Schoolkids’ new identity numbers to be linked to My School program

GIVING every school child in Australia an identity number will allow a seamless tracking of their academic progress, federal Education Minister Julia Gillard said.

The “student identifier” will be annexed to the My School program which publishes the performance of individual schools on the internet.

“If we have a way of tracking, then we can, obviously, have better measures of how schools are going,” Ms Gillard told ABC Radio today.

The number would allow the literacy and numeracy performance of individual students to be monitored during their school life, especially as they moved from school to school.

“Being able to seamlessly track a child throughout education when they get to a new school is vitally important,” Ms Gillard said.

The identity of students would be covered by “proper privacy protections” but access would be given to parents and teachers.

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Ms Gillard will provide more details of the new program when she addresses the National Press Club later today.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said he was concerned about any proposal that appeared to commodify children.

“Children should have names not numbers,” he said.

“People have names and I think that it ought to be possible to identify people’s performance based on their names, based on who they are.”

The public was always rightly suspicious of governments attempting to introduce some kind of identification card by the back door, Mr Abbott said.

Labor backbencher Sharon Bird said students in their final two years of school already had an identity number.

“It allows parents to have that information and follow it through and not have a shoe box where you have kept all the paper copies of their reports,” she said.

“It is just a sensible reform I think that parents and schools will very much welcome.”

Source: The Australian

Chinese is language of choice for West Aussies

There is growing support for the Chinese language Mandarin to be taught in WA schools.

The What matters to the West survey found that European languages such as French and Italian seem to be out of favour.

Almost half the survey’s respondents thought Mandarin should be taught in schools, followed by more than a fifth who said students should learn indigenous languages.

The survey canvassed the opinions of more than 3400 people and was run by _The West Australian _ and Channel Seven.

French was the favourite for 18 per cent and Italian, just 13 per cent.

Chinese Language Teachers Association of WA president and Mt Lawley Senior High School Mandarin teacher Anita Chong said there had been a push by parents wanting their children to learn a language that would help with career opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region.

Mr Rudd’s linguistic abilities had also improved the popularity of Mandarin, she said.

“It is difficult; speaking it is easier than writing and students might not become fluent but through the language they understand the culture and have the opportunity to be one step ahead,” Ms Chong said.

Learning Mandarin opened up opportunities in places such as Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, where it was also spoken, as well as China.

Kimberley Land Council senior cultural adviser Irene Davey said she was encouraged by the number of people who thought indigenous languages should be taught in schools.

She believed it would deepen understanding of Aboriginal culture, help young Aboriginal people retain their own language and secure indigenous languages as an important part of Australia’s history and culture.

Education Department school support programs executive director David Axworthy said the department was aiming to raise the quality and profile of teaching of Mandarin and other Asian languages in WA public schools.

The department had opened six specialist language hubs in secondary schools this year.

He said Aboriginal languages had a unique place in Australia’s heritage and cultural and educational life and 25 Aboriginal languages were being taught at public schools in WA.

Survey respondents also overwhelmingly supported compulsory uniforms at school, with 85 per cent in favour.
Half thought students got a better education at a private school, while a quarter thought public schools did the job.

Source: The West Australian

SA Premier Mike Rann promises 155 more specialist teachers

A RE-ELECTED Rann Government would recruit and train up to 155 specialist maths and science teachers to work in South Australian high schools.

Under the six-year $9.44 million Teach SA program, up to 40 maths and science graduates and career professionals will receive financial support and a guaranteed job at the end of their studies to undertake a one year post graduate teaching program.

Another 100 existing teachers will be supported to get special qualifications in maths and science and 15 teachers will be given scholarships to get higher level qualifications in physics, chemistry or maths.

Premier Mike Rann said the best teachers will be fast tracked towards the top level pay of at least $80,000.

“Having better skilled teachers in science and maths makes sense if we are to prepare young people for highly skilled jobs for the future,” he said.

Meanwhile Mr Rann said he will debate Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond on Channel 10 on March 2 “whether she is ready or not”.

Mr Rann said he had tried to “lock down” the date for several weeks after “hesitation and indecision’ from Mrs Redmond.

“I have offered up four dates all of which are apparently unacceptable to Mrs Redmond because we have been told she is unavailable but it appears she is just not ready,” he said.

“When I was challenged to a debate by Premiers Olsen and Kerin, I simply turned up on the date they chose. If she is unavailable, I have no hesitation in debating any of her predecessors.

“I’m quiet happy to debate her Deputy Stephen Griffiths if she is not available or ready.”

Source: Adelaide Now

Uni chiefs urge senators to pass youth allowance bill

THE leaders of Australia’s universities have written to all senators urging them to pass the Rudd government’s controversial changes to the youth allowance.

The letter, signed by the 39 vice-chancellors, was sent to all 76 senators yesterday as part of a last-minute lobbying push before the legislation returns to the upper house tomorrow.

The Family First Senator, Steve Fielding, last year combined with the Coalition to block the changes.

Until the changes pass, the government will be unable to pay new scholarships to about 150,000 students.

The $1434 start-up scholarship (which will rise to $2254 next year) and relocation scholarships, worth $4000 in the first year and $1000 for each subsequent year, were intended to replace Commonwealth scholarships abolished in separate legislation last year.

Labor’s proposals seek to target assistance towards students from low and middle income families and away from people who qualify for benefits by earning a set amount of money over an 18-month period.

But the proposed changes have generated opposition from some, particularly in regional areas, who say they will be worse off under the changes.

The Education Minister, Julia Gillard, yesterday attempted to place pressure on the Coalition by producing correspondence from opposition MPs highlighting flaws in the current system.

Labor proposes to increase the parental income test for the allowance from $32,800 to $42,559.

Ms Gillard said Mr Abbott would be held ”personally responsible” if the proposals were defeated. ”Ultimately, this comes down to a test for the leader of the opposition,” she said.

”The test is whether or not he will stand up for a youth allowance package that is fair, or whether he will end up explaining to literally thousands of students in thousands of families why they are not getting the benefits that the government wants to pay to them.”

But the opposition education spokesman, Christopher Pyne, said coalition MPs were hearing from students and families in rural areas who were worried about Labor’s proposals.

Senator Fielding said he would move an amendment which would retain the current eligibility criteria for students who have to move more than 100 kilometres away from home to study.

He said that if his amendment failed, he would again vote against the bill.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

Funding cut to overly political student body

A SYDNEY university is believed to be the first in the country to cut back and control funding to its student council for playing too much politics.

On the eve of orientation week, the University of Western Sydney suspended ordinary funding arrangements after complaints that the student body, called the Hive, was “too political”, according to Hive president Jacob Carswell-Doherty.

“It sets a very concerning precedent; the universities have the ability to turn the tap on and off as they see fit,” said Mr Carswell-Doherty, a five-year veteran of student politics.

National Union of Students president Carla Drakeford alsobelieved UWS was the first university to hogtie funding since the end of compulsory student unionism in 2006. She said it was more common for student representative councils to self-censor.

Those student bodies that have not collapsed have become dependent on money from university coffers since they lack the compulsory fees of students.

UWS paid $68,734 to consultants Gavin Anderson & Company (Australia) for advice on how to set up a student representative body for the new era of voluntary unionism. Mr Carswell-Doherty said the team elected last year to the newly formed Hive had run campaigns on same-sex marriage (UWS boasts an Equal Love Collective) and conflict in the Gaza Strip (UWS has more Muslim students than any other university).

Mr Carswell-Doherty made no apology for the politics, but said the Hive had recruited staff and made plans to expand the range of non-political groups and activities.

He said this imbalance had been pointed out to the student body in January by deputy vice-chancellor Rhonda Hawkins.

But on February 10, the body that governs the university, the board of trustees, suspended funding arrangements for the student body pending a report from the audit and risk committee, Mr Carswell-Doherty said.

In a brief statement, Ms Hawkins said UWS was giving the Hive money for “genuine and necessary expenditures” while it discussed “funding arrangements and budget” with the student body. Mr Carswell-Doherty said the Hive had half the money it would normally have in the busy, early part of the year, had lost autonomy in spending, and had to scale back orientation week activities.

Although the board of trustees made the decision in camera, it reportedly cited concerns about financial and accounting processes at the Hive, Mr Carswell-Doherty said. He queried whether “the financial explanation is being used as a justification to shut the student union up”.

The Howard government saw compulsory student unionism as an unjust system.

Source: The Australian

Educators embrace eBook boom

WHILE the Federal Government spends big trying to mitigate the damage that eBooks are expected to do to the publishing industry, educators seem to be embracing the new technology.

Bremer Institute of TAFE’s specialised E-Learning librarian Jean Moetara said staff and students felt eBooks could be used to improve education without causing any collateral damage.

In addition to creating the position of E-Learning librarian three years ago, the TAFE has worked hard to keep up with the times, encouraging its teachers and students to follow suit.

“The programs are still developing, but Bremer TAFE has been recognised nationally for its uptake of E-Learning,” Ms Moetara said.

“The advantage of it is that it provides equal accessibility to information for students, whether they live out in the bush or close to the TAFE.

“The material can be more easily searched and there is also the opportunity to embed other media, such as video or audio.”

The Rudd Government will set up the Book Industry Strategy Group to protect the country’s $1.5 billion industry from the threat of eBooks. It will have access to $50 million a year in funding and is due to report back to the Federal Government within one year.

Ms Moetara said she did not believe the book industry was under any threat, despite the advances of eBooks.

“People still have an emotional attachment to real books that you just can’t get with the electronic version,” she said.

“One of these days they will invent eBooks that are easier on the eye but, until then, curling up with a good book will remain a popular pastime.”

Source:The Queensland Times

Professionals could be Queensland teachers in six weeks

People with professional qualifications will be sent to teach in disadvantaged schools to plug a shortage of specialist teachers under the Teach for Australia program.

But unions have slammed the strategy – which aims to attract high-performing professionals and graduates from fields including law, economics, engineering, science, mathematics and English – as disrespectful to teachers and a Band-Aid solution.

Teach for Australia chief executive Melodie Potts said research shows similar models overseas produce more effective teachers.

Education Queensland assistant director-general Craig Allen confirmed the program was being considered and talks were being held with Teach for Australia.

The program involves six weeks of intensive training for six days a week at university, with teachers then placed in disadvantaged secondary schools where it is hoped they will inspire children. Their university study continues part-time for two years and includes a mentor and adviser before they graduate with a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching.

Mr Allen said the department was “exploring the potential of Teach for Australia” to attract and retain “high quality individuals in teaching”.

The teachers are given a reduced workload to help concentrate on their part-time study.

Queensland has a shortage of some specialist high school teachers and a massive over-supply of primary school teaching graduates. Current graduates have to complete four years of study in Queensland to register as a teacher.

“The department has commenced discussions with key stakeholders, including the Queensland Teachers Union,” Mr Allen said.

But the union has already voted not to accept the program unless issues such as enterprise bargaining are addressed first.

QTU president Steve Ryan said six weeks was not long enough to prepare a teacher for the classroom.

“That is just a total lack of respect for teachers,” he said. “That’s the Band-Aid solution and all kids in the education system deserve better.

“Our view is that all students should be able to be taught by qualified teachers, and teachers with education qualifications.”

Queensland Independent Education Union general secretary Terry Burke said the course undermined the professional standard the community demanded of teachers.

But Teach for Australia’s Ms Potts said the course attracted highly talented individuals, many of whom had leadership roles, and would not otherwise have considered teaching as a career.

The Opposition’s education spokesman, Bruce Flegg, said he supported the strategy.

“It’s one small step in the right direction of attracting high-performing people into teaching,” he said.

Victoria is the first state to take on the initiative, with Teach for Australia teachers starting in classrooms there last month.

Nearly 800 graduates vied for 45 places in the program.

In Victoria they will be paid at one band below their beginning teacher counterparts, before they achieve their degree.

It is unknown what the pay conditions would be in Queensland schools.

Source:The Courier Mail

Teachers brace for another New York initiative

Julia Gillard is fuelling speculation the federal government will consider report cards for teachers, based on class performance.

The Minister for Education has refused to back away from supporting new measures being introduced by the New York schools chancellor, Joel Klein, tying tenure of teachers to the performance of their students in standardised testing.

The minister has embraced the New York model of publicly comparing the test results of schools with the launch of the My School website, which has resonated with Australian parents.

This month Mr Klein announced that probationary teachers would need to prove themselves in the classroom before being granted tenure.

Asked about the measures, Ms Gillard said: ”We obviously take an interest in developments overseas and strongly support transparency in schools. But we have already announced [changes] to My School for next year, including school funding and the next round of national testing.”

Under the new Klein measures, each probationary teacher will be given a percentile ranking based on improvement in students’ test scores on the state’s maths and English tests over the previous year and the previous three years.

That ranking will be compared with all other teachers in the same subject area throughout New York and with peer teachers who have similar classes and teaching experience.

The NSW Greens MP John Kaye said education policy in Australia was increasingly being determined by Mr Klein’s market-based ideology.

He said Mr Klein’s agenda was to set up competition between schools by reducing all educational outcomes to a simple set of numbers.

”Julia Gillard has already told parents to harass teachers, based on the school’s performance, on her website,” he said.

”Joel Klein is pushing her to the next step, with teacher report cards based on class performance. It is only a matter of time before My School becomes My Teacher.

“Even if Julia Gillard and [the NSW Education Minister] Verity Firth deny they have any intention of going down this path, it is the logical conclusion of the My School website.

“Joel Klein’s teacher report cards are a recipe for educational disaster.

”The pressure to teach to the test will force educators to sacrifice important curriculum time for areas not covered in the tests. Staffroom co-operation will be undermined and it will become much harder to find teachers for difficult-to-educate classes.

Trevor Cobbold, the national convener of Save Our Schools, said there was no credible research showing that evaluating teachers by student test scores would improve teaching.

He said teachers would avoid difficult classes rather than risk their records.

”Evaluating teachers on the basis of student test scores ignores the influence of other factors largely beyond the control of teachers, such as class composition by socio-economic status, ethnic sub-groups, gender and students with disabilities,” Mr Cobbold said.

”As a result, it will lead to unfair comparisons between teachers because of differences in the composition of classes.”

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

Boy drowns at school camp at Alpine Ash Mountain Retreat

THE first day of a school camp ended in tragedy late yesterday when a 12-year-old boy drowned.

The boy was among a group of about 20 secondary school students swimming in a large waterhole about 3m deep at Alpine Ash Mountain Retreat, in Toolangi, north of Melbourne.

Students told teachers and camp leaders supervising the group that the boy was having trouble about 5.20pm.

Sgt Jon Ellks, of Kinglake police, said teachers had immediately called police.

Search and rescue officials and the police helicopter were called in and the boy’s body was found about 7.30pm.

“They kicked into action pretty much straight away, but the water was murky,” Sgt Ellks said.

“The water at this time of year is quite cold and you need to know your surroundings. This is just a tragedy.”

Sgt Ellks said a counsellor at the camp had spoken with the students, from a school in East Ringwood.

“The teachers and camp leaders are devastated,” he said. Two busloads of students, some visibly distressed, left the camp last night.

Sgt Ellks said the boy’s parents had been notified and a report would be prepared for the coroner.

The Alpine Ash Mountain Retreat, off Spraggs Rd, caters for groups of up to 150 with an activity centre, campfire area and obstacle courses.

Hire a bully settles school yard brawls

THUGS recruited to settle a school playground dispute have ambushed students on their way home from classes in two separate attacks.

While a public high school was under police guard after a serious assault, five youths followed a bus and attacked a student as he got off at Kings Langley in Sydney’s west.

The incident came three days after 20 attackers said to have been armed with planks containing exposed nails viciously bashed three Crestwood High School students at Baulkham Hills last Friday.

One victim, aged 17, suffered a fractured eye socket and broken nose.

Police later charged a male, 16, who is not a Crestwood student, with assaulting a student, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray. He was bailed to appear in Parramatta Children’s Court on March 11.

In the Kings Langley assault, about 4pm on Monday, police said the attackers targeted the wrong student.

“They accosted a young kid of 16 or 17 – he got a bit of a graze to his knee when they pushed to him to the ground,” Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Murray said.

He said police believed the incident was linked to Friday’s attack and are looking for a dark green hatchback.

“It . . . stems from an escalation from some sort of altercation that occurred at school between a Year 11 student and a Year 12 student,” he said. “There was a recruitment of kids from outside the area to settle a playground dispute.”

Up to eight police cars as well as private security guards and teachers have been patrolling the perimeter of Crestwood High School.

On Tuesday a teacher disarmed a knife-wielding primary student as police were called to Claremont Meadows school in western Sydney.

But Education Minister Verity Firth yesterday denied there was any surge in violence at schools and ruled out metal detectors or security searches, claiming schools had adequate powers to deal with violent children including mandatory 20-day suspensions and anti-bullying programs.

Source: News Australia

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