School Education Headlines

High school principals fear the Rudd government's $2 billion computer rollout will force teachers out of the classroom unless schools employ full-time IT technicians. The Australian, 10 March 2010.

A new report says the state of maths in Australian schools has deteriorated to a 'dangerous level' and will require universities to lower standards and provide remedial programs to help under-prepared students. ABC News, 10 March 2010.

The new draft Standards describe what is required of teachers at four levels of professional expertise. Input regarding the Standards are sought from members of the profession and the wider education community. All feedback will be considered by an expert working group. The public consultation process on the draft National Professional Standards for Teachers closes on 7 May 2010. MCEECDYA, March 2010.

The Schools Catalogue Information Service (SCIS) is seeking expressions of interest for a four hour training session 'Making the most of SCIS'. If there is sufficient interest, training sessions will be held in South Australia in the week commencing 17 May 2010. This training will highlight how SCIS cataloguing products can assist in providing a more effective library service to school communities. SCIS, March 2010.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says there should be a national policy of zero tolerance for bullying in schools, with powers for principals and teachers to intervene. ABC News, 4 March 2010.

New UK teachers could be tested for their desk-side manner and screened for empathy, understanding and passion under government plans to improve the quality of teaching. BBC News, 3 March 2010.

A newly published study found that young people who watched more TV tended to have poorer relationships with both their friends and parents. University of Otago, 2 March 2010.

The 10 ACT schools that will trial the new Australian Curriculum have been announced. Minister for Education, 2 March 2010.

The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, and Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Innovation, Richard Marles, welcomed progress on a 2 million dollars project to encourage students to study the sciences in senior secondary years. The Science and Technology Education Leveraging Relevance (STELR) project has been developed by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and the first stage was launched by Parliamentary Secretary Marles at a professional learning seminar for secondary teachers in Melbourne. DEEWR Media release, 1 March 2010

The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) has released the draft K-10 Australian Curriculum in English, mathematics, science and history for online viewing and consultation. ACARA, 1 March 2010.

More than 2,000 people logged on to watch the forum to discuss proposed changes to the education system. ABC News, 26 February 2010.

Queensland Parliament has passed legislation paving the way for teachers to be tested before they are registered. The legislation will make it legal for the Queensland College of Teachers to issue literacy, numeracy or science tests for early childhood and primary school teachers. ABC News, 25 February 2010.

The Minister for Education's address to the National Press Club discusses the MySchool website, the release of the draft National Curriculum, teaching standards, and the introduction of a 'unique student identifier' across Australia. DEEWR, 24 February 2010.

The Queensland government has launched a new program to recruit an army of 3000 volunteers across the state to help boost a love of reading in school children. Sydney Morning Herald, 24 February 2010.

Teachers across the nation will for the first time be accredited against a uniform set of standards, which set out four levels of proficiency and the skills and knowledge expected at each level. The Australian, 24 February 2010.

South Korea will have robot teaching assistants in at least 500 preschools in 2010. Parents will be allowed to connect to the robots to check on their child's progress and exchange messages. Elementary schools could also be included in the program if it brings positive results. techgeek.com.au, 23 February 2010.

Gifted students in remote areas of western NSW will now be able to study at a selective high school without leaving home. The new virtual school will enable students enrolled in the program to spend half their day doing selective classes by internet and half in their local schools. Sydney Morning Herald, 23 February 2010.

The future of the education system will be the topic of the Queensland government's first online people's question time. The Age, 19 February 2010.

Copyright for Educators is a six week course for educators who want to learn about copyright, open content material and licensing. It is open to all educators around the world. The course is taught around practical case studies faced by teachers when using copyright material in their day to day teaching and educational instruction.

New research suggests that children's media exposure is a big factor in whether or not they become bullies at school. ABC News, 18 February 2010.