NAPLAN Results Highlight the Failure of Governments to Address Education Disadvantage

Posted on Thursday January 26, 2012

The latest NAPLAN results show virtually no change in overall average results, in the results of disadvantaged students and in the large gaps between the results of disadvantaged and advantaged students. Governments are failing disadvantaged students and their families.< >> Read on...

Teacher Librarians are Fast Disappearing

Posted on Friday November 25, 2011

Australian students continue to lose teacher librarians and school libraries. A divide is developing between the schools which can afford one or more teacher librarians, and those where students have to rely on Google. >> Read on...

Parent Engagement Makes a Difference at All Ages

Posted on Saturday November 19, 2011

Active engagement by parents in their children’s education makes a difference at all ages. >> Read on...

Parent Engagement Must Not Stop at the Gate

Posted on Saturday June 18, 2011

Parent engagement is a key factor in the enhancement of student achievement and well-being. The role of the ‘’traditional parent volunteer’’ must be expanded to include a new category of fully engaged parents who influence both student success and the effectiveness of their entire school.< >> Read on...

Completing Year 12 Offers the Best Employment Prospects

Posted on Thursday June 16, 2011

Students who complete Year 12 have better full-time employment rates, lower incidence of unemployment, higher wages and higher-status jobs.< >> Read on...

Gifted and Talented Programs are not a Bright Idea

Posted on Tuesday June 7, 2011

The first detailed statistical study of the impact of gifted and talented programs in schools finds that they have no effect on student achievement. >> Read on...

The Crime Reducing Effect of Education

Posted on Thursday June 2, 2011

A new study shows that increased years at school lead to a reduction in property crime. The reduction in crime generates large social benefits. >> Read on...

Tilting at Windmills on Foreign Languages

Posted on Thursday June 2, 2011

The Bailleau Government’s plan for more time on foreign languages in schools may be over-ambitious. >> Read on...

More Education Leads to Less Crime, Better Health and Greater Political Participation

Posted on Friday February 4, 2011

A new review of research studies shows that completion of secondary school has significant social benefits by reducing crime, improving health, lowering mortality, and increasing political participation. This points to the need for a strong public education system providing for all students. >> Read on...

We Need Public Education

Posted on Friday December 10, 2010

Public schools are a fundamental feature of a democratic society. >> Read on...

Education Quality and Inequity Are Worsening in Australia

Posted on Thursday December 9, 2010

The latest international test results show that Australian education is still a high quality, low equity system, but that quality is declining and inequity is increasing. >> Read on...

Schools Off-Load Low Achieving Students to Boost League Table Ranking

Posted on Tuesday December 7, 2010

Low achieving students are being off-loaded by schools in England in order to boost their league table rankings according to a report published last month. >> Read on...

Grattan Institute Report Ignores Disadvantage in Education

Posted on Wednesday November 17, 2010

The recently published report by the Grattan Institutue on class sizes and teacher effectiveness is overly simplistic, fails to address the central issue of overcoming the effects of disadvantage in education and ignores research evidence that lower class sizes can significantly improve achievement by low income and minority students. >> Read on...

BER Value for Money Questions Remain

Posted on Tuesday November 16, 2010

A school principal calls the Building the Education Revolution Implementation Taskforce to account and says it should re-consider its “value for money” criteria in its final report. >> Read on...

From Little Things, Big Things Grow: The Creeping Privatisation of Public Education

Posted on Tuesday October 26, 2010

The Victorian Government recently launched a new foundation to make it easier for businesses to make financial donations to government schools. It is a small beginning, but the US experience shows it can grow into control over public education policy by wealthy private foundations. >> Read on...

Australia’s Educational Attainment is Improving

Posted on Saturday September 18, 2010

The OECD’s newly published Education at a Glance shows that educational attainment is significantly higher for Australia’s younger age groups compared to older age groups, indicating that education levels have improved over generations with the increasing expenditure on school education. >> Read on...

The Release of More Cane Toads

Posted on Thursday August 19, 2010

Cane toads that will destroy Australian education. A review of education policy initiatives by a former director of primary education in Queensland. >> Read on...

Computers Widen Achievement Gap in Schools

Posted on Wednesday July 28, 2010

A new study finds that greater access to home computers and high speed internet reduces reading and mathematics achievement and increases racial and socio-economic achievement gaps. >> Read on...

Seven Principles of Education Change

Posted on Saturday July 3, 2010

A group of teachers called Teachers Letters to Obama has presented the President with an alternative vision based on seven principles of education change. It would be a good place to start for the Gillard Government as well. >> Read on...

Performance Pay Scheme Fails to Improve Student Results

Posted on Saturday June 5, 2010

One of the most ambitious efforts to link teacher pay to student achievement in the United States has done little to improve test scores or retain teachers according to an independent study released this week. >> Read on...

More