national associations can become a member of EERA and, as a result, EERA is managed by their representatives in its Council. Presents annual European Conference on Educational Research; and publishes the European Educational Research Journal. Current members of EERA are Belgium (VFO), Czech Republic (CAPV), Denmark (NERA), Estonia (EAER), Finland (FERA), France (AECSE), Germany (DGfE), Iceland (NERA), Ireland (ESAI), Lithuania (LERA), Netherlands (VOR), Norway (NERA), Portugal (SPCE), Spain (AIDIPE and SEP), Sweden (NERA), Switzerland (SSRE), United Kingdom (BERA and SERA).

European Parents Association (EPA)
Based in Brussels, EPA is the voice of parents for all children in Europe. With some 50 member organisations, EPA represents more than 100 million parents and families throughout Europe. EPA aims to promote the active participation of parents in education and to ensure the parents’ voice is recognised and the development and implementation of policies.

Members of EPA are currently:

Austria: Austrian Parents Association (APA)
The Austrian Parents Association (APA) includes the association of parent members from the “Dachverband der Elternvereine an Pflichtschulen” and the ” Bundesverband der Elternvereine an hheren und mittleren Schulen sterreichs “. Both organisations together represent about 600,000 parents (as members). Parents are organised in the local parent association at school. All the local parent associations of a federal state (Austria has 9 states) are combined into the ” Landesverband (e.g. Parent Association of Vienna) “. The nine Associations of the states form the APA.

Belgium: Fdration Nationale des Associations de Parents d’lves de l’Enseignement Officiel (FAPEO)
FAPEO is the Federation of Parent Associations in public schools (both primary and secondary schools of the French-speaking Community of Belgium). Founded in 1966, this parents’ movement is a non-profit association. Since the “Missions” decree (1997), FAPEO is the only representative of parents of state schools recognized by the authorities.

Belgium: Union des Fdrations des Associations de Parents de l’Enseignement Catholique (UFAPEC)
UFAPEC is a federation of 11 regional bodies in turn representing 500 local parent associations in Catholic schools.

Belgium: Vlaamse Confederatie van Ouders en Ouderverenigingen vzw (VCOV)
VCOV represents and supports parent associations mainly in the Flemish-speaking are of Flanders.

Bulgaria: Association Roditeli

Croatia: Korak po Korak

Cyprus: Pancyprian Confederation of Primary School Parents Associations (PCPSPA)

Email: dinos@allfreight.com.cy (no website at present)
PCPSPA is the peak body for the Primary School Federation in each District, which in turn represents the Parent Associations in each Primary School in that District. It seeks to promote close co-operation between families and schools, and maintain two-way commmunication with government, administration and schools.

Cyprus: Pancyprian Confederation of Secondary Education Parents Associations (PCSEPA)
Email: edemetriou@cytanet.com.cy (no website at present)
PCSEPA is the peak body for Secondary School Parents’ Associations: seeking to promote close co-operation between families and schools, and maintain two-way commmunication with government, administration and schools.

Denmark: Skole og Samfund (SOS)
Skole og Samfund (The National Association of Schoolparents) is the only Danish association for parents of school children. It covers the whole of Denmark.
Our members are school board members, elected by parents, parental organisations and individual volunteers. The association is organized with local branches in each county.

Finland: Finnish Parents Association (Suomen Vanhempainliitto)
Suomen Vanhempainliitto is a central organisation for local parents’ associations. It consists of 1100 independent member associations with a total membership of more than 200 000 parents. Finnish Parents Association is expanding into kindergarten and vocational schools.

Finland: Frbundet Hem Och Skola i Finland
The National Association Frbundet Hem Och Skola i Finland has members everywhere in Finland where there are schools teaching in Swedish. The Association, founded in 1969, represents the voice of parents in matters concerning teaching and education in relation to schools and society.

France: Fdration Conseil des Parents d’Elve des Ecoles Publiques (FCPE)
FCPE is a federation representing parents of students in public schools, promoting a public school system that is free, secular and open to all young people; with an increasing role for parent orgnaisations in education and society.

France: Fdration des Parents d’Elves de l’Enseignement Public (PEEP)
PEEP is a federation of 26 regional branches representing more than 400,000 affiliated families whose children attend public schools; and seeks to promote the central role of parents in the education of their children.

France: Union Nationale des Associations de Parents d’Elves de l’Enseignement libre (UNAPEL)
UNAPEL is a federation of 25 regional and 95 district organisations, representing 10,000 associations and 800,000 families in Catholic schools.

Germany: BUNDESELTERNRAT (BER)
BER is a federation of the Parents Councils from each of the 16 Federal States of Germany, representing the interests of parents from all types of schools.

Germany: ELTERNKAMMER HAMBURG
Represents parent organisations in the Hamburg region.

Germany: Katholische Elternschaft Deutschlands (KED)
Represents parent organisations in Catholic schools throughout Germany: peak body for regional organisations which are organised mainly on diocesan areas.

Germany: Landeselternvereinigung der Gymnasien in Bayern e.V. (LEV Bayern)
LEV Bayern represents parent organisations in some 400 gymnasium schools in Bavaria.

Great Britain: International School of London Parents Teachers Association (ISLPTA)
Represents parents and teachers at the International School.

Great Britain: National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations (NCPTA)
Membership is open to all schools in England and Wales, irrespective of whether they are funded by the state or independently. Currently, there are over 11,000 member schools which is close to half of all the schools in England and Wales.

Great Britain (Scotland): Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC)
SPTC is the National Organisation for School based Parents’ Associations and Parent Teacher Associations. The objective of the Council is the advancement of education by encouraging the fullest co-operation between home and school, education authorities, central government and all other interested persons and bodies.

Greece: Federation of Greek Parents Associations in Private School Education (FGPAPSE)
Email: greekparentsfed@yahoo.gr (No website as yet)

Greece: Center of Family and Child Care (CFCC)
Email: pap@ath.forthnet.gr (no website as yet)

Hungary: Gordon School Association
or http://www.comeniusmuhely.hu
The organisation is being set up as The Association for Living School-Parents Partnership as an umbrella organisation: through a collacoration of the Hungarian Gordon School Association, the Comenius Workshop Association and the ParentsNET Association for the Child-Friendly School.

Iceland: Heimili og Skoli, landssamtk foreldra
Email : heimskol@heimskol.is (no website as yet)
Heimili og skli is the National Organization for parents of children in primary and comprehensive school (aged 6-16) and aims to improve co-operation between home and school.

Ireland: National Parents Council- Primary (NPC-P)
National Parents Council-Primary (NPC) is the nationwide representative organisation of parents of primary school children in the Republic of Ireland. There are thirty branches throughout the country. NPC represents the view of parents on all important educational bodies; negotiates with the Department of Education and Science and other organisations; works for rights and entitlements for all children; promotes partnership between home and school and offers services to parents.

Ireland: National Parents Council Post Primary (NPC-PP)
National Parents Council Post Primary (NPCpp) is a parents’ organisation representing parents of second-level pupils in the Irish education system.

Italy: Associazione Italiana Genitori (AGE)
AGE. is a non-religious and apolitical federation of local associations of parents.

Italy: AGESC NAZIONALE
The AGESC, catholic school association of parents, was founded in 1977 and works in accordance with the principles and values of the catholic faith and the church.

Italy: Cordinamento Genitori Democratici (CGD)
CDG in the only non religious association of parents that has the support of the Ministry of Education. Therefore the association is consulted on both parlamentary and regional levels.

Italy: FAES – Centri Scolastici e di Orientamento
Email: segreteria@faes-scuole.it (no website at present)
FAES is a national orgnaisation; currently representing 17 schools from kindergaren to secondary in eight main cities, and family cnetres in 17 cities; it seeks to promote co-operation among parents and between parents and teachers.

Italy: FIADDA
FIADDA is an association of Italian families for the promotion and defence of the rights of hearing impaired people and their families.

Italy: Movimento Italiano Genitori (MOIGE)
Moige, the Italian Parental Association, is a Social Promotion Organization, onlus, legally recognized by the Italian government as “Evident Social Function Association”. Free from political and religious ties, it is active in the promotion and the defence of the rights of parents and children in their social life: “We were created to protect and to increase awareness around the role of parents in all areas pertaining to their particular and inaliable pertinence”. (Maria Rita Munizzi- National Moige President).

Liechtenstein: Dachverband der Elternvereinigungen der Liechtensteinischen Schulen (DEV)
Email: manfred.amann@hba.llv.li (no website as yet)
The Liechtenstein Parents Association is a national organisation representing 14 regional parent organisation.

Luxembourg: Fdration des Associations de Parents d’lves du Luxembourg (FAPEL)
A national federation of 101 Primary and 23 Post-primary parent associations.

Malta: Association of School Councils (ASC)
Email: salmus@maltanet.net (no website as yet)
The Association of School Councils is a voluntary organisation made up of representatives of parents, teachers and students. The main aim of the organisation is to strengthen home-schoool links.

Netherlands: Landelijke Oudervereniging Bijzonder Onderwijs op Algemene Grondslag (LOBO)
LOBO seeks to enhance positive parent participation. 70% of the schools in Holland are non-state schools (but fully financed by the government). Approximately 19% of the non-state schools are member of the LOBO.LOBO is a rather young organisation with now about 480 members, mostly schools, of very different directions and concepts, including Hindi, Moslem and Jewish schools.

Netherlands: Nederlandse Katholieke vereniging van Ouders (NKO)
Parents with children at catholic and ecumenical schools are organized in a parents’ association at school. This parent’s association can be a member of the Dutch Catholic Parents’ Association (NKO).

Netherlands: OUDERS & COO
or http://www.parents.nl
http://www.ouders.org
OUDERS & COO has both individual parents and parentscouncils/participation councils of (protestant) christian and oecumenical schools as members of the national association. OUDERS & COO is recognised by the Minister of education as the representative body of the 750.000 parents at protestant schools.

Netherlands: Vereninging voor Openbaar Onderwijs (VOO)
The VOO is an national association, founded in 1866, with 30.000 members and 3.000 affiliated consulting councils of schools. Those members are organised in some 300 local committees over the whole country. The VOO represents the voice of about 700.000 parents.

Norway: Foreldreutvalget For Grunnskolen (FUG)
or http://www.foreldrenettet.no
The National Parents’ Committee for Primary and Lower Secondary Education.

Poland: Civic Educational Association (STO)
Represents some 10,000 local branches and individual members across the country: more than 90% of members are parents. Its purpose is to enrich educational opportunities for children and youth.

Portugal: Associacao de Jardins-Escolas Joao de Deus
Organisation focuses on the training and development of teachers.

Portugal: Confederao Nacional das Associaes de Pais (CONFAP)
Email: confap@netcabo.pt (no website as yet)
National confederacy of 14 regional federations: (970 associations of parents from public and private schools.)

Portugal: Fundao Pro Dignitate
E-mail: prodigni@esoterica.pt (no website yet)
Focus on on violence prevention and on human rights defence.

Slovakia: Slovak Council of Parents’ Associations (SRRZ)
Organisation of 1300 member organisations, 78 district parents councils and 8 regional parents councils.

Spain: Confederaci Cristiana d’Associacions de Pares d’Alumnes de Catalunya (CCAPAC)
Email : grenom@pie.xtec.es (no website as yet)
Catalonia based association of parents of christian schools.

Spain: Confederacin Espaola de Asociaciones de Padres de Alumnos (CEAPA)
National orgnaisation seeking to enhance the effective involvement of parents in schools.

Spain: Confederacin Catlica Nacional de Padres de Familia y Padres de Alumnos (CONCAPA)
Email: concapa@concapa.org (no website as yet)
Confederation of 50 provincial federations which include associations of parents in Catholic schools in each county.

Spain: Federacin de Asociaciones de Padres de Alumnos de Centros de Ensenanza (FAPACE)
FAPACE is the Federation of Parent Associations involving all the Parent Associations belonging to the Schools and Colleges that FOMENTO Education Centers has in 17 Spanish Cities.

Spain: Federacin de Asociaciones de Padres de Centros de Enseanza Libre (FAPACEL)
Email : antonio.rodriguez.campra@attendis.com (no website as yet)

Spain: Federaci d’Associacions de Pares d’Alumnes d’Ensenyament Secundari (FAPAES)
FAPAES, Federation of Parents’ Associations of Secondary Schools in Catalonia is formed by people from all over the region, with very different ideologies and social processes, but who share the same view, a goal which unites us all together: learning to teach to educate and to obtain a better quality public education in our country.

Spain: Federaci d’Associacions de Pares d’Escoles Lliures (FAPEL)
Federation of Parents’ Associations of Free (Independents) Schools’ of Catalonia. It is formed up by the Parents’ Associations (APAs) of the Schools set up by the initiative of citizens of Catalonia.

Spain: Union de Federaciones de Padres de Alumnos de la Enseanza Libre de Euskadi (UFEPA)
Email: ufepa@euskalnet.net (no website as yet)
Federation of parent associations from schools in the Basque country region.

Sweden: Riksfrbundet Hem Och Skola
National federation of parent associations.