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Newsletter Group – email: pc-nsregion-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Walk Safely to School Day
Was held this year on
Friday 2 May 2008
Only in
America Nine-year-olds plot to injure teacher Nine-year-olds at a school
in the US state of Georgia brought a broken steak knife, handcuffs and electrical
tape to school in a plot to injure their teacher, authorities said. Federal Election ResultsThe Federal Budget May, 2007 Budget speeches Liberal
Hansard (see P37) pdf Labor SMH
pdf Greens SMH Democrats SMH Family First SMH
pdf The Australian’s Budget Coverage Opinion from the USA Raising Accountability for
Parents Too From the American Society of School Administrators Guest
Column The truth is
that except in extreme cases, school officials do not come close to having
the impact on a child’s success as does a parent. Between birth and age
18, children spend only 10 percent of their waking hours at school with the
bulk of their time spent in the home environment where, with no standards of
accountability, parents may choose to be unsupportive and uninvolved in the
education process. Why are there
not more efforts to hold parents accountable for meeting child-rearing
responsibilities when public schools face intensifying pressure? Offbeat
From
the land of the free: Parents who illegally enroll their children in
Seminole County's highly regarded schools will go to jail -- if
the School Board has
its way.
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Recent stories,
current issues To find stories on this page, go to
“Edit”, then “Find” and type in your key words. This page: stories
from 21st November, 2007 – 3rd June, 2008 Articles after 03.06.08 and links to earlier articles NSW Budget
Costa gives $11.8b to education SMH 03.06.08 Science
laboratories in NSW public schools will be upgraded from this year as part of
a $735 million capital investment in school buildings. Already
announced commitments to continue being rolled out this year include construction
of 20 new school halls and gyms, completion of new Trade Schools at Nambucca
Heads and Jamison high schools and toilet upgrades at 52 schools. A total of
$267 million will be spent on overdue maintenance works in schools and TAFE
institutes as part of $1 billion commitment scheduled for the next four
years. The Minister
for Education, John Della Bosca, said he would accelerate the connected
classrooms initiative, which provides high-tech interactive whiteboards for
classrooms, with $65 million in capital and recurrent funding this year. The Best
Start literacy and numeracy program for kindergarten students will double in
the 2008-09 financial year to $19 million. $2.2bn tax relief in NSW Budget Daily Telegraph 03.06.08
Education Budget Papers Narrative Financials All budget estimates Urgent push to fix unsafe bridges SMH 03.06.08 The State Government should
immediately allocate funds to fix unsafe timber bridges on rural school bus routes,
a report commissioned by the Premier, Morris Iemma, says. Diocese stands down second priest SMH
03.06.08 The priest was punched in the
face by a Catholic primary school principal in March 1999 and resigned from
the parish of Rutherford after the principal faced court and was placed on a
bond. Obesity
epidemic 'a myth' NEWS.com.au 31.05.08 Australia’s childhood obesity epidemic has been
"exaggerated" and government-led national prevention efforts may be
misdirected, with childhood obesity only increasing in lower-income families. Jenny O'Dea, associate
professor of child health research at the University of Sydney, will tell a
Nutrition Australia conference next month that obesity in children "has
not increased overall" between 2000 and 2006. Principal of some quality Manly Daily 30.05.08 Sharryn Brownlee spends a lot of time
developing advice about the professional standards of teachers as a member of
the NSW Quality Teaching Council. This week she was reassured about the
high standards of education when she took on the role of "Principal for
a Day" at Manly Village Public School. Shadowing the school's real
principal, Leonie Black, Ms Brownlee got a behind-the-scenes look at school
life. Private schools hog funding SMH 30.05.08 Private schools serving the wealthiest families are overfunded
by as much as $3306 per secondary student, while schools serving low-income
families are receiving no more than they are entitled to under the
Commonwealth funding scheme, new research shows. According to the data, the top three overfunded secondary
schools in NSW are Marist College North Shore, overfunded by $3306 per
student, St Leo's Catholic College in Wahroonga ($2717 per student) and Mercy
Catholic College in Chatswood ($2717). The top three overfunded NSW primary schools are Holy Family
Catholic Primary School, Lindfield, ($3072 per student), Blessed Sacrament
School School, Clifton Gardens ($3071) and Sacred Heart School, Mosman
($3070). Seventy per cent of Catholic systemic school students are
overfunded compared to 56 per cent of independent school students, the
figures and analysis, to be released today, show. The Catholic schools system pools government funding for
individual schools and redistributes it according to how it sees fit. According to the study conducted by Save Our
Schools, a public education advocacy group in Canberra, the scheme is
in urgent need of review. Fixed address the answer to speed SMH
30.05.08 Fixed speed cameras work, and not just
at raising revenue. Motorists do slow down. That's clear from new figures on
speed camera fines in Sydney school zones. The worry is what's happening at
other schools - the vast majority - that don't have fixed cameras. Pedestrian Council School zone policing fails numbers test SMH
30.05.08 Councils have been accused of
failing to enforce parking and driving restrictions in school zones, with
figures showing that some, such as Bankstown, are handing out hundreds of
fines and others issue few or none. The councils, however, say
numbers are low because crackdowns by rangers encouraged parents to obey the
rules. Figures obtained by the
Pedestrian Council of Australia under freedom of information laws showed that
over three months last year, police and councils issued 11,068 fines for
offences such as disobeying stop and no parking signs. Don't walk alone, students warned on bullying Daily Telegraph 30.05.08 A forum on bullying in
western Sydney yesterday heard of horror stories from students who were
bashed and assaulted on the way to and from school. Merit pay for teachers
Teachers to be paid on merit Daily Telegraph 29.05.08
Thousands of teachers are set
to be judged partly on the academic performance of their students under a
ground-breaking accreditation scheme to recognise excellence in the
classroom. In an Australian
first, the state's most outstanding classroom teachers will be able to apply
for merit promotion to newly created advanced level positions. Testing times for those seeking promotion Daily Telegraph 29.05.08
Teachers yesterday demanded
urgent talks with the Iemma Government over plans to make students' classroom
performance part of the criteria for promotion. As the
Government unveiled the landmark scheme yesterday the Teachers Federation
said it believed students' test marks would not be required but called for the issue to be
further "explored". National teacher salary agreement Daily
Telegraph 27.05.08 Maralyn Parker Here’s
something we could add to the list of state and federal government agreements
- a national pay scale for teachers. Don’t get
excited about those salaries of $130,000 suggested in a report released on
Monday by the Business Council of Australia. They were given the big thumbs
down by NSW Education Minister John Della Bosca. No more public v private debate SMH 29.05.08 Opinion – Julia Gillard For too long
in Australia debates about the quality of children's education have revolved
around public versus private schools and which system deserves more
government support. Over the
decades, education advocates and groups have taken their place in one of
these camps and outlined passionate arguments for their preferred system. While we
acknowledge their strong advocacy in support of education, it is time for all
of us to recognise that the old-style education debates need to be updated. We need a
conversation about a transparent, high-quality, well-funded education system
for the 21st century; one that focuses on the needs of each student, the
quality of our education system and how we can guarantee every child, no
matter how rich or how poor, gets the best education possible. I want this
conversation to focus on: The
substance of our curriculum. The commitment to rigorous
academic standards. The professionalism of our
teachers. The quality of school
leadership. The way we teach,
including the way we use information and communication technology. Speed traps still fail most schools SMH
29.05.08 Less than 1 per cent of
schools attracted 95 per cent of the fines for speeding in school zones, while
other schools averaged fewer than one each over six months, despite the NSW
Government's crackdown on child safety last year, figures show. Harold
Scruby, the chairman of the Pedestrian Council, said the figures proved the
reliance on high-visibility enforcement was nonsense. "Parents are being
led to believe their children are safe when the opposite is true. There is no
effective police enforcement in school zones where there are no fixed
cameras. The cameras must be covert." Muslims warn of gift to extremists SMH 29.05.08
Camden
Council's decision to block an Islamic school could force Islamic education
underground, where "extreme imams" could reach children without
supervision or monitoring, the president of the Australian Federation of
Islamic Councils, Ikebal Patel, has warned. Locals demand 'racist' apology as Islamic school rejected
Daily Telegraph 28.05.08
Plans to build an Islamic school in
Sydney's southwest were rejected last night as residents demanded an apology
for being labelled racists, bigots and Nazis. Islamic school rejected SMH 28.05.08 About 200
Camden residents cheered wildly as their council formally decided to reject an
application for an Islamic school in their area last night. Teaching Science at Pacific Hills Christian School Daily
Telegraph 27.05.08 Maralyn Parker Governments care-less with school funding Daily
Telegraph 27.05.08 Maralyn Parker We are in bizarre territory now. The NSW State
Government is secretly continuing to dole out millions to NSW private schools
under the supposedly scrapped Interest Subsidy Scheme and the Federal
Government is allowing the vast majority (98 per cent) of private schools to
claim billions of taxpayer dollars in funding without any checks. Meanwhile
the 70 per cent of Australian children who go to public schools have every cent
allocated to them checked forensically and neither government will guarantee
them permanent classrooms in either their primary or high school - not to
mention a school hall, aides for children with disabilities etc. Schools escape rort check SMH
27.05.08 The Federal Government has
been forced to admit it checks only a tiny percentage of independent schools
for exploition of its controversial $12 billion school funding system,
despite evidence it is being rorted. In response to a Herald freedom
of information inquiry, the Education Department said it audited only 2 per
cent of the nation's 2200 private schools each year - just over 40 schools -
to check for fraudulent enrolment claims. The issue came to light
recently after the Herald revealed that The Lakeside Christian College
secondary college in Tweed Heads had claimed double its number of students to
earn extra education funding from the state and federal governments. Ombudsman in Board of Studies inquiry SMH 27.05.08 Secret $228m state subsidy for elite schools Daily Telegraph 27.05.08
The NSW State Government has
secretly rubber-stamped taxpayer subsidies for a $228 million private school building
boom under a discredited loan subsidy scheme supposedly scrapped last June. The new classrooms, canteens
and car parks in private schools were all approved after June 19 2007 - when
the Government announced the end of the interest subsidy program. The Daily
Telegraph can reveal taxpayers will pay a further $8 million
annual loan interest subsidy bill for the next 20 years on the private school
projects approved since the June 19 announcement. Includes
Blog. Now students tuck into halal meat pies Daily Telegraph 27.05.08
Teachers deserve $130,000, says Business Council of Australia
Daily Telegraph 26.05.08
Top classroom teachers should
be paid about $130,000 a year, a major employer group has demanded. At present
the top rate for direct teaching in schools is about $70,000 a year, with a graduate's
starting salary about $52,000. Spend $4b to boost teachers' pay: business SMH
26.05.08 The nation's
best teachers would move onto $100,000-plus salaries under a Business Council
of Australia push for a pay rise to improve the quality of education. In a paper
to be published today the council will call for federal and state governments
to spend up to $4 billion a year on higher salaries for the most experienced
and skilled teachers. New selective classes for city's west, regions SMH
26.05.08 Western Sydney and regional
NSW will be first in line for 600 new selective high school places. The State Government wants
selective classes at 14 comprehensive schools including Parramatta High,
Blacktown Girls and Boys high schools, Wyong High, Grafton High and Armidale
High. Elite school students get more special help in HSC SMH
26.05.08 Scores of elite private
schools in NSW have won "special consideration" for their HSC
students facing the gruelling exams, raising questions of whether they are
gaining an unfair advantage. Some of the schools have as
many as a third of their HSC classes being granted dispensations from the NSW
Board of Studies that include extra exam time, large print or assistance with
writing. Blog School fire leaves $1m repair bill SMH 26.05.08 Carlingford West Public
School, Felton Road. Teachers asked to spend holidays running sleepovers SMH 24.05.08 Hundreds of teachers and
staff from Catholic schools are being enlisted as volunteers to supervise overnight
sleepovers for up to 90,000 Catholic World Youth Day pilgrims. But the union
representing Catholic school teachers has asked World Youth Day organisers to
outline how teachers should deal with "inappropriate or illegal
conduct" on school premises and wants assurances about their night
security. Up to 60,000 pilgrims aged
between 16 and 35 will be housed in Catholic schools and a further 30,000 no
younger than 18 will stay in public schools during the gathering from July 15
to 20. The one that got away SMH 24.05.08 Former NSW Education Minister Carmel
Tebbutt has few regrets about her decision to put her son ahead of political
ambition. $60m school software plan faces costly delays - Victoria
The Age 24.05.08 A new $60 million school software
system faces delays and cost blowouts after the Victorian State Government
failed to find a company to deliver the project. The Ultranet system, designed
to allow parents to check their child's progress through an online computer
system, was a key Labor promise at the 2006 state election. Elite schools given pledge on funding SMH
23.05.08 Close to a
third of private schools in NSW have become wealthier under the Federal
Government's funding test, but the Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, has
assured them they will not lose a cent in Commonwealth grants. Private schools 'hit list' ruled out as funding review sparks
fears The Age 24.05.08 Education
Minister Julia Gillard has been forced to rule out reviving the notorious
private schools "hit list" after the announcement of a funding
review sparked fears that wealthy schools could have funding cut. In a speech
that alarmed some private schools, Ms Gillard said this week that the
existing funding system was one of the most confusing in the developed world
and did not serve the interests of students, families, schools or teachers.
She said yesterday that Labor was "absolutely not" seeking to
reintroduce former Labor leader Mark Latham's "hit list". The list,
which would have resulted in 67 of the nation's wealthiest schools losing
funding, was one of the policies blamed for Labor's loss in 2004. In a bid to
appease the independent schools sector in the lead-up to last year's
election, Labor pledged to keep the former government's private schools
funding model until 2012. Planners say no to Muslim school SMH
23.05.08 3:22PM A Muslim society's plans to
build a school in Camden have been dealt a severe blow after the local
council's planners today recommended against the development on planning
grounds. Teachers plan on strike Daily Telegraph 23.05.08
Teachers are threatening a winter campaign
of strikes to follow today's 24-hour walkout if the Iemma Government does not
bow to their demands on staffing. As families face massive disruption today including school closures, teachers claim sweeping changes to the way in which they are appointed will make their job even more stressful. The
Daily Telegraph can reveal teachers in the State's 2220
government schools last year lodged 1000 claims for workers' compensation
citing psychological injury. Strike leaves hundreds of classes empty SMH
23.05.08 The State
Government said about 250 schools were forced toclose yesterday when an
estimated 34,000 teachers took part in a 24-hour strike. Teachers to continue strikes SMH May 22,
2008 - 3:50PM Includes link to video NSW teachers
will continue rolling industrial action next month until the Government
changes its plans. Many school
students stayed home today as teachers across the state staged a 24-hour
strike over the NSW Government's refusal to negotiate on changes to
employment procedures, including the transfer scheme. School's out, but not for sisters
May 22, 2008 - 12:57PM The cure for HSC stress: write less SMH 20.05.08
Parents uproar at P&C over nude teacher Lynne Tziolas
Daily Telegraph 21.05.08
Teachers persist with strike plan SMH 20.05.08 The NSW Teachers Federation has vowed to go ahead with
a strike on Thursday if the Education Minister, John Della Bosca, refuses to
negotiate over staffing arrangements. Fed up with kids' junk food ads SMH
19.05.08 Eight out of 10 parents want the Government to regulate the marketing
of junk food to children, a survey released by the consumer group Choice has
found. Nearly nine out of 10 respondents said junk food ads made it
harder for them to promote healthy eating in the home. Sex education and public edification SMH
19.05.08 Opinion Students suffer in teacher shortage
Sun-Herald 18.05.08 A severe shortage of casual
teachers means almost two-thirds of NSW schools cannot find one when they
need one, teachers say. Kids at risk from harmful food Sunday Telegraph 18.05.08
Australia's
leading consumer group Choice has called for an urgent review of food additives
after Britain proposed banning food colourings by the end of the year. Kids threatened over support for their nude teacher Daily Telegraph 17.05.08
They have been threatened with
suspension and warned not to sign any petitions but the students of
Narraweena Primary School are standing firm in their goal - to get their
favourite teacher back. Waving home-made signs and
shouting "Give back our teacher", the pint-sized activists joined
their parents yesterday in a protest urging the school to reinstate popular
year one teacher Lynne Tziolas. 'Cotton
wool kids' losing basic skills Daily Telegraph 17.05.08 Panicky parents are breeding
a generation of "cotton wool kids" too afraid to climb trees or
ride their bikes, NSW's most senior child guardian has warned. NSW Commissioner for Children
and Young People Gillian Calvert has cautioned that alarm over stranger
danger and traffic means that today's children are missing out on simple
pleasures. Happy school SMH 17.05.08 Worth a read, along with the links At best, say
educationists, the positive psychology movement that is sweeping through
schools may develop more emotionally literate teenagers. At worst, they say
it may create a generation of fragile, self-obsessed and depressed children. Geelong Grammar
in Victoria has appointed an American happiness guru, Professor Martin Seligman, to train teachers and staff so they can
help students become more resilient. The school is also pouring $16 million
into a Wellbeing Centre that will house medical and sporting facilities to
promote yoga, Pilates and counselling. Seligman,
from the University of Pennsylvania, is the author of Authentic Happiness
and a major force behind the positive psychology movement that has permeated
education systems throughout the world, including Australia. (Other
references for Seligman Bio Penn Uni Wikipedia
). Carol Craig,
chief executive of the Centre for Confidence and Well-being in Glasgow, has
pointed out the potential dangers of a systematic, explicit approach to
teaching social and emotional skills. The Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) program,
a important plank of government education policy in parts of Britain, and
taking root in Australia, may unwittingly drive some students to depression,
she says. (Other references on SEAL UK TeacherNet ) Bexley Public School is one of the NSW primary schools
using Bounce Back,
which relies on discussions about children's literature to explore such
values as courage and loyalty. Last October
(2007), the Australian Council for Educational Research reported on student social and emotional health and found that the
greatest contributor to a child's wellbeing was conversation between parents
and children about their feelings and how to cope. One of the
report's authors, Michael Bernard, said students who lacked the example of
positive parenting were likely to display lower levels of social and
emotional health. Parents
aside, the emphasis on schools stepping into the breach is strong. In the public
school system, the Federal Government has introduced a primary schools'
mental health program called Kids Matter (references Australian Primary
Schools US ), in
partnership with Beyondblue, the Australian Psychological Society, Rotary and
school principal organisations. Now in its second year, it is being trialled
in 100 primary schools and is yet to be evaluated. In secondary schools, a
teachers' resource called Mind Matters aims to encourage better mental health
in students. Follow in my footsteps, urges dance star Manly Daily 17.05.08 Esteemed Australian ballet dancer
Lucinda Dunn glided back through time yesterday after visiting her old
primary school at Mimosa. We're demonstrating to get her job back Manly Daily 16.05.08 FURIOUS parents will protest outside
Narraweena Public School today in a rally to have dismissed teacher Lynne
Tziolas reinstated at the school. The parents have vowed to make sure
the Year 1 teacher's shock dismissal is not swept under the carpet and will
carry signs saying “I just want my teacher back”' outside the
school during the rally this afternoon. School computer funding 'may fall short' West Australian 14.05.08
2008
Federal Budget
Budget Reply – Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson Daily Telegraph 15.05.08 Contains a section on Education "Parent
groups and school principals will always know what their school needs better
than a clipboard-carrying bureaucrat from a centralised education department.
They know best. "The
government has scrapped our Investing in Our Schools Programme. These direct
grants to schools have made a big difference to improved buildings,
classrooms, playgrounds and upgraded technology. "The
coalition will reinstate it”. SMH
Budget articles – full list SMH
14.05.08 Private schools overtake unis in funding SMH
14.05.08 Federal funding for private
schools is set to eclipse public investment in universities. Budget papers show that the
Government's investment in higher education and private schools was tied at
about $6.3 million this year. But by 2012 universities will
receive $7.3 million while private schools will get $7.7 million. The federal Government will
increase funding for private schools from $3.1 million to $3.5 million over
the same five-year period. The Government has ignored a federal Department of Education review
commissioned by the former government which revealed that independent schools
would receive over four years $2.7 billion more than their strict
entitlements this year under the Commonwealth funding system for private
schools. Daily Telegraph Budget articles – full list Daily Telegraph 14.05.08
Sydney makes mark on Swan Daily Telegraph 14.05.08
Bonus for parents and students Daily Telegraph 14.05.08
About 1.3 million families with
children at school will receive a tax refund on education costs under a $4.4
billion plan to help families. Those who
qualify will be allowed to claim a 50 per cent refund every year on key expenses
up to $375 for each child in primary school - and $750 for each
secondary student. The refund,
which begins in 2008-2009, will apply to costs such as laptops, computers,
internet connection, printers, education software, trade tools and text books -
but not school fees. News Budget articles – full list NEWS.com.au 14.05.08 The Australian Budget articles – full list The Australian 14.05.08 Education Budget Verdict The Australian 14.05.08
4:30pm ABC Learning jumps on rebate
NEWS.com.au 14.05.08 Shares in ABC Learning Centres
jumped 6 per cent today after investors digested child care initiatives
announced in the Federal Budget. $11 billion for higher education SMH 13.05.08 -
8:34PM
The national endowment fund for
higher education will almost double in size to $11 billion and provide
capital funding for universities and vocational training facilities. Swan
on song: steady as she goes SMH 13.05.08 7.30pm
update from Canberra
The touted "education
revolution" unveiled during the election will be boosted with $5 billion
worth of fresh funding, of which $500 million will be spent on universities,
and the fund will eventually be worth $11 billion. The changes mean average working
family with two children could now be up to $51.54 a week better off with the
higher child-care refunds, education tax rebates and direct income tax cuts,
which take effect from July 1. Families with older children in
high school could be up to $43.27 a week better off, while Treasury estimates
that a single person on an average income will receive about $25 a week
extra. Education
·
$11b for
higher education ·
$5.9b for
education revolution ·
$500m for
universities
·
$1.2b for school
computers Don't blame the agony aunts for sexualising your children
SMH 14.05.08 Opinion
Far from being the culprits
in a sex-saturated culture, these columns are the sole medical, adult voice
in the media that most teens absorb. The thought that young people might be
learning about sex from music video clips, beer ads and the internet is a far
more shocking prospect. WorldWide Telescope takes you to infinity and beyond SMH 14.05.08
A free program launched today
will effectively turn every computer that downloads it into a mini-planetarium
capable of displaying high resolution images of millions of stars, planets
and other celestial bodies. The project, called the WorldWide Telescope
(WWT), is the result of several years of hard labour by a small team at
Microsoft Research, the software company's key R&D centre. Parents fail to cash back-to-school allowance cheques Daily Telegraph 13.05.08
MORE than 43,000
parents did not bother to cash their $50 back-to-school allowance cheques
last year, new figures show, prompting calls for an inquiry into whether the
$56 million scheme is a wasted effort.
Literacy test threat to NSW funding SMH 12.05.08
The Federal Government is
threatening to freeze NSW out of its scheme to fund disadvantaged schools
because the State Government is refusing to hand over individual schools'
results from national literacy and numeracy tests. About 1 million students in
years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will sit the tests over three days this week in an
attempt by state and federal governments to gain a clearer picture of how
students are faring on numeracy, reading, writing, spelling, punctuation and
grammar. Avoiding the flue: schools told to open windows to clear the
air SMH
12.05.08
As snow swirls around school classrooms in the Blue
Mountains this winter, students are being advised by the NSW Government to
leave the windows wide open for the sake of their health. Funding cut as children face lead risk SMH
12.05.08 Figures reveal the number of
children with high blood lead levels has increased but government funding for
programs to minimise environmental health risks has been slashed. Kids taught pokie evils in kindy Daily Telegraph 12.05.08
Primary school students will be taught
anti-gambling measures after it was revealed children as young as 13 are
battling gambling addiction. About 12,000 problem gambling
resource kits will be distributed to public, independent and Catholic schools
and TAFE campuses across NSW this year. Girl gangs rise up as urban vandals Daily Telegraph 12.05.08
Parents meet PM's computer promise Sunday Telegraph 11.05.08
Parents
will have to pay thousands of dollars to help implement Prime Minister Kevin
Rudd's election promise of a computer for every student. Schools across NSW have
started fundraising drives, with some considering a $50 levy per student, to
help pay for security, electrical upgrades and improved cabling before the
delivery of the first round of computers next month. Teens adapt adult fears Sun Herald 11.05.08
Teenagers are more materially
well-off than they've ever been but increasingly plagued by adult worries,
such as how to afford a house, and personal safety. Manly pub bans sale of alcopops The Australian 11.05.08
A popular Sydney drinking
spot will stop selling alcopops in an effort to curb binge drinking and
anti-social behaviour, its management says. The Steyne Hotel in Manly will stop selling the
pre-mixed drinks from next week, as part of a three-month trial. I just want my teacher back Manly Daily 10.05.08 Narraweena Public
School students and their parents have rallied behind one of their favourite
teachers who has been dismissed for posing nude in
Cleo. Five-year-old
Christabel O'Neill, cried for several nights after finding out Lynne Tziolas
wasn't teaching at her school any more. She had a message for her Year 1
teacher yesterday. “Bel misses
you a lot and wants you to come back soon,'' she told The Manly Daily. Naked surprise after teacher sacked for saucy shoot SMH 10.05.08
A primary
school teacher at Narraweena Public School sacked for appearing nude in a
women's magazine has launched legal action against the Department of
Education as parents from the school organise a petition to have her
reinstated. Lynne
Tziolas, 24, was called into her principal's office last Friday and told her
year-long contract at Narraweena Primary School would be terminated. Parents fight for nude teacher Daily Telegraph 10.05.08
Parents have rallied around a
primary school teacher who was suspended from her job after posing naked with
her husband and sharing intimate details of their sex life in a women's
magazine. At least 40
parents have signed a petition to have 24-year-old Lynne Tziolas reinstated
to Narraweena Public School on the Northern Beaches after she was called into
principal Julie Organ's office last week and told her year-long contract
would be terminated. A statement
released by the NSW Department of Education and Training said Mrs Tziolas had
been suspended following complaints from "several" parents at the
school. Costly school photos Manly Daily 10.05.08 Narrabeen Lakes Public School More than 7600 drivers have been
caught speeding along Pittwater Rd past Narrabeen Lakes Public School in just
six months since a new speed camera was installed. Of those, nearly 5000 were booked
during school hours. Parents' fury at food policy Daily Telegraph 10.05.08
Hide the Nutella - "lunchbox Nazis''
have taken over NSW day-care centres. Parents are furious about a new
childcare centre policy that restricts the types of food they can put in
their children's lunchboxes. Frustration mounts as college cuts bite SMH 09.05.08 NSW Government funding to
community colleges for Sudanese refugees has been cut. School uniforms banned in shops SMH 08.05.08 Children have been prevented from boarding their school buses by
a new policy that aims to ban truants from a Western Sydney shopping centre. Westpoint in Blacktown has become the first shopping centre in
Sydney to forbid children in school uniforms entering between 9.30am and
2.30pm. University life dying without union fees, study says SMH 08.05.08 More than 90 per cent of
submissions to an inquiry into voluntary student union laws say campus life
is in decline and changes need to be made if sporting, cultural and student
organisations are to survive. But most believe that
students rather than taxpayers should be responsible for funding the
activities and services, according to an analysis by the National Union of
Students. Parents in dark over training of carers SMH 07.05.08
Parents want child-care workers to educate their children
but most are overestimating the qualifications of the people employed to mind
them. Research on long day-care centres, commissioned by the
union representing child-care workers, shows more than 80 per cent of parents
believe child-care workers have formal qualifications such as university
degrees. Busy parents sending children to board SMH
07.05.08 Tired of fighting the Sydney traffic and
with little spare time, busy working parents are sending their children to
boarding schools despite living in the same city. Up to a third of students boarding at Sydney
Church of England Grammar School are weekday boarders and include the
children of busy working Sydney families, the senior boarding house master at
the exclusive North Sydney school, David Anderson, says. Families becoming strangers SMH
06.05.08 Parents can go almost a year without seeing
their children at boarding school, relying on the internet and phone calls to
stay in touch, says the principal of a leading Sydney girls school. William McKeith, who heads PLC School in
Croydon, says lack of quality time spent with children - largely the fault of
parents' long working hours - is corroding family values. Families pay the price in a world that never stops
SMH 06.05.08 Opinion: Dr
William McKeith, Principal of Presbyterian Ladies College, Sydney. Sect's plans cause a stir SMH 05.05.08
Plans by the controversial Exclusive Brethren sect to
build a church and school in a semi-rural area on the Central Coast have
upset residents who had meetings with Gosford councillors yesterday to raise
their concerns. Schools' tool speaks volumes for children's literacy Sun Herald 04.05.08
More high schools are turning
to the Premier's Reading Challenge as a tool to encourage adolescents to
read. Robyn Condrick, the
teacher-librarian at Sydney's Northern Beaches Secondary College, Cromer
Campus, said the challenge helped motivate teenagers. Sydney's treadmill tots Sun Herald
04.05.08 Children as young as three
have personal trainers and mini-exercise machines to help fight childhood
obesity but health experts say they need to go out and play, not hit the
treadmill. Young students to get lessons on avoiding alcohol abuse Daily Telegraph 03.05.08
Primary school students as
young as eight will be given lessons on alcohol abuse in a bid to stop
thousands of young people from hitting the bottle. The landmark program called Message
in a Bottle will be rolled out to 240,000 children from Year 3 to Year 6 in
1600 public schools across NSW this term. Whatever you do, don't rock the boat SMH
03.05.08 A Sydney researcher claims he paid a
high price for offending a government minister. Harriet Alexander reports. Michael Booth's career began crashing in great, ghastly
pieces around his ears. But, surprisingly, it was not on the day in 2006 when
he was accused of academic misconduct, but on the day he claims he annoyed a
minister. Five months earlier, NSW Health had alleged Dr Booth, an associate
professor in adolescent health at the University of Sydney, had failed to
follow correct ethical procedures in collecting blood samples from 500 Sydney
teenagers for a study on childhood obesity. A study last year found that Australian governments
routinely suppressed important public health research done in universities,
usually through sanitising, delaying or prohibiting publication of the
findings. The article
Overweight
in Children & Teenagers: Time to Act by Dr Michael Booth (a subject of the above article)
appeared in the Term 4, 2006
P&C Journal (page 12). Please don't rip off our music SMH 29.04.08
Australia's biggest musical
acts have made a 10-minute documentary, which was developed by the music
industry and will be distributed for free to all high schools in Australia to
discourage file sharing of recordings. It has been designed so it can easily
be spread virally across the file sharing websites that also hold much of the
pirated music the industry is seeking to eradicate. Teachers face a relative grilling SMH
29.04.08 School staff have been asked to declare
any relationships they have with students or teachers around Australia in
preparation for national literacy and numeracy testing. Teachers at all schools in NSW will be advised by their unions
to ignore the conflict-of-interest disclosure requirement. NSW schools stuck with demountable classrooms Daily Telegraph 28.04.08
A third of all demountable
classrooms in government schools have been marooned on their present sites for more than a decade, with
thousands in place so long bureaucrats admit they have lost their records. More than 75,000 public
school students will start the new term this week in one of 4050 bolt-together,
relocatable classrooms hated by both teachers and parents. Push for teaching Aboriginal native language in schools Daily Telegraph 28.04.08
Primary school students may
learn Aboriginal languages as part of bold plan to improve education on the
country's cultural heritage. That's one topics to be
discussed today at the National Brains Trust forum, hosted by the National
Trust. Forum moderator Simon
Molesworth believes children would gain a deeper appreciation about
Australia's cultural mix if Aboriginal words and phrases were taught. Video cameras in classrooms Sun Herald 27.04.08
Digital video cameras in
classrooms will help decide which teachers deserve a pay rise, if principals
get their way. School heads will put the
idea to the Federal Government, which is spending $400,000 on finding the
most effective way to reward good teachers. But the NSW Federation of
Parents and Citizen's Associations says it's a breach of children's privacy. Costs, closures turn masses off big event Sun
Herald 27.04.08 Sydneysiders' goodwill towards World Youth Day has been
eroded by revelations of large-scale city road closures and an $86 million
bill to taxpayers. The money will be spent on extra trains and buses, traffic
management, security and emergency medical units and turning (public) schools into dormitories. (Editor: It’s a pity this money isn’t being
spent to provide a permanent benefit for our public schools, which suffer
from underinvestment in maintenance and capital). Schools take a star turn SMH 26.04.08
Celebrities
of all stripes are putting money into schools with creative learning. It's doubtful John Marsden (founder of the
innovative Candlebark School in
Victoria) is the only Australian to have sat at the
back of his secondary school class and thought "there's got to be a
better way to do it", but he's one of the very few with a spare $600,000
to $800,000, generated from more than 3 million books sold, to act on his
convictions. John Marsden notes "macho competitiveness" at The
King's School, Parramatta, that "damaged my soul" as a significant
motivator behind the launch, two years ago, of his "dream school"
on 4.45 hectares at Romsey outside Melbourne. The ultra-democratic (with no
student-free zones) Candlebark School, which he once described as
"somewhere between Steiner and The Simpsons", delivers
knowledge through virtually every childhood delight traditionally banned at mainstream
schools: rough-housing, the use of power tools, and, in times of comfort,
teacher-student hugs. Similarly, "a shocking education" at a public school
in Seven Hills, in Sydney's west, has spurred Matt Moran, star of
television's The Chopping Block and co-owner of Sydney's glitzy Aria
restaurant, into collaborating with a number of hospitality programs at
disadvantaged institutions such as Greystanes High School. "I remember
my science teacher [telling me:] 'You're a deadbeat, you're a nobody, you'll never amount to anything," says
Moran. "I'd love to tell the prick that I have 250 staff." PM gets tough to protect children The Australian 26.04.08
The Rudd Government is about
to launch a major takeover of child protection, leveraging its control of
family assistance and childcare to intervene earlier in the child abuse
cycle. Teaching Australia's future in doubt The Age 26.04.08
Federal Education Minister
Julia Gillard has refused to guarantee the future of a body set up by the
Howard Government to improve teaching. Many teachers and states said
the establishment of Teaching Australia in 2005 was an ideologically driven
exercise in teacher-bashing, its role in representing teachers and school
leaders too broad, and that it duplicated the tasks of state teacher
registration boards. Teachers have to LOL — or they'd cry
The Age 26.04.08 As emails, text messages and
social-network postings become ubiquitous in the lives of teenagers, the
informality of electronic communications is seeping into their school work. Nearly two-thirds of 700
students surveyed said their e-communication style sometimes bled into school
assignments, according to the study by the Pew Internet &
American Life Project, in partnership with the College Board's National Commission
on Writing. About half said they
sometimes omitted proper punctuation and capitalisation and a quarter said
they had used emoticons such as smiley faces. About a third said they had
used text shortcuts such as "LOL" (laugh out loud). UN cuts school children's meals SMH 24.04.08
A "Silent tsunami"
unleashed by costlier food is threatening 100million people, the United
Nations has warned, revealing that its World Food Program has begun cutting
the provision of school meals to some of the world's poorest children as the
global food-price crisis worsens. Aid bodies said there was
enough food to go round but the key was to help the poor afford it, and urged
producing nations not to curb exports to stockpile food at home. School bullying's ugly truth Daily Telegraph 23.04.08
It’s not the kind of club
you'll see calling for members on the school noticeboard, but almost every
school has got one. Students
can't sign up to be a part of this exclusive sisterhood - it chooses them. It's the kind
of club that requires absolutely no skill to join. All you have to be is
female, skinny, pretty and popular. Welcome to
the social club dominated by teenage alpha females, who exist solely to
exclude everyone else. ‘Sex, booze and drugs’ at Club 21 Daily Telegraph 22.04.08
A
Catholic school principal has defended his students as outstanding, despite
revelations an exclusive club to which "ugly girls need not apply"
is operating on campus. Year 11
girls from the co-educational St Patrick's Catholic College in the central
Queensland city of Mackay are ranked according to looks, weight and their
popularity with boys. Members of
the elite club, dubbed "Club 21" or "Big 21", parade
their ranking from one to 21 on their wrists. The skinnier
and prettier the girl, the higher her rank. One
respondent to an internet forum on the issue said: "Ugly girls need not
apply." Shrinks called in to help Club 21 Daily Telegraph 22.04.08
Members of a schoolgirl group
in north Queensland who rank themselves according to looks, weight and
popularity with boys have been offered counselling as psychologists warn of
long-term damage. The elitist
"club" in which Year 11 students from co-educational St Patrick's
College in Mackay parade their ranking from one to 21 on their wrists, is known
as Club 21, or Big 21. A leading
academic has told our sister site, The Courier Mail,
that the group and the online activities of its members out of school were an
example of the increasing problem of cyber bullying. Ugly chicks need not apply Daily Telegraph 22.04.08
Thin, pretty and popular:
that's the criteria for entry into an exclusive club at a Mackay Catholic
high school in Queensland. The group,
known as Club 21 or Big 21, has come under the spotlight after concerns were
raised by teachers and parents, the Mackay Daily Mercury reports.
School clique banned 'ugly' girls Brisbane Times 22.04.08
Words from the wise could be silenced SMH 21.04.08
Plan-it Youth mentoring program under threat. Jacob Wiencke had no interest
in staying at school beyond year 10 until his 72-year-old mentor gave him
some wise words of advice. Now the future of the $1 million program that kept
Jacob at school is in doubt as the State Government considers withdrawing its
funding. Teachers in tough postings want out Sun Herald 20.04.08
Teachers in tough postings
have flooded the Department of Education with transfer applications to beat a
deadline before a controversial new system takes effect. Teachers have already voted
to strike over the change, which comes into effect tomorrow week and gives
principals greater control in choosing teachers. Teachers scramble to leave tough schools Sunday Telegraph 20.04.08
It's high time for later starts Sun Herald
20.04.08 High schools are ditching the
traditional 9am to 3pm school day for senior students amid research showing
that adolescents learn better later in the day. More than 45 public high
schools and senior colleges in NSW are offering flexible start and finish
times. As well as fitting in better
with teens' sleep patterns, Education Minister John Della Bosca said varied
timetables gave students more flexibility to do vocational training. Academics at Melbourne's
Swinburne University have found adolescents are getting more than an hour's
less sleep a night during the school term, preferring later bedtimes and
later waking times once they reach puberty. Diabolical DOCS near collapse Daily Telegraph 19.04.08
The Department of Community Services is
under siege, with reports of abused or neglected children expected to soar
well past 300,000 in the coming year. Ministers agree on merit pay for teachers SMH 18.04.08 A meeting of federal and
state education ministers yesterday paved the way for the introduction of a
system of merit pay for teachers. The meeting also agreed to
continue the Howard government's system of tied grants for education.
However, funding will not be conditional on schools having flagpoles and
posters listing Australian values. Instead, the two tiers of
governments will aim to develop a co-operative approach to improving teacher
quality. A joint communique from the
meeting said the Federal Government will spend $400,000 on research into
effective ways of rewarding quality teaching. Fit work around school year: McKew SMH 18.04.08 The Government frontbencher
Maxine McKew has described the school calendar as "crazy" and
called for a rethink of the way working parents and school children
co-ordinate their holidays. As her contribution to
tomorrow's ideas summit, she said Australia needed "some sort
of sensible realignment of the work year with the school year, or vice
versa". How a four-year-old burst PM's bubble SMH 18.04.08 In the
spirit of tomorrow's Summit, Kevin Rudd has released a big shiny one - the
idea that child-care centres could by 2020 become one-stop shops
where you can have your youngster vaccinated, wormed, taught to spell and
taken off your hands for 10 hours a day. Rudd plans one-stop shop for mothers SMH
17.04.08 All-in-one
centres for mothers and babies that would provide every required service
ranging from vaccinations to child care to parental support will be Kevin
Rudd's big idea at this weekend's 2020 Summit in Canberra. In a speech
to the Sydney Institute last night, the Prime Minister said his proposed
parent and child-care centres would cater for children from newborns to
five-year-olds. They would
provide under one roof all the services currently delivered across various
facilities by federal, state and local governments. "These
parent and child-care centres will bring together maternal and child health,
long day care and preschool into one-stop shops for parents with young
kids," he said. Coutts-Trotter rebuffs gay lobby on school language Daily Telegraph 18.04.08
Gay concern bans mum and dad in classroom Daily Telegraph 17.04.08
A selection of
articles from the Herald Sun Parents sounded out on reading problems
Herald Sun, Melbourne 15.04.08 Schools are failing to help children who
struggle with reading and parents need to push for phonics-based programs,
two literacy experts say. Rock star begins post as uni chief Herald Sun, Melbourne
15.04.08 British rock star (Queen guitarist) and astrophysics expert Brian May took
up his post as a university chancellor today, warning that science funding
cuts risked damaging Britain's position on the world stage. (Click here for more story and picture Liverpool John Moores University LJMU in north-west England). Anger at gay ban at Anglican Church Grammar School formal Herald
Sun, Melbourne 14.04.08 Students of a prestigious
private school may boycott their senior formal after a ban on same-sex
partners. A year 12
student at Brisbane's Anglican Church Grammar School has criticised the
all-boys school after he made a request on behalf of at least eight gay
students wanting to take partners to the June formal. Schools spend up on security Herald Sun, Melbourne 14.04.08 Victorian schools are spending up to
$100,000 beefing up security to prevent vandalism and violent attacks like
that in Sydney last week. Teachers to strike in Victoria's south-east from Tuesday Herald Sun, Melbourne
14.04.08 More than 300 teachers in
regional Victoria will walk off the job tomorrow ahead of a planned three-day
strike next month. The Australian Education
Union (AEU) announced the first of a string of regional four-hour stoppages
will be held in South Gippsland, in Victoria's south-east, tomorrow. They are educated, well-off and forgotton
Sun Herald 13.04.08 Bullied and
blighted by health issues, the Zeds are fighting for recognition, writes
Caroline Marcus. Welcome to Generation Z, the
forgotten generation. Generation Z encompasses children aged 17 and younger,
one in five of whom will have some form of mental illness. One in four will be bullied,
most likely over the internet. Also known as the New Silent Generation, it
will be the most educated, financially well-off and technologically literate
in history. Exposed to marketing at a
younger age, Zeds are experts at multi-tasking and spend their free time
communicating online and texting on their mobile phones. Zeds have older
parents, fewer siblings and are more disconnected from their communities than
any other generation. A major contributor to the
worsening mental health of Zeds is less support from families, with fewer functioning
adults around them, and a lessened sense of community. "It's not increased
pressures, it's lack of support. Kids are more stressed because they're doing
it on their own," Professor Hickie said. And they are being bullied in
unprecedented numbers, with the anonymity of the internet and mobile phones
making it easier and more frequent. Dr Carr-Gregg said a quarter
of teenage girls reported being bullied online or via text message in a Girlfriend
magazine survey last year of more than 500 female readers aged between 13 and
18. Designer gear key to pleasing peers Sun Herald 13.04.08 Flinders Public School explores all sorts of new ground Sun Herald 13.04.08 A story about the Premier’s
Reading Challenge. Changes sweep young away to rot on remand SMH 12.04.08 Opinion From jailing the parents of
truanting children to rolling out a new train or metro project, the NSW State
Government never tires of making the grand announcement in an attempt to
divert attention from its political woes. But in one aspect of law and
order, the Government's get-tough stance has turned out to be more than hot
air - unfortunately. Its decision to toughen up the Bail Act has had
disastrous repercussions, especially for children and young people. It has
led to a surge in the numbers going into juvenile detention centres, and
severe overcrowding. The quest for a dozen good ideas SMH
12.04.08 A long story on the 2020 Summit meeting to be held in
Parliament House, Canberra, on April 19 and 20. Nation's youth look to future at summit
Brisbane Times April 12, 2008 - 7:35PM Australia's best and
brightest young minds have spent the first day of the 2020 Youth Summit
nutting out 40 solid ideas for the nation's future. The 100 delegates, aged
between 18 and 24, focused on 10 key areas including the economy, education,
climate change, health, and the future of Australian governance. The top priorities were
housing affordability, teacher shortages, health care and the lack of
dialogue between young people and government. Delegates came up with a
range of ideas including ways to develop heavy duty renewable energy plants
and implementing climate change subjects at school. Download Voices for the Future Schools Summits Feedback
Report launched 11 April, 2008. School bans gays from formal Brisbane Times April 12, 2008 -
4:29PM One of Brisbane's most
prestigious all-boy schools says its willing to debate a ban on gay students
taking same-sex partners instead of girls to the senior formal. The Anglican Church Grammar
School, or Churchie, was in defence mode after it emerged several Year 12
students wanted to take their gay partners to the college's end-of year dance
on June 19. Schools to get report card, too SMH 12.04.08 The Federal Government will
push the states to give parents unprecedented information on how schools
perform, renewing fears about "league tables" that would name and
shame schools. The Deputy Prime Minister,
Julia Gillard, will use her first education ministers' meeting in Melbourne
next week to discuss plans for a more comprehensive reporting system. Ms Gillard said she wanted
all schools to be accountable for their results, and raised concerns parents
were not getting enough reliable information on how their schools perform. Coughing infant? Now you need a script from a doctor
SMH 10.04.08 One lesson at Merrylands High SMH
09.04.08 Editorial Students avoid doing the maths SMH
09.04.08 Report Because of self-doubt and a poor
understanding of career options in maths, young high school students are
avoiding taking higher levels of the subject in senior years, a report has
found. Underqualified teachers were
also to blame, with more than a quarter of junior secondary maths teachers
never having completed a year of university maths, said the report, by the
Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers and the University of New England. The findings of the Report The Maths? Why Not?
yesterday prompted the federal Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, to offer an incentive to students
considering maths at university. The Federal Government promised to halve HECS fees for
new maths students from next year, then halve the repayments for maths
graduates when they began working in the field. Teachers industrial action
Govt offers talks to strike-ready teachers ABC News 08.04.08
The New South Wales Government
says it is willing to negotiate with the Teachers Federation after 20,000
teachers voted to strike next month over changes to staffing policies. NSW
teachers vote to strike on May 22 Yahoo!7News 08.04.08 Public school teachers held a
series of stop-work meetings across NSW on Tuesday and endorsed a 24-hour
strike on May 22. The NSW Teachers Federation executive council will make a
final decision on whether to go ahead with the strike when it meets on May 8. Teachers plan strike action Daily Telegraph 08.04.08
Public
school teachers agreed to a 24-hour strike on May 22, at a series of
stop-work meetings held across NSW this morning. Teachers vote to strike for 24 hours SMH 08.04.08 Teachers across NSW have
voted to go on strike for 24 hours next month. Message from the Director-General re teacher transfer system
07.04.08 Shark kills teen surfer at Ballina, NSW Daily Telegraph 08.04.08
A
school boy bodyboarder could get a bravery award after desperately trying to
save his mate's life when a boy was mauled to death by a shark on the NSW
North Coast today. Shark attack: teen dead SMH 08.04.08 2:01PM A teenage boy has died after being attacked by a shark on
the NSW North Coast. The boy and a friend, 16-year-olds from Wollongbar,
between Ballina and Lismore, had gone to bodyboarding due to today's teacher
stop work. School repair report gets F Daily Telegraph 08.04.08
Up to 200 government primary
schools have complained about crumbling buildings, damaged classrooms and
health issues caused by flooding, rising damp, mould and termites. Schools are reporting serious
structural problems, concrete cancer, rotting floorboards, trip hazards,
flaking paint and cockroaches running rampant in damp conditions. At Wahroonga Public School on Sydney's North Shore parents claim 322
students are sharing just four toilets - two male and two female. Rampage exposes brazen teenage gang culture SMH 09.04.07
Nasty lesson in teen reality Daily Telegraph 08.04.08 Editorial
What does it say about the behaviour of
some teenagers - and their probably absent parents - that 750 children can
arrive at their school in a punctual, civil fashion, and be subjected to an
act of near-terror? Merrylands school attack accused planned spree Daily Telegraph 08.04.08
Cowering under desks, frozen in fear Daily Telegraph 08.04.08
Machetes in the classroom SMH 08.04.08
Machete chaos a 'revenge attack' Daily Telegraph 07.04.08
Five youths armed with baseball bats and a machete may
have been seeking revenge when they allegedly attacked a Sydney (Merrylands)
high school and its students, police say.
School attack may have been retribution: police SMH 07.04.08
Armed
youths storm high school in Sydney National Nine News Video Give autistic toddlers a chance at life: parents SMH
07.04.08 More than 15,000 people have
signed a petition urging the Federal Government to fund therapy for
preschoolers with autism to help thousands of children gain a place in
mainstream schools. Nicole Rogerson, the
organiser of the 1000hours.com.au
campaign, said toddlers with autism had "no chance at a normal
life" unless they received at least 20 hours a week of therapy for at
least two years. 1000 Hours is a campaign to lobby government to fund a minimum of 1000 Hours of Early Intervention per annum for 2 years for every pre-school
child with autism. WEBSITE Put equity back into learning SMH 07.04.08 Deputy PM Julia Gillard. The future will belong to the nations with the best
human capital and the most inclusive societies. Full text of Julia Gillard’s speech Brethren schools get funds meant for poor students The Age 06.04.08
Rich Exclusive Brethren
schools are receiving the same generous rate of government funding as the
nation's poorest schools, including those in impoverished Aboriginal
communities. The Rudd Government has
pledged to continue paying millions of dollars to the religious sect despite
the group boasting that its students are "found in the middle to upper
levels of the socio-economic group". One of the architects of the
Education Department funding scheme has told The Sunday Age that money
distributed to schools at the highest rate was intended for the nation's most
destitute children. Federal school funding
documents show that the Brethren's multi-campus NSW school, Meadowbank, and
the South Australian school, Melrose Park, were funded at the same rate as
"special schools", giving them the same per-student funding as Nyangatjatjara
College, in the Northern Territory, the Giant Steps school for autistic
students and schools for the hearing-impaired. The Brethren's MET school in
Meadowbank does not meet the criteria for category 12 funding: it is in
suburban Sydney, has small class sizes, and is financially supported by a
community that boasts it has no poverty. Criticism for Rudd school computer plan Daily Telegraph 06.04.08
School principals have warned
the promise to put more than a million computers into schools is in danger of
descending into a shambles with hidden costs set to hit already battling
families. Leaked letters reveal that
Education Minister Julia Gillard has been told the policy has not been
thought through and is badly underfunded, with the shortfall likely to be
made up by parents and students. Other principals have warned that because of
poor technical back-up, the computers risk being left in their boxes in
school corridors. Mobiles can help improve teens' health: US study The Age 06.04.08
GPS-enabled mobile phones
"can help us better understand where adolescents spend their time and
what they're doing," said Dr. Sarah E. Wiehe, the lead researcher on the
study and an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School
of Medicine in Indianapolis. But "more exciting"
than that, she told Reuters Health, is the possibility of using teenagers'
mobile phone to intervene right at the time when they are most likely to take
a health risk, like drinking or smoking. Drug scandal at elite school - The Kings School + comments Daily Telegraph 05.04.08
One of Sydney's most exclusive
schools is in the grip of a drugs scandal after senior students were involved
in supplying marijuana which made its way into the hands of Year 8 pupils. The King's School at North
Parramatta this week expelled four students and suspended seven others after
a Year 10 boarding student was allegedly caught with a "bong" under
his bed. The school launched an
investigation which resulted in the action against the students, from Year 8
to Year 12. Ku-ring-gai
Creative Arts High School
Lesson for parents in the furore over digital roll call Letters SMH 06.04.08
A vice-captain at Ku-ring-gai
Creative Arts High School writes to correct the negative way her school and its
attempt to incorporate new technology into the daily lives of students has
been presented in some media. She also has a shot at parents for not
attending P&C meetings where decisions are made on behalf of the parent
body. There is also a letter on the
same page on the rights of the kids – Letter - Lesson in rights What an eye-opener to return to the Orwellian police state that now exists in NSW. At least one student at my old school, Ku-ring-gai High, has the guts to challenge this fingerprinting madness ("School forced to halt fingerprint roll call", April 4). I'm not sure if Brad Lorge wags classes often or just values his liberty. Either way, he's earned my respect. Peter Klaebe Oregon (US). School forced to halt fingerprint roll call SMH 04.04.08
At least six
public high schools in NSW conduct "roll call" by scanning student
fingerprints, but the Department of Education yesterday suspended the project
at Ku-ring-gai High School as it investigates complaints that parents were
not properly consulted. Controversial fingerprinting program dropped SMH 03.04.08 5.48pm
A
controversial fingerprinting program at a Sydney high school has been
temporarily dropped amid complaints from parents and civil libertarians. The NSW
Department of Education today said the trial program at Ku-ring-gai Creative
Arts High School, in Sydney's north, would be stopped until the school
consulted parents about how it can be best implemented. Students fingers scanned fury Daily Telegraph 03.04.08
The Department of Education and
Training is investigating a parent's complaint that secondary students were
"bullied and intimidated" into having their finger scanned to log
their attendance at school. The parent
has claimed his daughter and other students were abused by a school executive
despite being told pupils could be exempted from the hi-tech system if they
brought a note. Jail parents of truants, says Iemma SMH 02.04.08 Education
and welfare experts have ridiculed Morris Iemma's plan to send parents to jail
if their children repeatedly miss school, saying the policy is
"heavy-handed" and will only hurt the most disadvantaged students. Primary
school principals backed the Premier's move yesterday but the Federation of
Parents and Citizens' Associations attacked it and Tony Vinson - who has
spent 30 years researching education and disadvantage - said it could do more
harm than good. Over there! It's another get-tough policy SMH 02.04.08 Opinion It is easy
to conclude that this is a stunt. It turned
out to be an announcement too outlandish even for an Opposition that has
become accustomed to moving to the right of the Government on any
law-and-order issue. One Liberal
wag joked yesterday that even the former Opposition leader Peter Debnam - he
of "round up 200 Middle Eastern thugs and charge them with
anything" - would not go for this one. Another said that the Government
did not jail parents of young murderers, so why do it to parents of young
truants. Jail ... if you don't send kids to school SMH 01.04.08 2.05pm Parents
could be jailed if they repeatedly fail to send their children to school,
Premier Morris Iemma warned today. Nerd heaven - why some of the gifted want to be shifted SMH 01.04.08 Opinion Selective schools are places
where nerds are free to be nerds. Knowledge of novels, poetry and politics
suddenly became social cachet. Classes often moved at a cracking pace,
satisfying my desire for more to read and learn. Girls were never made to
feel embarrassed for being smart and opinionated. Of course, selective schools
are not always an intellectually stimulating bed of roses. Blain writes that
while she no longer had to be anxious about her intelligence at a selective
school, knowing she was not the brightest in the class now made her anxious
about a lack of ability. Mind-numbing conformity and ultra-competitiveness
are the scourge of most selective schools. But for an honest and
vigorous discussion about the best ways to improve public education, the
experiences of students and former students must be considered. It would be
dangerous to leave the debate to ideological arguments alone. (Hopefully, with improvements
in school management, changes to the current frog-march approach to
curriculum, teaching practices and the use of technology, all students in
comprehensive schools will get a personalised education that provides them
with a lot more satisfaction, and allows them to use their own interests as a
focus in obtaining a better education – Editor). Meet the new vanguard in culture wars SMH 01.04.08 Stung into action by John Howard's loss,
Young Liberals are fighting hard on campus, writes Harriet Alexander. The black posters started
cropping up on university campuses early this month. A gagged, wide-eyed
youth stares out from the top corner. "Record biased lecturers,"
the posters scream. "Scan biased textbooks. Report incidents of bias.
Education. Not Indoctrination." It sounds like something from
George Orwell's 1984. But these latest attempts to
keep alive the culture wars are the work of Australia's Young Liberal
movement. It generally takes only a passing interest in educational issues,
but appears stung into action by the Liberal defeat in the federal election.
Fraudulent use of Federal Government funds
Fallout from the Lakeside Christian School fraud Daily Telegraph 01.04.08
Maralyn Parker Blog A big fallout from the Lakeside Christian College
defrauding the federal and state governments of $2 million is a shift in
attitude from the state government. we are
left aghast that a private school could so easily get away with such a huge
fraud. Lakeside should have been closed years ago.
Mystery school throws Lakeside a lifeline Gold Coast News 01.04.08
The staff and students of Tweed Heads' Lakeside Christian
College have been offered a lifeline from a Sydney-based Christian school. Funding alarm over school's $2m fraud SMH 29.03.08
A private
school principal sacked for defrauding $2 million in government funding in a
failed bid to save his school from closure says he is not alone in rorting
the controversial Commonwealth funding scheme. "It
does go on quite a lot," Lyn Mazey told the Herald yesterday, a
day after 120 students at the Lakeside Christian College secondary campus in
Tweed Heads learnt it would close on April 11 because of unpaid debts of more
than $5.5 million. He admitted to
"overstating" enrolments for at least three years in a row and said
the Federal Government had not audited his school since it opened. "In 16 years I was there, we
never got audited," Mr Mazey said. "There needs to be a regular
auditing process." Often more damage for school students in the pay-out than the
original sin SMH 29.03.08 Opinion
'I have no doubt that you have
heard by now many stories concerning the activities of year 8 in recent
weeks," the letter from the headmistress began. "I feel it is
important to share with you some of the facts, and to scotch some of the
rumours." I do love this relic from my
school days, printed on the letterhead of Ravenswood School for Girls, for it
makes me wonder whether I did in fact grow up in a boarding school novel
penned by Enid Blyton. The
letter scares me because I see now what lessons this kind of discipline
really taught us. Appearances are everything. At all costs you should protect
the reputation of yourself, your family and your school, keeping up the Enid Blyton
façade. no matter how
anachronistic.
Rudd's vow, but cost of computers to hit states SMH 29.03.08
The State Government is
considering using wireless laptops rather than expensive cable-connected
desktop computers to avoid some of the extra costs they have been lumped with
because of the education promises Labor made before the federal election. Labor made an election vow to
deliver a computer for every school child, but only committed to providing
the hardware. The states have strongly objected to the huge extra costs,
running into hundreds of millions of dollars, for the cabling, security,
software licensing and maintenance of the centrepiece of Kevin Rudd's
"education revolution". Left to foot the bill for the
associated costs, the states have made it clear the Government should take
care of its own election commitments. "They now understand that this is
going to cost us a lot of money," said a spokesman for the NSW Minister
for Education, John Della Bosca. Jobless teachers asked to go back to the classroom Daily Telegraph 29.03.08
The State Government next week
will ask 21,000 jobless teachers to begin applying for advertised positions
in public schools. Letters inviting the
unemployed teachers to seek permanent work in the classroom will be sent out
in defiance of strike threats by the Teachers' Federation. Education Minister John
Della Bosca said yesterday the new staffing regime - giving schools a choice
of teachers - would come into force at the start of term two on April 28. Talking in tongues SMH
29.03.08 Putting
Aboriginal languages on the curriculum in Walgett has improved race relations. Kids who learn by road Daily Telegraph 29.03.08
The School for Travelling Show Children began in 2000. Court shuts for boy murder hearing Daily Telegraph 26.03.08 01:50pm
Classmates yesterday told of
how the boy was a victim of bullying and had allegedly compiled a death list
and brought it to his private Catholic high school last year.
He had a list: a boy, a knife, a tragedy SMH 26.03.08
He listened to heavy metal and
played drums and violent video games, but it was a list naming those who had
teased or wronged him that caught the attention of students at his Catholic
private school. Teen's stabbing hearing restricted School drug tests dismissed SMH 26.03.08 Testing Australian
schoolchildren for drugs would waste more than $350 million a year and
unnecessarily set students against teachers, a year-long study by the Australian
National Council on Drugs has
found. Download Research Paper Link :
Full paper (pdf 1.4 Mb, 212 pages) : Summary School languages overhaul SMH 24.03.08
Alarmed at the number of
students finishing school without foreign-language skills, the Rudd
Government is pushing the states towards a nationally consistent language
curriculum. Unis failed for poor teaching degrees NEWS.com.au 24.03.08
A teaching degree at a
leading university has been refused accreditation for failing to properly
prepare students in key primary school subjects, with some of its course
units described as being more akin to TAFE-level study. Three other universities are
also restructuring their 12-month graduate diplomas in primary education to
meet new accreditation standards that emphasise content ahead of educational
theory, with a year considered insufficient time to complete the mandatory
subjects. The four-year Bachelor of
Early Childhood Education at the University of Wollongong is being
restructured for next year after it was rejected by the NSW Institute of
Teachers and a new set of standards agreed to by the states and territories.
It is believed this is the first time a course has been rejected under the
new system. Newcastle, Macquarie and the
Australian Catholic University have also been forced to restructure their
12-month graduate diploma courses. Push for overhaul of 'bastardised' HECS The Age 24.03.08 The Federal Government is under
growing pressure to revamp the Higher Education Contribution Scheme, as
students seize on research suggesting it could contribute to reduced home
ownership, low fertility rates and tax evasion. Killarney
Heights Public School
The humble brown paper bag to vanish Sun Herald 23.03.08
Sausage roll. Tick. Cream
bun. Tick. The days of schoolchildren setting off to school with their lunch
orders written on a coin-filled paper bag are under threat. A Sydney school has
established an online canteen ordering system to save time, reduce waste and
ensure parents know exactly what their children are eating. Killarney Heights Public School
volunteer canteen co-ordinator Janet Miller and school parent and web
developer Abder Bloul have created a website on which parents can pre-pay and
order their children's lunches and snacks. Killarney
Heights Public School Canteen Education of refugees key to white flight: MP SMH 22.03.08
The NSW Department of
Education needs to take more of a leading role in where it educates refugee
children to contain the spread of "white flight" from schools
across Sydney, a senior Federal Government MP (Laurie
Ferguson) says. Elders to get a say on fate of children SMH 22.03.08
Indigenous elders will be
given a say in what happens to Aboriginal children who are removed from their
families under a trial being developed by the NSW Government. Based on the successful
"circle sentencing" program for indigenous offenders that began in
Nowra in 2002, a "care circle" will replace a typical Children's
Court care hearing to determine where indigenous children are to be placed
after being removed. Sentences of guilt for parents SMH 20.03.08 Opinion
Miranda Devine
The children's author Paul Jennings was on Radio National this
week, declaring again how easy and natural it is for children to learn to
read by osmosis. All that is needed, it seems, is for their parents to read
them bedtime stories before they start school. It is no coincidence that megabucks children's author Jennings
has joined megabucks children's author Mem Fox in this misguided mission to
offload responsibility from schools to already guilt-ridden parents. School pupils all pumped up to do their bit SMH
19.03.08
The children at Lapstone Public School have
no use for watering cans and buckets - they use pedal power to water their
organic vegetable gardens.
What has Michael Coutts-Trotter achieved in 12 months? Daily Telegraph 17.03.08
Maralyn Parker + Blog
It is now just weeks to Michael Coutts-Trotter
completing his first year as Director General of the Education Department. A
year down the track it is obvious why Coutts-Trotter got the job. He is
disarmingly candid and has a formidable mind when it comes to thinking
through an issue. For example he argues convincingly for staffing changes. Charity begins not at home but in our private schools SMH 17.03.08 Opinion
Governments - at the federal and state levels - provide
financial and other assistance to private schools. This assistance recognises
that private schools share, with public schools, the responsibility for
educating Australian children. First Admission governments are failing public schools Daily Telegraph 17.03.08
Maralyn Parker + Blog
Julia Gillard said she wanted the see the
Socio-Economic Status (SES) funding model used to fund public schools across
Australia. Speaking to The Australian on the weekend she said it was a
“great frustration’’ that she was able to determine the
socio-economic status of private schools but not public ones. This is the first admission by the Rudd federal
government that public schools are missing out. Improved student targeting long overdue The Australian 17.03.08 Comment
Finally, a policy from Labor
that deserves the moniker Education Revolution. The Rudd Government's decision, revealed in The
Weekend Australian, to fund public schools based on the wealth of their
community in a push to better target disadvantaged students is long overdue. Schools back Gillard funding plan The Australian 17.03.08
Teachers and principals have
backed Julia Gillard's call to tie public school funding to socio-economic
status, but have called for an urgent revamp of the existing SES model used
federally for private school funding. The Australian Education Union and the Australian
Primary Principals Association welcomed the proposal by Ms Gillard to extend
SES funding from Catholic and independent schools to government schools, but
said the current private school SES funding model had "serious
flaws" and "anomalies". Terrified teachers flee schools Daily Telegraph 17.03.08
Every
school day a teacher is assaulted with punches, kicks, chairs and in several
cases have had guns held to their heads. Experts to debate lift in school leaving age Sun Herald 16.03.08 NSW teenagers could be
forced to remain at school until 18 to give them skills for life in the 21st
century. A summit in Sydney tomorrow will debate the benefits of raising the
compulsory school leaving age, and incorporating more TAFE studies,
apprenticeships or work into the school program. Stoner slams proposed scrapping of HSC help line ABC News 16.03.08
Making of a leader Sun Herald 16.03.08 Brendan
Nelson, Federal Opposition Leader, will move to cement his hold on the
Liberal leadership when he unveils a detailed five-point vision in his first
major address on Tuesday. Yesterday,
in Perth for the West Australian Liberal Party Conference, he said the
Federal Government must guarantee a proposed new funding model for public schools which would not take money
from one school to give to another. It was in response to reports that
Education Minister Julia Gillard will propose funding public schools
according to their socio-economic status. The Coalition would encourage the
Commonwealth and states to work together "in the best interests of
Australia". The carve-up of federal and state responsibilities in areas
such as health and schools would be analysed with a view to streamlining
service delivery across all levels of government. Nelson warns against schools 'hit list' Daily Telegraph 15.03.08
Gillard in bid to end school inequality Daily Telegraph 15.03.08
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard
wants to extend the model of funding private schools on a socio-economic
basis to public schools in a move to confront disadvantage across both
sectors. Plans for
the changes follow a review by the productivity working group, which Ms
Gillard chaired. In the
teeth of a fierce campaign to reduce private school funding and ditch the SES
model, Ms Gillard repeated the iron-clad pledge of the Rudd Government to
"maintain the current funding system for private schools for the next
quadrennium". This runs until 2012. "The
SES system gives you the socio-economic status of private schools," Ms
Gillard said. It worked in Canada to ban junk food ads and now the call is
on TV in Australia Sun
Herald 16.03.08 Consumer orgnaisation CHOICE is calling for a total ban on junk food
advertising on television between 6am and 9pm to reduce rising rates of obesity
among children. We need to raise driving age to 18 Sun Herald 16.03.08 Top surgeons want to ban drivers
younger than 18 from operating a motor vehicle without adult supervision,
arguing teenagers' brains are too immature to handle the task alone. Father wants refund on Brighton Grammar school fees NEWS.com.au 16.03.08 A father whose twin sons
flunked their final exams is demanding an elite private school repay up to
$400,000 in fees. Sibling bookworms race to finish Sun Herald 16.03.08 Two book-loving siblings
have raced through the Premier's Reading Challenge, finishing the 2008
challenge before it even began. Schools to segregate pilgrims by sex SMH 15.03.08 Taxpayers will foot the bill
for accommodation at participating state schools, which will be reimbursed for
water and power, extra cleaning and increased security from the Department of
Education and Training and NSW Police. "If schools do not have
adequate or sufficient shower facilities, the NSW Government is paying for
temporary porta-showers," Mr Wakelin-King said. In a memo to participating (or is it dragooned?- Ed.) principals, the
department said vacation care would not be disrupted by the day. It could
still be provided at a school, just in a different area. If this is not
possible, principals were advised to contact the department to make
alternative arrangements (but who pays?- Ed.). (It is
outrageous that NSW DET funds are apparently being ripped off to pay for this
private event. These funds are badly needed for maintenance and improvements
at State Schools. And how much effort are teachers and public school parents
required to put in to get ready for this event and then restore the place
after it is left ina mess by the visitors and contractors – Ed). Nervous start to a selective future SMH 14.03.08 It was hard to tell who was
more nervous - the parents or their children. Yesterday 13,278 year six
students sat the selective high schools entry test for 3522 year seven
places, available next year. University funding
Kiss of life for unis in decline + Blog SMH 14.03.08
Australia’s
38 universities face their biggest shake-up in more than a decade as the
Federal Government moves to overhaul funding for higher education and repair
their battered image. The
Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, announced a tertiary education review
yesterday in a signal that Labor's promised "education revolution"
would deliver long-awaited funding for cash-starved universities. Resigned to an umpteenth opinion SMH 14.03.08 Analysis Professor
Blind Freddy knows what the nation's university sector needs: a big shot of
funding to overcome almost two decades of serious neglect. NSW teachers to strike SMH March 13, 2008 -
2:38PM
Teachers at some NSW schools
will walk off the job tomorrow, in an escalation of a feud between the NSW
Teachers Federation and the State Government over staffing arrangements. NSW teachers to walk of job Daily Telegraph March 13,
2008 - 1:45PM
Teachers Federation Media Release Crowded kindies Manly Daily March 13, 2008
Recent baby booms have sparked a
primary school student explosion and peninsula public schools are struggling
to cope, according to a Manly Daily investigation. Tuition vouchers face axe The Australian 12.03.08 Pollies: Speak to parents Daily Telegraph 11.03.08 Maralyn Parker Blog Politicians need to talk to parents of school children.
Parents have a unique view, often quite different from that
of teachers, principals and teacher unions. If pollies talked to parents at every school in their
electorate tomorrow they would know how the great divide opening between have
and have-not schools is affecting families. Get an education, live longer – study Daily Telegraph 11.03.08
Herald Special White flight leaves system segregated by race Inclusiveness requires commitment SMH 11.03.08 Opinion –
Some “Bonnor mots” from Chris
Bonnor, co-author with Jane Caro of
“The Stupid
Country - How Australia Is Dismantling Public Education”, and
former Principal at Davidson High. We have
become increasingly tribal, matching Anglo with Anglo, Anglican with Anglican
and Arabic with Arabic. In some cases the taxpayer pays to transport kids
around to sit them next to "desirable" others. In the process we
are bonding like with like, ahead of the far more important need to build
bridges between strangers. Schools for the whole community SMH Editorial
11.03.08 The Herald believes families benefit
from being able to choose freely between a strong public education sector and
equally strong private schools for their children. But recent policies and
funding arrangements may well have worked against an equitable distribution
of funds between public and private schools, and so contributed to the trend
the principals have outlined. The illogical system of school funding, which sees (in
broad terms) the states pay for government schools while Canberra funds
private schools, is one factor contributing to inequitable outcomes. It has
produced the absurd Commonwealth funding formula, which now funds more
private schools as exceptions - at an additional cost of $2.7 billion - than
according to the formula itself. That must change. In NSW the Treasurer,
Michael Costa, should look hard at free travel to school. It is hugely costly
- nearly $450 million a year - yet can effectively undermine the appeal of
local state schools. Caught out by an urban time bomb SMH 11.03.08 Nobody in
the besieged Iemma Government should be surprised that white students are
fleeing state schools, or that towns like Moree, Dubbo and Tamworth are being
overwhelmed by the social demands of dispossessed, impoverished Aboriginal
communities. State ministers warned of flight from schools SMH 11.03.08 Teachers
and principals say they raised concerns about "white flight" from
public schools with five consecutive state education ministers who failed to
respond to their warnings. Lessons in respect bear fruit in arid soil SMH 11.03.08 Spend a day
on the streets of Mount Druitt and the size of the challenge facing the
Federal Government in backing up its words of apology with real change starts
to become clear. It's not just
the young indigenous men sitting outside the bottle-o at 10am, or the single
mothers who have two kids in the lock-up - although the Aboriginal youth
unemployment rate of 45 per cent and the over-representation of Aborigines in
jails are big problems. Perhaps the
biggest challenge to genuine reconciliation comes from the violent clashes
between groups of young Aboriginal, white, Pacific Islander and African men
on Friday and Saturday nights. White flight leaves system segregated by race SMH 10.03.08 White
students are fleeing public schools, leaving behind those of Aboriginal and
Middle Eastern origin, a secret report by high school principals reveals. The NSW
Secondary Principals Council conducted a confidential survey which raises
serious concerns about "white flight" undermining the public
education system and threatening social cohesion. Some teachers and principals
have described it as "de facto apartheid". The
findings are backed by research from the University of Western Sydney, which
has identified evidence of racial conflict in schools in the wake of the
Cronulla riots. It also suggests students of Anglo-European descent are
avoiding some schools with students of mainly Asian background. Not so great a jump from dem ol' days SMH 10.03.08 Bussing
black schoolchildren into predominantly white areas was one of the enduring
images of the bitter fights to end officially sanctioned racial segregation
in the United States a little over four decades ago. That's why
the image of buses taking NSW schoolchildren across state borders into
Queensland and Victoria to attend predominantly white schools should be such
a confronting sight in 21st-century Australia. The daily
transmigration is simply a reminder of a major social problem unearthed by some
of the most reliable witnesses in the state - principals of NSW public
schools. The No. 1 priority being tackled from the top SMH 10.03.08 The
challenge of overturning Aboriginal disadvantage in the state's 2200 public
schools is Michael Coutts-Trotter's No. 1 priority. Long ride across border to school SMH 10.03.08 Every
weekday morning, a busload of 36 students from NSW races past endless grazing
farms and crops to cross the Queensland border - a small white tribe on its
way to schools chosen by some families, at least partly, on the basis of
race. Principal takes the heat off a tiny school SMH 10.03.08 After
roll-call, at 9.05am, the students of Mungindi Central School take to the
outdoors for 20 minutes of physical education. The
children are recruited to aerobics and dance lessons and soccer and cricket
matches before they start their regular classes. The
strategy is one of many the principal has embraced to reduce suspension rates
and improve attendance at the school. In the
early 1990s about 40 per cent of the school's 200 students were white. The
proportion of white students is now about 10 per cent. Herald Education page
10.03.08 The pride and prejudice of literacy achievements SMH 10.03.08 If you
believe that ANU economist Andrew Leigh's highly publicised recent study
proves that NSW is having another literacy crisis, you would be wrong. Article by Dr Paul Brock, the director of learning and development research
in the NSW Department of Education and Training, and adjunct professor in the
faculty of education and social work, University of Sydney. Do the maths and read the new figures SMH 10.03.08 The debate about how well
students read fires up academics as well as parents and teachers, writes Anna
Patty. Investment can save the children SMH 10.03.08 By Adam
Rorris - education economist. Nearly half
of all adults may have difficulty reading and following the instructions on a
medicine bottle, a recent Australian Bureau of Statistics study has revealed. Schools in
poor areas (both public and private) have a hard time. Difficult circumstances
at home make for a difficult school environment - a simple truth replicated
the world over. In
Australia, the bottom end of town is squeezed out of town, incomes are
constrained and welfare dependency turns into an intergenerational dead end. On your bookmarks get set, go Sun Herald
09.03.08 Bookworms take note - the
Premier's Reading Challenge is back. The popular challenge is under
way for another year, and students who visit the site and enter at least one
book in their online reading record during March will go into a draw for special early bird rewards.
Registration from 10th
March, 2008. The Premier's Reading
Challenge is a NSW Government initiative with support from The Sun-Herald,
the Dymocks Literacy Foundation and OPSM. If your school is doing something
interesting for the challenge? Send details to s_price@sunherald.com.au. NSW DET (cached) Vic Dept of
Education Too much on kids' plates Sun Herald 09.03.08 Parents are putting their
children at risk of obesity by putting too much food on their plates, a study
shows. Anxious to ensure their kids
get enough nutrients for optimal health, parents are giving children
oversized portions or too much food throughout the day. The Kids And Nutrition
report, released today, found one in three mothers admitted giving their
child too much food, and 82 per cent believed when their child left food on
their plate it was because they were fussy eaters. In a separate study, by the
NSW Centre for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Sydney,
researchers studied nutrients and portions consumed by children aged 16 to 24
months. The results, published in
this month's Nutrition & Dietetics, found energy intake was significantly
higher for boys than girls and exceeded energy requirements in both boys and
girls. Professor Louise Baur, from the university's Centre for Overweight and
Obesity, said children and adults ate more than in the past without as much
physical activity to compensate. Report: Foods, nutrients and
portions consumed by a sample of Australian children aged
16–24 months Nutrition and Dietetics magazine Libs dob in 'lefty' teachers Sunday Telegraph 09.03.08
Students are recording their
university lecturers and school teachers to catch them preaching politically
biased material in class. A campaign enlisting
students to monitor their teachers for evidence of bias was launched at
universities across the country last week by members of the Young Liberal
Party. The Federal Liberal Party
has endorsed the controversial teaching bias campaign and plans to establish
a Senate inquiry based on the evidence. ABC boss says centres will not close Sun
Herald 09.03.08 ABC Learning Centres Ltd
founder Eddy Groves has sold his entire stake in the childcare empire, but
says the business is solid despite its financial crisis. Stop-work as teacher dispute heats up NEWS.com.au 08.03.08
A New South Wales Teachers
Union has voted to stage a two-hour stop work meeting next month, as its
dispute with the State Government escalates. About 250 teacher delegates
from across the state met in Sydney today, voting unanimously to stage a stop
work meeting on April 8, where another vote on a possible 24-hour strike will
take place. Council to vote on strike action NSW TF 07.03.08 Teachers vote for strike action NSW TF 08.03.08 Children tossed on street Daily Telegraph 08.03.08
More than 50 children and staff
are being forced out on the street after a childcare centre went under - just
weeks after they were promised jobs and daycare spots were secure. Now working parents are
struggling to find new daycare spots for their children after a bank foreclosed
on the Mini Scholars Childcare & Preschool in Hornsby this week. Staff
and parents are furious with the receivership company Grant Thornton and the
Commonwealth Bank over the "secrecy" and "lack of
transparency". Children to learn with footy SMH 06.03.08 Learning
With League has been written by the NSW Department of Education to
teach students about rugby league culture, heritage and tradition. It will
also ask students to learn about league sporting heroes. NRL scores goals in classrooms Daily Telegraph 06.03.08
Learning with League is a primary school learning
program developed by the NSW Department of Education and mapped for use in
Victoria, Queensland and the ACT, says this website. NSW Rugby League’s Primary teaching resource Mac attack over Labor meal deal Daily Telegraph 06.03.08
Health experts have slammed the State
Government over a promotion it is running in conjunction with fast-food chain
McDonald's, saying it encourages children to eat fatty food. May I leave the class? Teachers' big ambition SMH 01.03.08 Almost half of all new
teachers are planning to leave the profession within 10 years, a national
survey has found. The survey of 1732 public school teachers with one to three
years' experience found that 47.9 per cent expected to leave the profession
within a decade. The survey adds to concerns
about a looming teacher shortage, with half the permanent teachers in NSW due
to retire by 2016. A report by the NSW
Auditor-General released last month found that more than 16,000 teachers, a
third of the state's school teacher workforce, will reach retirement age by
2012. Exodus in state school attendance
The Melbourne Age 01.03.08 The exodus from Australia's
battling state schools has grown, with more parents sending their children to
Catholic and independent schools. Official figures released
yesterday showed 66.4% of the nation's 3.4 million full-time students were at
government schools last year, falling from 66.8% a year earlier and 70% in
1997. In Victoria, which has the
second highest proportion of students in non-government schools after the
ACT, just over 35% of students, or 297,970, now go to non-government schools,
compared to 262,948 a decade ago. While the proportion of
Australian students attending government schools fell, the state school
student population rose 1.7% to 2,268,377 in the decade. But their growth was
dwarfed by the performance of non-government schools, where enrolments rose
almost 22%. The figures are given in the
Schools Australia report released by the
Australian Bureau of Statistics. The retiring philanthropist SMH 01.03.08 A Sydney philanthropist who
left school before turning 15 has given $10million to Sydney University for
aboriginal health, and $40m for melanoma research. Foster care families ‘alienated by DOCS’ SMH
01.03.08 The Department of Community
Services' rude and disrespectful treatment of foster carers could imperil its
ability to recruit volunteers to care for the increasing number of children being
taken from their parents, the commission of inquiry into child protection heard yesterday.
The head of the inquiry is Justice James Wood. The forum also heard that an
official audit had found children in DOCS-run foster care did worse on a
variety of indicators than children in foster care run by non-government
agencies. The Children's Guardian,
Kerryn Boland, who conducted the audit, said: "On almost every dimension
you would say the non-government organisations outperformed the
department." Rundown school told to choose: roof or power
Daily Telegraph 29.02.08 Primary school children have
been forced to work under tarpaulins for months while education bureaucrats
dithered over repairs to their badly leaking classroom. Teachers at Dubbo Public
School said they had been told the Department of Education and Training had
enough funds to repair the roof or the electrical system - but not both. In a double blow to schools,
Federal Education Minister Julia Gillard confirmed that the popular Investing
in Our Schools program - which allowed schools to apply for up to $100,000 -
also would be dropped. ABC Learning Centres
Eddy Groves fights to hold on Courier-Mail 01.03.08
Hard lesson SMH 01.03.08
It's elementary: child care is not as easy as ABC SMH 28.02.08 Opinion
The private sector delivers at least 70 per
cent of all long day care in Australia, much of it excellent quality. Private
child care is widely accepted as part of the landscape. It is not the
existence of private care that causes disquiet among policy analysts and
child development experts, but rather corporate dominance. In recent years,
more and more individually owned services have been bought by ABC. Many
families value the ability to choose between providers of different types. By Deborah
Brennan, Professor of Social Policy at the University of NSW's Social
Policy Research Centre. ABC faces break-up of empire SMH 28.02.08 Asset sales will mean the end of ABC growth strategy SMH 28.02.08 Offer halts trading in ABC Brisbane Times 28.02.08 Eddie Groves reassures ABC Learning parents after loss Daily Telegraph 27.02.08
Australia’s
largest childcare centre operator has reassured parents that services are not
in jeopardy despite the company's value plunging a massive $760 million yesterday
and confirming parts of the business could be up for sale. ABC
Learning has more than 200 centres scattered throughout Sydney as part of an
international empire of more than 2000. Eddy faces annihilation as ABC board caught by margin calls
SMH 27.02.08
Private
childcare provider ABC Learning has revealed that almost all the shares owned
by its board of directors are subject to further margin calls, including the
entire stake of company founder Eddy Groves. The news means that if the
trading suspension is lifted on ABC shares, which fell as much as 70 per cent
yesterday, the board can expect to see its collective ownership of ABC Learning wiped out almost entirely by
traders shorting the stock. Australian firm becomes largest UK nursery provider The
Guardian UK 15.08.07 Fearful schools banning staff from touching children The Guardian UK 27.02.08
'Too many choices' spoiling subject quality
NEWS.com.au 26.02.08 It is time to stop
introducing change in the nation's classrooms without discovering whether
students' learning improved as a result, says the head of the NSW Board of
Studies. Schools to host ideas summits Sun-Herald 24.02.08
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard
has invited all schools to participate in the Australia 2020 Summit by
hosting a school summit before the event which is set down for April 19-20 in
Canberra. In a bid to involve the
"adults of 2020", Ms Gillard has asked all primary and secondary schools
to host their own ideas summits. She said Schools Summits
would give students a chance to have their views heard on the 10 themes of
Australia 2020. From Monday, schools will be invited to register at http://www.australia2020.gov.au
to host a Schools Summit. More pain, but no gain Sun-Herald 24.02.08
Teenagers are doing more
exercise than they used to, suggesting a lack of organised physical activity
may not be to blame for rising obesity levels. A joint University of
Sydney/University of Wollongong study found the proportion of girls who spent
more than 90 minutes a day doing moderate to vigorous physical activity
doubled from 1985 to 2004 1985 is where obesity
increases started to occur," Dr Tony Okely said. "Up to that period of time,
there was very little change, but from that time to the mid-1990s, that's
where we saw the big increase." The reasons could include a
decrease in incidental exercise - including walking and cycling to and from
school, playing with or walking the dog or playing neighbourhood games with
other children - coupled with an increase in the time spent watching
television or playing video games. A third factor was the rise
in the availability of low-cost junk food, along with an increase in fast
food advertising. The study - published in the
Archives Of Pediatrics
& Adolescent Medicine (excellent reference
source-Editor) - looked at 1055 12-to-15-year-olds in 1985 and
1226 12-to-15-year-olds in 2004 in NSW and asked participants to report how
much time they spent doing moderate to vigorous physical activity. Download Article (pdf):
Changes in Physical
Activity Participation From 1985 to 2004 in a Statewide Survey of Australian
Adolescents. Anthony D. Okely, EdD; Michael L.
Booth, PhD; Louise Hardy, PhD; Timothy Dobbins, PhD; Elizabeth Denney-Wilson,
PhD Costly couch potatoes Sun-Herald
24.02.08 English teacher pleads guilty over child porn offences Sun-Herald 24.02.08
A senior teacher, housemaster and cricket coach at a
top private school (The Armidale School – an Anglican boarding and day
school for boys) who was caught sending child porn images to an undercover
police officer. After a guilty plea to some of the charges he will be
sentnced in the District Court on April 18. Let's work together to fix university funding SMH 22.02.08 Opinion
Has the old ritual stand-off between the universities and
Canberra, a hallmark of the Howard years, sprung back like a conditioned
reflex after just three months of Rudd? On Tuesday, Universities Australia
sounded strident and nervous that the Government might renege on its modest
promises to higher education. Article
by Simon Marginson - a professor in the Centre for the Study
of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne. His most recent book is Prospects of Higher Education . Catholics dig in over school funds formula SMH 22.02.08
Private school lobby groups
are divided over whether the Federal Government should continue its
controversial funding arrangements for half the nation's Catholic and
independent schools. A secret review by the
federal Department of Education, obtained by the Herald, shows
Anglican schools are opposed to continued funding of schools above their
entitlements under the formula. However, the powerful Catholic system - in
which one in five students in Australia are taught - wants to retain the
"funding-maintained" category, which entrenches higher payments to
its schools. Download the ses funding report obtained by the SMH (pdf 1.62Mb) School $1bn flushed down loo Daily Telegraph 20.02.08
The Rudd Government will axe a
$1.2 billion program which has allowed schools across NSW to upgrade toilets,
landscape their grounds and improve facilities. The Investing in Our Schools scheme - one of the most
popular policies of the former Howard government - will not be continued
after the money runs out this year. Teachers cry for help as allergy crisis takes hold Sun Herald 17.02.08
Teachers want a full-time
nurse in all NSW public schools because nearly every classroom has a child
with a life-threatening allergy. Elite schools punish fee-dodgers Daily Telegraph 16.02.08
Some of Sydney's elite private
schools are resorting to strong-arm tactics to recover tens of thousands of
dollars in unpaid school fees. Court documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph reveal SCEGGS
Redlands, the lower North Shore school whose twin campuses sprawl across tens
of millions of dollars worth of leafy Cremorne, sued former rugby league
international Phil Blake for almost $90,000 in outstanding fees. Top universities serve students first SMH 15.02.08 Opinion Gillard moves to help indigenous kids NEWS.com.au 14.02.08 A day after the historic
apology, the Federal Government has taken the first step to improving
indigenous education. Education Minister Julia Gillard today introduced
legislation to pay for more teachers in remote areas of the Northern
Territory. Victorian teachers vote for more strikes Daily Telegraph 14.02.08
Children hiding online activities Daily Telegraph 14.02.08
More
than one in four Australian children use the internet to look up stuff their
parents would not approve of, according to the results of a global survey by
anti-virus company Norton. Looming teacher shortages
One third of teachers to retire in five years Daily Telegraph 14.02.08
NSW faces a potential shortage
of maths and science teachers as thousands of educators are expected to
retire in the next five years. A report by
Auditor-General Peter Achterstraat reveals more than 16,000 teachers, 33 per cent
of the permanent school workforce, will reach retirement age by 2012. Retirements set to hit teacher numbers: report
ABC News 13.02.08 Download the NSW Audit Office Report which examined whether: ·
the impact of an ageing teaching workforce
on the delivery of educational services had been identified and assessed ·
policies and measures had been developed to
reduce the impact of an ageing teaching workforce ·
the Department is dealing with the impact of an ageing
teaching workforce on its educational services. Casual approach to teaching Daily Telegraph 13.02.08
Public school students are
being taught by more than 12,000 temporary and casual teachers, with some
schools employing up to 29 at a time.About one
in five teachers in government school classrooms is classed as temporary or
casual, upsetting some parents who say it is affecting their children's
education. Letter: If you pay teachers properly, the results will speak for
themselves SMH
12.02.08 Funding of private
schools Rudd to review school funding SMH 12.02.08 The Federal
Government will review the controversial funding model for private schools it
inherited from the Howard government, following revelations that at least
half of the nation's 2000 non-government schools will receive $2.7 billion in
overpayments over the next four years. No marks
for school funding SMH 12.02.08 Editorial (2nd item) The leak to
the Herald of a confidential Department of Education document has
revealed what everyone associated with education funding has known for some time:
that the system under which federal funds are allocated to private schools is
broken and needs wholesale reform. What is new is the detail: from the
department's findings we can now see just how bad matters have become. In black and white, the unfairness of school funding SMH 11.02.08 Opinion – Gerard Noonan Memo: Julia
Gillard, the Education Minister and Lindsay Tanner, the Finance Minister. There are
rare times in public life when a single secret document unearths a
$2.7-billion rort. By anyone's calculations, that is a stupendous amount of
money, and any good government would swoop on it immediately. How private schools owe taxpayer $2b
SMH 09.02.08 Private
schools have been over-funded by more than $2 billion over four years and
some will be overpaid by as much as $23 million each in the next funding
cycle, the federal Department of Education reveals in a secret review. Farmer gives low-cost laptop a proper field test SMH 12.02.08 James Cameron, a farmer from
Tooraweenah near Coonabarabran has spent the past two years testing
prototypes of a low-cost robust laptop (called an XO) designed especially for
children in developing countries. The laptops use a wireless mesh network
that connects all laptops within range - without the need for infrastructure
such as routers or cables - so children can collaborate on any computer
activity. The hills and dirt roads around Mr Cameron’s home are ideal
testing grounds for the XO, because the conditions were similar to those in
some Third World countries. The XO laptop project is run
by the US charity One Laptop Per
Child, which began mass producing the "green machines" in
November. Students trailing those of the 60s The
Australian 11.02.08 Teenagers'
reading and maths skills have declined over the past four decades, despite
education spending per student more than doubling. Grades worse than in 1960s SMH 11.02.08 Report: How has School Productivity Changed in Australia? Andrew
Leigh and Chris Ryan ANU Letters: If you pay teachers properly, the results will speak for
themselves Doctors don't dish out Ritalin: report SMH 12.02.08 Doctors not overprescribing for ADHD: report SMH 11.02.08 Download NSW Health Report
(or pdf) The 'fake' school teachers Daily Telegraph 10.02.08
School teachers are taking
classes in subjects they know little or nothing about, such as languages
they're not fluent in - new research has shown. A report by the Australian
Council for Educational Research revealed 43 per cent of high school
principals asked staff to take additional classes outside their area of
expertise. Principals' right to hire lifts schools into 21st century SMH 09.02.08 Opinion Most parents
know the scenario: a temporary teacher fills in for months for a staff member
who has been away or sick, and who decides not to return. The temp is
respected and liked by the children, the parents, and the principal. They
consider her an excellent fit for the school, and an inspiring teacher. But
the arcane rules that have governed the NSW education system mean another
teacher, an unknown quantity, is likely to get the permanent appointment
despite what the locals want. Like an
arranged marriage when the partners don't meet until the wedding, sometimes
Big Daddy's choice is a success, and sometimes a bitter disappointment. The
NSW system is the last in the country to keep a super-centralised approach to
teacher placement. But now the State Government intends to bring it into the
21st century by giving principals more hiring power. Complete deregulation is
not on the cards - a dual system will operate. But a loosening of the
department's stranglehold over placements is promised. The reform
is long overdue. The NSW Teachers Federation is right to point to possible
problems. The State Government has failed to state clearly what incentives,
monetary or otherwise, it will provide to ensure difficult-to-staff schools
are not losers in the competition for competent staff. But the federation is
wrong to imply the problems are insurmountable, that equity will be
sacrificed, and that it will consider statewide action to protect the
command-and-control system. New deal for school staff Daily Telegraph 05.02.08
– Maralyn Parker (article and blog). The new way of staffing public
schools will be the best thing to happen to public schools for decades - if
it goes according to plan. Schools will at last have a chance to select the
right teacher and school executive for their school. Principals win right to choose teachers SMH 05.02.08 All principals
will have the right to select the teachers they hire under a new staffing
agreement for NSW public schools. The State
Government will today announce its plan to give principals greater autonomy
in choosing teachers, eliminating the Department of Education's central role
in allocating staff. Principals
have embraced the opportunity for greater freedom in hiring, but teachers
will fight the move, saying it will effectively dismantle the transfer
system, which rewards teachers for working in the most remote and
hard-to-staff schools. Irate teachers plan strike over school staffing overhaul
The State Government faces a statewide teachers' strike
over plans to allow schools to advertise vacant positions and choose the best
available candidate. Education
Minister John Della Bosca yesterday bought a major fight with the Teachers'
Federation by announcing the sweeping overhaul of school staffing. 'Just Say No' to drugs has failed
The Australian 08.02.08 The
current approach to drugs has failed because it's disconnected with modern
life, says Duncan Fine. University student numbers hit one million The Australian 08.02.08 Education must be on the 2020 agenda The Age 05.02.08 Opinion – Jane Caro There's a children's game
called Hot Potato that involves throwing a ball from person to person as
quickly as you can so you don't get caught holding it when the music stops.
It seems like the hot potato in Australian political circles at the moment is
education. How else do you explain a summit of 1000 people talking about
future directions for Australia where the future of our education system is
to be almost completely ignored? Best, brightest gathered to fix the nation at 2020 Summit
Daily Telegraph 04.02.08
One thousand of Australia's "best and
brightest brains" will come together to figure out a way to tackle 10
long-term problems facing the country. The 10
areas Mr Rudd wants to address include productivity, economic infrastructure,
population, sustainability, climate change and water, the rural sector,
health, families, indigenous Australia, the arts and security. (Editor’s
note: Education, apparently, will be dealt with under “economic
infrastructure”). 2020 vision: Rudd summit to map future SMH 04.02.08 A thousand minds to tackle the big questions SMH
04.02.08 ARTEXPRESS SMH 01.02.08 Opinion It's Artexpress time again,
when young people who made art as part of their Higher School Certificate get
a taste of the art world - glittering openings, stories in the paper,
adulation from parents and peers. ARTEXPRESS
Website Exhibition Venues and Dates
Artwork.
Check out these numbers for contributions from Northern Sydney Region schools
06, 15, 24, 28, 41, 50, 55, and 57. Curriculums in line by 2011, PM promises SMH 30.01.08
School children would be
studying the same curriculum in maths, English, science and history by 2011,
regardless of which state or territory they lived in, the Prime Minister,
Kevin Rudd, vowed yesterday. And the NSW Premier, Morris
Iemma, yesterday confirmed his 15-month-old plan to raise the minimum school
leaving age to 16, but will further delay its enactment until later this year
to allow for community consultation to begin. NSW schools 'most efficient' Daily Telegraph 31.01.08
A
Productivity Commission Report has confirmed NSW has the most efficient
school system in Australia, said Education Minister John Della Bosca.
McGaw to oversee national curriculum SMH 30.01.08
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
has taken a big step towards his so-called education revolution, appointing
the man who will oversee development of a national school curriculum. Mr Rudd announced Professor
Barry McGaw as the head of the federal government's new National
Curriculum Board, to be established by January 1, 2009. The Labor government's
national curriculum, slated to take effect in 2011, will initially cover
English, mathematics, science and history from kindergarten through to year
12. Professor McGaw, director of
the Melbourne Educational Research Institute, will be part of a 12-person
board comprised of representatives from state and territory governments,
Catholic and independent schools. Students to stay in school until 16 under Iemma's plan Daily Telegraph 30.01.08
School-leaving age set to rise SMH
30.01.08 The NSW Government wants to raise
the minimum school-leaving age from 15 up to 16, or even possibly 18, from
the start of next year. Premier Morris Iemma and
Education Minister John Della Bosca officially announced the move today. The State Government hopes it
will stop thousands of teenagers from dropping out of school before they
complete year 10. A leaving age of 17 or 18
would require students either to complete their higher school certificate or
to be involved in some form of vocational training. University bypassed in TAFE teacher downgrade SMH 30.01.08 TAFE teachers, who also
deliver Higher School Certificate vocational courses, will no longer need to
complete university training under a State Government decision to lower the
level of their qualifications. The answer to high private fees is at public schools SMH
29.01.08 Opinion Parents who
send their children to private schools are paying more every year. A recent BankWest
study found that nearly one in 10 families sending a child to a private
school spent more than half their take-home pay on the children's education.
So what should be done? Interestingly,
the answer is to spend more on public education. The previous
federal government argued what it thought was a plausible case: give more
money to private schools than they ever dreamed of and tuition fees would
surely drop. Unfortunately, the reverse happened. Parents taken to court over school fees
NEWS.com.au 27.01.08 Private
schools are launching bankruptcy actions against parents over unpaid fees of
up to $30,000. And dozens of principals have also ordered lawyers to chase
parents through courts for outstanding bills as small as $500. Some
financially crippled parents have resorted to dipping into their
superannuation accounts to stave off debt collectors. Debt collection agency
Prushka yesterday warned more writs would flow in coming months because
schools often waited until a student had left before taking action on debts. Parents bear pain for private schools Sun Herald 27.01.08 Half the
Australian parents who send their children to private school are finding it a
financial strain, and one in 10 families spend more than half their take-home
pay on their children's education. Short shrift for extra tuition Sun Herald
27.01.08 The Rudd Government may
scrap a new $457.4 million tuition program for children struggling in school after
its first year of operation. Under the program announced
in the last budget of the previous Howard government, young school children
who had failed literacy and numeracy tests would get a $700 voucher for extra
The Even Start National
Tuition Program was to run over four years and involve thousands of students
in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 who had not met the national benchmark in literacy or
numeracy. Education Minister Julia
Gillard revealed the Rudd Government was not committed to the program beyond
2008. Playground drug scenes raise alarm
Sun Herald 27.01.08 Tony Abbott backflips on 'ideal families' NEWS.com.au 27.01.08 Public school teachers slam funding plan SMH 25.01.08
Public
sector teachers say a new report (by ACER – see below) reveals private
schools are receiving a disproportionate share of federal government
education funding. But
Education Minister Julia Gillard says it will continue to use a funding model
established by the previous Howard government. Australian
Education Union (AEU) federal president-elect Angelo Gavrielatos says the
model is discredited and inequitable. "A new
study by the Australian Council for Education Research reveals that the
funding nexus between public and private schools delivers a disproportionate
benefit to private schools," he said in a statement. Research council calls for transparent funding The
Australian 25.01.08 The
$30 billion federal and state government funding system for schools is highly
political, inefficient, in disarray and needs to be urgently overhauled. The Australian Council for
Educational Research made the criticisms as it called on all governments to
join together and fix the confusing funding system, which does not allow
people to find out how much a school receives in funding. Funds formula benefits private schools: report
SMH 25.01.08 Private
schools are becoming more advantaged and receiving greater amounts of
Commonwealth funding because public schools are taking on a greater load of
disadvantaged students, a national report has found. The report
by the Australian Council for Educational Research has identified a nexus
between Commonwealth funding for private schools and state funding for public
schools that delivers a disproportionate benefit to private schools. Download the full ACER
Report Australia’s School Funding Sytem by Andrew Dowling Debate based on flawed dichotomy The Australian 23.01.08
OPINION: Alan Bowen-James | January 23, 2008 ……. In the
schools sector, private and public coexist symbiotically. The former serves
burgeoning community demand for a particular educational experience and reduces
pressure on public resources. Every taxpayer who opts to pay private school
fees also elects to subsidise children in the public sector. Of course there
is cross-subsidisation, but no one doubts who is carrying the burden, which
is why there is now bipartisan support for the right to choose. The same can
be true of higher education. Private higher education needs to be regarded by
the public sector not as a competitor, but as a strategic partner in
rationalising resource allocation and positioning Australia as a global
education services provider. Kevin Rudd's $10m handout to Exclusive Bretheren Daily Telegraph 21.01.08
The Exclusive Bretheren is poised to receive more
than $10 million in federal government funds this year. The largest
Bretheren school at Meadowbank in Sydney's north will receive $4.3 million
this year. Cyber bullying rife in schools NEWS.com.au 14.01.08
Features prevention initiative at Riverside
Girls’ High, Gladesville. Juice alert SMH 13.01.08 The nation's love affair
with fruit juice could be making us fat, experts say. Juice junkies who quench
their thirst with super-size drinks might be shocked to know their daily
refreshment has more sugar and calories than a can of Coke. Bitten, then she died SMH
13.01.08 A student at Pymble
Ladies’ College has died from a mosquito bite whilst holidaying in the
Phillipines. Program for run-down schools axed The Age 11.01.08 Kevin Rudd’s Federal
Labor Government will axe the Investing In Our Schools Program. This Program
was one of the Howard government's most popular education policies, which
provided run-down schools with federal funding for everything from
toilet-block upgrades to computers. Expensive now, but future schooling could cost hundreds of
thousands SMH 11.01.08 Parents of children born
this year can expect to pay from $62,000 up to $305,000 to educate them
through secondary school, a survey has found. For parents sending their
child to preschool this year, the survey estimates that the school bill will
range from $2662 in the public system to $6952 in a private school. Primary
school will cost an estimated $5317 to $12,561, secondary school $5618 to
$21,112 a year. Parents will see child's school progress online Telegraph UK 11.01.08
The end of the traditional school report is to be heralded
as ministers announce plans to give parents daily electronic access to their
children's school records. All schools will be expected to set up
"real-time reporting" systems that will allow parents to see
attendance records, grades and discipline reports. The information could be
made available online or via emails, text messages or even teleconferencing. $4.5m in private school subsidies Daily Telegraph 11.01.08
Taxpayers are being slugged up to $4.5 million a
year to fund improvements to elite private schools despite the State
Government scrapping the scheme payments are made under. The money - paid through
government-funded interest subsidies - is being used to bankroll major
facilities at some of the state's wealthiest schools, including boarding
houses, halls, libraries and even car parks. Private schools such as
Moriah College in Bondi Junction - which charges annual fees of up to $15,000
- last year received more than $250,000 in funding, despite the scheme being
scrapped four years ago. The Daily Telegraph
can reveal that the state's top independent schools - boasting
state-of-the-art facilities such as cinemas, performing arts centres and video-editing
suites - are still benefiting from more than $4.5 million a year in interest
subsidies to complete projects started before the scheme was abolished. The Federal Government’s flawed private school
funding system Gillard will honour private school funding pledge SMH 10.01.08 The new ALP
Federal Government yesterday renewed its commitment to maintaining the existing
private school funding system until 2012, despite a Department of Education
review that found that it was unfair. The Herald
yesterday reported that the department found many private schools were
receiving more than their fair share of taxpayers' money under the
Commonwealth funding formula. The
Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, said the Government would honour its
election promise to keep the system for the next four-year funding cycle. Report into school funding revealed SMH
09.01.08 A secret
federal report into funding for private schools has found that many are
receiving more than their fair share of taxpayers' money. The Herald
understands the federal Education Department's review of private school
funding has identified entrenched inequity in the Commonwealth system. The
report, which was completed last year but kept under wraps by the Howard government
before the November election, recommends transitional arrangements to wean
some schools off inflated levels of funding. The Rudd
Government - which made an election promise to maintain the existing system
that delivers more than $6 billion in subsidies to private schools each year
- is now faced with the department's own criticism of the funding system,
which measures each school's entitlement according to the wealth of families
who attend. School funding stopped being cricket long ago SMH
09.01.08 As the Herald education editor, Anna Patty, has
revealed today (see link above), Australia's
educational funding model is under renewed scrutiny, and justifiably so. It
is so flawed that even a hand-picked committee of federal government
bureaucrats has produced a report that says that the system stinks. It
recognises that the so-called Socio-Economic Status (SES) system of
calculating a school's federal funding eligibility delivers up billions of
dollars in a most unfair and discriminatory way. At its
simplest, the report recognises what every serious policy expert of good will
and common sense in the education sector has known for nearly a decade. An
education funding formula that rewards six out of every 10 private schools
with far more than the formula says they should be paid is deeply flawed.
These statistics include the vast Catholic network in which 20 per cent of
all Australian children are educated. These are not just peanuts in
overpayments. They are multimillion-dollar overpayments to schools, even by
the lax standards of the SES formula, which the previous government had to
adjust twice to accommodate the embarrassing largesse. Rudd and
his Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, must know this. All religious schools are too closed NEWS.com.au 09.01.08 |