As we begin the 2021 school year across Australia, most school leaders cut their 'holidays' short and were back to work planning and engaging in professional learning long before they were scheduled to. If we are honest, many never really ...
More »Finnish education is coming to Australia: Podcast
EducationReview · Finnish education is coming to Australia | Michael Lawrence The last time I interviewed Michael Lawrence the experienced music and English teacher had just published his book Testing 3, 2, 1: What Australian Education Can Learn from ...
More »‘Our focus is never on results’: How a Brisbane girls’ school blitzed Year 12 in 2020
Despite legitimate concerns that COVID-19 could significantly impact Year 12 student achievement in 2020, over 77 per cent of a Brisbane girls’ school’s 190 students achieved an ATAR score of 90 or above (equivalent of OP 1-5). Following on from ...
More »All teachers were winners in 2020
The Australian College of Educators (ACE) has awarded the prestigious 2020 College Medal to all Australian teachers in an unprecedented move that acknowledged the extraordinary challenges educators faced in 2020 due to COVID-19.Traditionally the College Medal, which has been conferred ...
More »Australian students break into the top 10 for maths and science, but significant inequalities still exist: TIMSS Report
Australian Year 8 students have cracked the top ten for maths and science globally, with the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) showing they were outperformed by only six other countries. The results, which were released in ...
More »Phonics can pull Australia out of its reading rut, but parents need to play their part: Opinion
It’s hard not to be alarmed by the state of reading in Australia. Since 2000, our students have dropped from 4th to 17th place in the PISA survey of global reading results, and foreboding reports on the national state of ...
More »Melbourne school successfully trials Australian-first contact tracing technology
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic being largely under control across Australia, experts know that the virus is still circulating in some communities and could force the country into more lockdowns and school closures at any point. It is for this reason ...
More »PETAA ‘committed to supporting teachers’ as NSW joins SA in implementing mandatory phonics checks
The Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA) has committed to supporting teachers after New South Wales joined South Australia in introducing mandatory phonics screening checks in primary schools from 1 December 2020. The association has a long history of involvement ...
More »AEU calls for the government to ‘step up’ after releasing State of Our Schools survey
Public school principals are struggling to provide adequate funding for students with a disability and report having to siphon funds from other school budgets to make up for the shortfall, according to the Australian Education Union’s (AEU) 2020 State of ...
More »Here’s to the educators, leaders and schools who somehow thrived in 2020
2020 will go down as one of the most disrupted and challenging years for Australian school communities. Yet, despite the substantial pressure and constant changes many endured, some have not only survived 2020 hopefully intact, but have continued to thrive ...
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