- * 'Study shows high levels of public trust and value for Australian teachers', Mirage.
-
* 'Private schools reap $750m in JobKeeper' AFR, Oct
-
. * 'Disadvantaged students do better than advantaged ones at uni: study', SMH. Everyone will have a theory about why, but it is very interesting
-
SEPTEMBER 2021 * One to read: 'Want to improve our education system? Stop seeking advice from far-off gurus and encourage expertise in schools' by Glenn Savage in The Conversation..... and here is the link to Glenn's book. The Quest for Revolution in Australian Schooling Polic * Great editorial in The Age: 'Religious schools discrimination law update merits bipartisan support', September 19. * ‘Sleight of hand’: Public schools get $3.5b less than original Gonski plan intended', Jordan Baker in the SMH.
- AUGUST 2020
- * 'Parents want advice from teachers on how to raise their children, inquiry to hear' SMH. A report on the Valuing the Teaching Profesion Inquiry headed by Geoff Gallop.
- * 'Push for NAPLAN to be expanded into new test for all students' SMH. One small step for 'man', one giant leap etc etc....that is, if it even happens!
- * 'Wealth, not faith drives most Australian students to religious schools' SMH. Strange report: it doesn't match the headline and the research cited (and the survey it draws on) doesn't allow for SES differences between schools and sectors. Sloppy.
- * Speaking of sloppy, try reading 'Where's the national outcry as schools go backwards?' Australian Financial Review. It falls short on many counts.
- * This will put the pussy cat among the pigeons: 'Government 'should fully fund primaries' SMH reports on an idea from Adrian Piccoli....with an accompanying op ed from the former NSW minister. AND then an extended comment from Tom Greenwell in Inside Story: 'Should private primary schools be free?' Caitlin Fitsimmons follows up with an opinion. My opinion? I'm with anyone who kicks the door open to a debate about what we have at present.
- * 'The bureaucratisation of public education in Australia' Read Trevor Cobbold's report in Pearls and Irritations, full document on the Save our Schools site.
- ·
- JULY 2020
- * Nothing like school vacations and a virus to dampen school news. But there are some gems. A report from Pivot provides a lot more on socioeconomic disparities in schooling created in recent months. The Gonski Institute for Education has issued a new policy brief: Equity in Australian Education: Achieving a brighter future for all young Australians. Also, Royce Kurmelovs has written up Trevor Cobbold's recent findings in The Saturday Paper. See 'Public schools still missing out on funding', July 11-17
- * 'Catholic school systems to face more funding transparency' SMH July 6. Very topical, given Turnbull's revelations.
- JUNE 2020
- * And for the last day in June: 'Growth in money for private school students outstrips public schools' SMH and The Age report on Trevor Cobbold's latest.
- * Significant: 'Future proofing Australian students with 'new credentials' Sandra Milligan further reports on the Beyond Atar project.
- * And more on the technology gap: 'Public school students 2.5 times more likely to be without home internet' SMH.
- * Students 'need $1.1 billion to close remote-learning gap' SMH. Grattan Institute's Julie Sonnemann costs the catch-up tutoring needed for disadvantaged kids these last three months. See the Grattan report. My response is 'Kids are back at school, but some have fallen well behind' in Pearls and Irritations.
- * 'Turnbull Exposes Rorting of School Funding by Catholic Church'. Trevor Cobbold digs deeper into Turnbull's book. Michael Furtado, in Pearls and Irritations, provides a different perspective.
- * 'Indigenous children among those making best gains in Naplan testing over decade' The Guardian. Good news amidst many non-significant NAPLAN trends.
- * 'Education chief blames ATAR for 'profoundly distorting' final years of school' NESA Chair, Peter Shergold. Absabloodylutely!
- MAY 2020
- * Amidst all the virus news comes a timely broad view: 'How COVID-19 exposed the fault lines in Australian education' Jordan Baker in the Nine print media. And related to this: 'Full-time school to put extra pressure on transport, roads', a report which includes some startling facts.
- * An excellent and unfolding recent history of school funding is being written by Trevor Cobbold. He has completed a draft for comment on the Abbott to Turnbull era. Trevor also reports on a New study shows that the social composition of schools strongly influences school results
- * 'The Sydney schools exceeding new enrolment caps by almost 1000 students' Interesting table. SMH. My guess is that the over-subscribed schools are high ICSEA and the reverse for the under-subscribed.
- * SMH reports: 'Mid-year school reports to go ahead, without controversial A-E grading' How on earth will everyone cope?!
- * 'Catholic Church duplicitous and unaccountable in needs-based school funding says Malcolm Turnbull' Quentin Dempster in both the New Daily and P&I.
- * 'How schools have become political pawns' Jane Caro in The Saturday Paper
- APRIL 2020
- * 'Federal payday gives NSW private schools reward to return to class' SMH April 29. Also in Guardian. At first sight this is just bringing forward some of next year's funding BUT my guess is that next year they'll (yet again) seek a one-off grant to help 'adjust'. So it is a problem!
- * Much more evidence emerging on the equity impact of online learning, reported by ABC News and the SMH. Dorothy Hoddinott's piece in the SMH raises problems around the HSC.
- * The virus has brought out wonderful writing about teachers and schools. The end of Craig Petersen's piece in the SMH should be displayed in every school foyer. And don't miss Lyndsay Connors' Learning the value of teachers' work in Pearls and irritations.....long memories combined with longstanding truths 'Independent schools demand federal government withdraws threat and guarantees ‘vital’ funding' Guardian, April 13. It seems that Christian Schools Australia isn't 'turning the other cheek'. 'Don't waste a good crisis, even in schooling' - Dean Ashenden points to some strutural reform possibilities in Inside Story... as do I in Pearls and Irritations. Tom Greenwell offers proof that we can do things differently: 'Why do Canada’s schools outperform Australia’s?' in Inside Story. The message of all three is simple: don't give the non-gov school sector any funding.
- MARCH 2020
* 'Private schools brace for dropouts' and 'Catholic school fees to be waived for struggling families' Two recent stories in the SMH. More of this about Victorian schools in The Age. With day care being fully-funded is the non-gov school sector lobbying for a bail-out? * 'Independent schools may ask for money to survive COVID-19 crisis' SMH. By any standards this is quite breathtaking! See Edu-fact check (left) * 'Private schools 'not saving' the public purse' The SMH reports on some of the findings of The school money-go-round. Also, a cut-down version of The school money-go-round has just been published at Inside Story and an even shorter version in P&I. Not related, I'm sure is this story in the SMH: 'Private school funding under threat if schools close against government advice on coronavirus' But it isn't often that any Australian government threatens the non-gov sector. * Now I'm not an expert but....with 'schools and the virus: it’s not just an open-or-shut case' SMH March 20. And I'm kicking myself for not mentioning that schools with substantial personalised learning in place are perfectly placed. * Watch the young public school girls on Q & A articulating the unfairness of school funding: https://twitter.com/QandA/status/1237157881138405376. How about this for double standards: NSW public schools get beaten up for not spending all their funding but the '$1.2 billion private school 'choice fund' can be used as investment nest egg' (SMH). Meanwhile 'An arms race for prestige': The billion-dollar private school building boom' Hmmm. * More unfolding on the looming end of the 'Prague Spring' in NSW schools. Following the NSW Premier's announcements the Minister (Sarah Mitchell) has waded in with more detail. The reaction from principals and others soon followed. Then the Minister backtracked a tad, saying it wasn't about punishing schools. Then back to the Premier who says schools need to earn their 'independence'. My contribution is in P&I. One thing is sure: meaningless, unproven and counter-productive measures of school quality are back! Meanwhile, non-government schools who manage to avoid such unproductive accountability are set for a multibillion-dollar funding boost. And to spend as they wish. Who is really watching the elites? * In the Conversation Helen Proctor and Jessica Gerrard show how More money for private schools won’t make Australia’s education fairer, no matter how you split it . This article comes at the same time as Trevor Cobbold's latest analysis: 'Private schools continue to have a massive resource advantage over public schools'. * The problems around school funding just don't go away, and also in public schools, it seems: 'Sydney schools sitting on up to $5000 in unspent money per student'. This little beat-up has emerged every few years for over two decades....read the full article.
FEBRUARY 2020
'Tanya Plibersek cites 'visible inequality' at schools in call for fair education funding' The Guardian. Mostly soothing, but what has really changed? * If you want a headline or two put on a summit. That's worked for the SMH today Feb 20. Sydney University's Rachel Wilson has deservedly stolen the show with her op ed ''Your country needs you!' It's high time for a drive to recruit better teachers' as well as the SMH report on this topic. The SMH also reports on the NSW Premier's keynote: 'Premier says status quo 'no longer tenable' in schools, flags reforms' but SMH editor Lisa Davies gently pours a bit of cold water over hasty ideas. Mark Latham, take note! Fun and games. Chris Bonner's longer response is in P&I. The Australian February 12, reports on former Macquarie Group chief executive, Nicholas Moore as the new chair of the National Catholic Education Commission. He replaces former South Australian Labor eduction minister and lobbyist, Greg Crafter . Again from Trevor Cobbold and well-reported in the media, a new research paper (based on OECD) on the poor allocation of teacher and other resources to low SES schools.
-
-
DECEMBER 2019
Again we celebrate the top 20 HSC schools. But top at what? When ranked by ICSEA the order doesn't change much. Schools and teachers matter, and kids deserve credit - but if we want to know about school results check out the kids walking in. ‘School’ results are increasingly created by family background. What stupid country would persist with a system like this?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx *
-
'Back Back to basics' is not our education cure - it's where we've gone wrong' say Richard Holden and Adrian Piccoli in The Age. And I comment on 'School fixes and fantasy' in P&I.
- * 'HSC subject hierarchy can lower students' horizons, says study' SMH reports on Phil Roberts' important research. Matches well with my research released at the start of the year: 'Winners and losers': school shopping widens education gap'
- * 'Education ministers approve ambitious plan to track students' learning' SMH reports on the Council of Ministers meeting. More to come....
- * For something completely different read 'Levelling the Playing Field', an account of inequality in Columbian education. Or is it completely different?
- * Follow-up commentary on PISA from Margaret Merga (ABC News), more from Jordan Baker (SMH), Pasi Sahlberg (SMH), Natassia Chrysanthos (SMH)....and my hopefully wider perspective in P&I. But the best 'wider perspective' read at the moment is Dean Ashenden's What is to be done about Australian schooling? in Inside Story. A superb essay.
- * It's PISA time again, time to re-run what it again shows and the responses from the usual suspects. The headlines tell bits of the story: 'Australian students' maths performance falls to OECD average in worst result since 2000' The Guardian. 'Australian students behind in maths, reading and science, PISA education study shows' ABC News. 'Alarm bells': Australian students record worst result in global tests' SMH etc. Stand by for a deluge of opinion, with Jordan Baker first off the block with 'The PISA problem: 'The rest of the world is moving away from us' (SMH). Dan Teehan says we should get back to basics - and it's downhill from there. Comments like "alarm bells" and "wake-up call" are in full flight.
- * 'Transparency fears as My School overhaul considered' SMH reports on the forthcoming Education Council deliberations. Hope they don't change too much...might do me out of a 'job'!
- * 'Poorer and regional Australian students lag behind richer peers, report finds' If the Guardian report is any guide, this probably expensive Deloitte report offers almost nothing new about the problem and 'solutions'....other than the economy getting a possible $200bn boost etc etc.
- NOVEMBER 2019
- * 'Abused and intimidated': Australia a world leader in school bullying' SMH Nov 29. Another league table with an unhappy story. Interesting to see this a day after '50,000 children missing from school: Australia’s 'hidden disaster' revealed', a report in The Age. Is it just me or can others see the connection between the two stories?
- * 'Two in five parents regret the school they chose for their kids' SMH reports on a CIS survey which is interesting as far as it goes...which is not far enough.
- * SMH analyses the long journeys to school for selective school students, with an additional report on the impact of partially selective schools. But this is just the tip of the iceberg of the total numbers commuting long distances to school.
- * 'Don’t blame the teacher: student results are (mostly) out of their hands.' An interesting study of twins reported by Callie Little in The Conversation.
- * 'Private school funding growth rate almost doubles state school growth rate' ...despite a slowdown in enrolment growth. The Age. Not new news but good to see it get oxygen.
- And this may help explain, in a symbolic way: 'Government schools excluded from Coalition's $10m drought education funding' The Guardian
- OCTOBER 2019
- * 'New vision for school system means students wouldn't need to choose between theory and skills' Jordan Baker's longer report on the NSW curriculum review. SMH. Also - a 'please explain' podcast. Also (earlier) 'ATAR has failed students, universities and business, so let's replace it by 2025' Adrian Piccoli in the SMH.
- * 'The debate over private schooling has missed its impact on city traffic' ABC News Interesting research puts some numbers around what we know.
- * 'Choosing a school for your kid? Here’s how other Australian parents do it' Jen Jackson in The Conversation.
- * Co-ed versus single-sex schools: 'It's about more than academic outcomes' Cenina Ribeira in The Guardian. A good update on what is otherwise a pointless topic (After 10 years as P of a boys' school I can say that)
- * 'Private schools must learn to live without government funding' Crispin Hull in The Canberra Times.
- * 'NAPLAN results to be demoted on MySchool website' The Age.
- * Another perspective on ending private schools. New Daily. Also, Brigid Delaney asks us to 'Imagine a city with no elite private schools or prohibitive house prices – I've lived there' Guardian.
· * Julie Sonnemann (Grattan) writes: 'There's an easy fix to improve teaching and lift student performance' Nine media. We've been there before in NSW but arguably didn't do it
-
- SEPTEMBER 2019
-
- * Has NAPLAN failed its most important test? Essential read: Tom Greenwell puts NAPLAN in its wider context in Inside Story
- * UK Labour wants to integrate all private schools into the state sector. The Eton old boy (Boris) says it would cost 7 billion pounds ($A12.8bn). It raises many interesting questions as I explain in Pearls and Irritations. Also Paul Kidson in The Conversation scans the legal/constitutional protections for private schools in Australia, and raises wider equity issues.
- * 'America’s Wildly Successful Socialist Experiment' The Atlantic. Does this conver a message about school system competition? I think so!
- * 'Myths about teachers’ pay are derailing the Australian debate' Julie Sonnemann and Jonathan Nolan in Inside Story.
- * 'Private schools: to have and have not' Interesting data and even some insights from the ANZ bank. Also more data on school enrolments from Zoran Endekov in The Conversation.
- * 'Business lobby urges radical overhaul of school funding based on job success' Gee, that's a variation on a fairly useless theme.
- * 'Back to the drawing board: NAPLAN overhaul on the cards in three-state review' It's a bit like climate change: the states drive the much needed changes while the federal government sits on its hands.
- * Engines of Privilege review – a challenge to Britain's private schools? Melissa Benn in The Guardian (UK).
- * So Labor now supports the Coalition's choice and affordability slush fund! Put your hand up if you are surprised. Thought not!
- * 'NAPLAN results show Year 3 students perform better than Year 9 in writing, and it’s a worrying trend' Stewart Riddle in The Convo. This is one of the better reports on NAPLAN results. Wanna know my take? Year 9 probably don't take NAPLAN seriously!
- * 'Business lobby urges radical overhaul of school funding based on job success' Gee, that's a variation on a fairly useless theme.
- * 'Back to the drawing board: NAPLAN overhaul on the cards in three-state review' It's a bit like climate change: the states drive the much needed changes while the federal government sits on its hands.
- * Engines of Privilege review – a challenge to Britain's private schools? Melissa Benn in The Guardian (UK).
- * So Labor now supports the Coalition's choice and affordability slush fund! Put your hand up if you are surprised. Thought not!
- * 'NAPLAN results show Year 3 students perform better than Year 9 in writing, and it’s a worrying trend' Stewart Riddle in The Convo. This is one of the better reports on NAPLAN results. Wanna know my take? Year 9 probably don't take NAPLAN seriously!
- AUGUST 2019
* Goodness how time flies, it's NAPLAN reporting season again. And apparently results progressively decline from Year 3 to Year 9. What a surprise! Once again: serious hand-wringing, without any attempt to join all the dots. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Edu-comment A nice quote: "the more diverse we are when we gather, the more we stimulate, challenge and goad one another to greater heights of imagination and creativity". Professor Ian Harper quoted by Ross Gittins. So what happens when our schools become even less inclusive and diverse? On the same note, this reflection from Bruce Elder is worth reading.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
And * Lyndsay Connors lays out an exquisite yet troubling analysis of the abandoned role of government in educating our children. A must-read! Also she shows how we are now reaping the whirlwind created by consumers and providers in school education.
* August is quiet on the school front but two articles in The Age on August 5 tell a story. The first shows that the barriers some kids face in finding a school ('The students with disabilities excluded from our schools' Melissa Raine in The Age). The second 'Competition fierce for places at private Melbourne girls' schools' is the flipside. Maybe the families in the first article could tell the families in the second about a real problem?
JULY 2019
- * 'Almost half of Adelaide public high school students live outside their zone' ABC News. And a closer look soon reveals why: The most affected schools are usually higher ICSEA schools.
- * 'Only three Australian high schools able to overcome disadvantage: study' SMH etc. Another brilliant (?) piece from CIS, an organisation which not only ignores the elephant in the room but knows how to tip-toe around its droppings!
- * Looks like the debate about selective schools has reached WA: Perth Modern School increasingly out of reach for disadvantaged gifted students, experts warn ABC News
- * Victorian state schools shortchanged under 'escape clause' The Age, July 8. Trevor Cobbold shows how Victoria, like the other states, are effectively cheating on their school funding obligations. See his report. My current work is showing that the states have a big incentive NOT to properly fund their schools. Watch this space.
- * 'Not spoilers, wreckers or lunatics': Mark Latham sets sights on schools' Love this tongue-in-cheek headline in the SMH report. Looks like Latham has found a fools-gold mine of discredited ideas.
- * Trevor Cobbold has once again nailed the funding issue with his new report using latest figures. The facts about school funding in Australia take inflation into account and show that public schools are seriously under-funded. Small wonder: 'A private school gets a castle-library, while we fundraise for public school music lessons' from Selina Ribeireo in the Guardian.
- * 'Sending new teachers to difficult schools could be driving them out of the profession' Interesting report in The Guardian.
- * With Piccoli and Stokes out of the way the NSW government is foraging around in the conservative treasure chest of useless ideas. After the selective school decision we now will have more monitoring and control (read Jordan Baker's comment). Kellie Bousfield in The Conversation explains how 'giving schools extra money only if they meet ‘outcomes’ can hamper teaching standards'
- * 'Country kids left behind as education gap widens' Comprehensive report in The Age. Yes, but which country kids? And did you know that kids have to attend school to learn? This stunning finding is in a SMH news report on attandance rates.
- * Trevor Cobbold has once again nailed the funding issue with his new report using latest figures. The facts about school funding in Australia take inflation into account and show that public schools are seriously under-funded. Small wonder: 'A private school gets a castle-library, while we fundraise for public school music lessons' from Selina Ribeireo in the Guardian.
- * 'Sending new teachers to difficult schools could be driving them out of the profession' Interesting report in The Guardian.
- * With Piccoli and Stokes out of the way the NSW government is foraging around in the conservative treasure chest of useless ideas. After the selective school decision we now will have more monitoring and control (read Jordan Baker's comment). Kellie Bousfield in The Conversation explains how 'giving schools extra money only if they meet ‘outcomes’ can hamper teaching standards'
- * 'Country kids left behind as education gap widens' Comprehensive report in The Age. Yes, but which country kids? And did you know that kids have to attend school to learn? This stunning finding is in a SMH news report on attandance rates.
- * Trevor Cobbold reviews some of the latest reports which show the how money matters for the achievement of low SES students.
- * Ah, but all is not lost it seems: 'Plan to help state's gifted students thrive' - the SMH reports on the NSW government's sop to those not selected. A good idea if its introduction will see a reduction in the number of selective schools....AND if the new opportunities for students were personalised.
- * 'Complete surprise': new selective school Berejiklian captain's call. SMH June 6. Complete opposition sums up the main response, incl from the SMH.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Edu-comment New selective school in SW Sydney? An unbelievably stupid decision! Our Institutionalised Separation paper shows the likely impact. For most local students, this new school will turn disadvantage into disaster. It is hard to find a decision that so obviously flies in the face of evidence! Read more of my response in Pearls and Irritations.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- MAY 2019
- * Seven years after the Gonski reforms, why is school funding still so inequitable? - asks Jordan Baker in the SMH on election day. It is a pity Labor hasn't asked this question.
- * Peter Goss follows up with a punchy article in the SMH. Meanwhile, Adrian Piccoli wants a review of the 80:20 funding: 'No logic': calls for a review of state-federal school funding split' ....as does an editorial in the SMH.
- * 'Private school funding growth outstrips public schools' despite Gonski' SMH etc. Well done Grattan Institute (and Jordan Baker at SMH), some real issues at last.
Edu-comment: After the early work done by Bernie Shepherd and Chris Bonner on these matters it is so rewarding to see our findings confirmed, improved and expanded by the Grattan Institute, amongst others. Good work from Peter Goss and Julie Sonnemann. More comments in Pearls and Irritations.
- * Finally, a substantial media scan of the big equity issues which have remained (and shall remain) off the election agenda.
- * 'Christian schools urge parents to vote for religious freedom on Saturday' SMH. Good idea...and vote to cut themselves free of the wicked State...and its school funding.
- * 'Some Catholic schools in key marginals get more government aid than public schools' Guardian. Indeed they do, and in many other places as well!
- * Dan Teehan as education minister is singularly unimpressive, but he is right to lean on the states to do their bit for public schools.
- * This election is even more depressing than usual. So read my take from the school education perspective and become more depressed! True, Labor has tackled some hard questions, but they have a long way to go.
- * Is this a solution to the selective school problem? 'The battle over who gets into elite public high schools' Education Week (US)
- APRIL 2019
- * This is a good read out of the US: 'The Benefits of Socioeconomically and Racially Integrated Schools and Classrooms' - from The Century Foundation. Timely reinforcement of the benefits of bridging and linking.
- * Very interesting, if brief, publication Improving Educational Equity in Australia - just out from the Gonski Institute. It will help open the door to conversations about policy options. There is substantial other work addressing these themes currently under way.
- * 'Public schools actually outperform private schools, and with less money' David Zyngier and Pennie White in The Conversation.
- * Some good pre-election pieces by Pete Goss in the Convo. Grattan also says 'Cut Catholic and private school fund, raise teaching ATARs' ... reported in the SMH.
- * My School is updated this week (April 10), showing 2018 data and 2017 finance data. I have a little team sorting out what it tells us. Watch this space!
- * 'Very suspicious': the schools cracking down on enrolment fraud SMH
- * Extended piece on NAPLAN etc by Jordan Baker in the SMH. Related and bigger issues addressed by James Ludwig in an AARE blog.
-
* '$500m funding for new private school classrooms'SMH. So there really IS an election soon! * Peter Goss gives a pre-election school funding update in The Conversation. * 'Parents threaten to chain themselves to classrooms over plan to slash enrolments'.ABC News. In reality this is a story about governments trying to deal with the massive diseconomies created by choice. * Trevor Cobbold has been refused access to data about distribution of funds to Catholic schools. Read this and laugh, then weep, then get angry. * How to choose the right school. Published on a Sunday! on a related note, read 'The move in, move out families gaming Melbourne school zones'
- FEBRUARY 2019
- Very significant: 'Why school shopping is killing off the local high school' SMH Feb 25. Then, almost as a follow-up, 'It drags down the average': School shopping has a cost, experts warn. SMH, Feb 27
- * Trevor Cobbold has picked up on a Joint Committee's criticism of the Federal Ed Dept monitoring (?) of school funding.
- * Tom Greenwell points to pre-school education as the next great social policy reform. Inside Story
- * Three reports from the SMH "Schools' Summit" addressed forthcoming changes to the HSC, ATAR and university entry - also the challenges facing rural schools (yes, but which ones?).
- * 'Private schools to reap hundreds of thousands in extra payments' SMH Feb
- * 'Public Schools are Defrauded by Billions Under New Funding Agreements' writes Trevor Cobbold in Pearls and Irritations. Original here.
- * 'Deals mean fewer schools will meet funding target' SMH Feb 3
- 'Winners and losers': school shopping widens education gap' Jordan Baker's report in Fairfax on Chris Bonnor’s latest research through CPD.
- See Separating scholars: how Australia abandons its struggling schools. Also summary report in Inside Story and in Pearls and Irritations
- 'Money matters for student outcomes' Trevor Cobbold refers to new evidence from the US. P&I Feb 1
JANUARY 2019
- 'Questions loom over legal validity of school funding' Anna Patty in Fairfax. DOGS Mark2 anyone?
- Lyndsay Connors: 'Curiouser and curiouser, the marketing of private schools' in P&I As usual Lyndsay raises the issues others miss.
- 'The 'Uberfication' of education: warning about commercial operators' Sun Herald. A timely wake-up call.
- 'Are we really running schools like factories?' asks Tom Greenwell in Inside Story. Tom visits Lindfield Learning village, opening this year, and tells the story of innovative schools.
- 'Are Australian classrooms really the most disruptive in the world? Not if you look at the whole picture' says Jonathon Sergeant in the Convo
- he ABC presents a sometimed silly sometimed deep analysis of sachool choice.
- A nice wrap up of 2018 by Bronwyn Hinz in The Conversation.
- NSW continues to distance itself from the Morrison government, this time over Gonski.
- 'HSC rankings don’t show how effective schools are'. Jo Tovey in The Guardian. Other reports on HSC results are almost as silly as usual.
- Media reports the findings of the selective schools review. The review has been underwhelming but they did as well as they had been asked. Watch this space.
- It isn't often we see a problem and a solution in the same media on the same day: SMH reports the education ministers are worried about how the mix of online AND pen and paper NAPLAN results might look. Rob Stokes has the solution: 'Let's end our neo-liberal school testing fixation'.
- Lyndsay Connors and Jim McMorrow remind us that the Gonski recommendations need to be up there in lights for next year's election.
- 'Too much being taught' says federal minister Dan Tehan about curriculum....but his other comments stand at odds with Gonski 2.0 and maybe the current NSW review. What price yet another curriculum cultural war early next year?
- 'Two myths fuel the pressure to excel in the ATAR' by Andrew Martin in Fairfax. More good reason for a rethink.
- 'Significant sacrifices: private school parents worry about high fees' Fairfax, Dec 5. Does this sound familiar? It's a form of push polling: do the survey, raise the anxiety, increase the pressure. Quite routine. Ho Hum!
- NSW could pilot 'morning and afternoon schools' Rob Stokes says. SMH Dec 5. Not with conventional schools it couldn't...but a nice stimulus to rethink how we should 'do school'.
- 'Where you live is determining your school's NAPLAN score' SMH Nov 28. And the researchers have shown that this is worsening. Read the analysis by the Macquarie Uni academics. A wonderful application of geographical information system technology. Adrian Picolli comments. Note that the research doesn't (and can't) take into account non-local enrolments - a big factor which worsens the findings.
- When spending on public schools just isn't: Trevor Cobbold challenges what is counted and reveals who loses. See 'Public chools are swindled by billions under new education agreements' and the Fairfax report on his findings.
- ABC News has completed exhaustive research on school funding and released the findings today November 22. See 'Counting the cost of the education revolution' in its web version. The interactive section (just type in your own school and see how you stand) is brilliant. It raises questions to be answered about schools in all sectors. Both Lyndsay Connors and I comment in P&I. This debate has only just begun.
- Trevor Cobbold has taken a close look at OECD's Equity in Education and it isn't good news for Australia. Trevor's report tells how Australia has one of the most socially segregated schools systems in the world. See it also in Pearls and Irritations. Trevor also highlights yet another report which shows that funding public schools matters!
- The ongoing war over discrimination involving LBQTI kids and teachers hasn't gone away. An Anglican school head tries to explain it all, while Cathy Sherry says it doesn't make sense.
- Sam Maiden outlines 'How the Catholic schools sector outplayed the Coalition' Guardian
- Detailed report in Good Weekend (Fairfax) on the growing number of Big Picture schools in Australia. Tells it from many perspectives...worth a read.
- Advantaged schools get first call on the best teachers. Media release from SOS. Trevor has revealed implications from a recent PISA report. Significant!
- 'Travelling tutors could bridge the $50 billion bush education gap' SMH reports on the Economic impact of improving regional, rural and remote education in Australia - the first Gonski Institute production.
- Latest from Grattan Institute has created many headlines: 'Attending public or private school makes no difference in Naplan progress' in The Guardian. 'NSW falls behind...' SMH. 'Why some NSW students are a full term ahead' SMH How much can we make of all this?
- Lyndsay Connors puts the record straight on the gay discrimination front: 'Morality, marketing or a strange convergence of both?' P&I.
- Back to funding: Natasha Robinson (ABC) investigates current issues. Trevor Cobbold crunches the numbers in a telling analysis. Adrian 'Piccoli accuses Catholics of bullying over school funding' SMH.
- Scott Morrison's policy gymnastics on the gay students issue are a source of fun.
- Christian Schools Australia argues that their schools are being pushed into a corner. Also see Edu-fact check (left). As a recent poll indicates, they are way out of step with public opinion on the expelling students issue.
- 'Religious freedom review enshrines right of schools to turn away gay children and teachers' Various reports from the SMH, ABC. The Guardian sums it up. This issue of private school discrimination against LGBTI community will get an airing.
- 'Labor pledges a $14bn public school boost' Too much is unknown to get too excited. How does it relate to other pledges, Gonski 1.0, 2.0 etc?
- 'Premier calls archbishop in Rome over funding' Yet another pollie jumps to the Catholic schools lobby.
- Getting away from money, be sure to read Phil Lambert's 'Students need different skills for a changing world', a timely comment.
- 'Religious freedom review enshrines right of schools to turn away gay children and teachers' Various reports from the SMH, ABC. This issue of private school discrimination against LGBTI community will get an airing.
- Here is a catch-up on events for the rest of September (viewed from afar).
- Trevor Cobbold has taken a closer look at PISA participation and what it means. Read his significant report.
- The Guardian reports on Australia's huge spending on private education. Lyndsay Connors explains why we need a reality check. ABC News adds up the billions to come from the Coalition's recent deal.....as does The Guardian. Meanwhile Rob Stokes fires a shot across his federal colleagues' bows.....with Adrian Piccoli following up with a broadside! For public schools the situation may be worsening as it seems that the states are fudging the figures in their attempt to reach their SRS funding commitments.
- In The Guardian, Lyndsay Connors provides what has to be essential reading on the wider context.
- And the outstanding commentary and analysis just keeps coming. Grattan's Pete Goss does a demolition job on claims by Catholic school peak groups about their schools' need for more funding to maintain choice.....and the Chair of the National School Resourcing Board says that the extra funding wasn't the Board's idea.
- The Fairfax papers have reported on projected stagnation of Catholic school enrolments.
The headings of the following articles tell their own story. The Fairfax media journalists and editorials are consistently critical:
- Special funding for Catholic Schools worsens dispute it was meant to settle editorial, Australian Financial Review, 23 September 2018 at:https://www.afr.com/news/policy/education/special-funding-for-catholic-schools-worsens-dispute-it-was-meant-to-settle-20180923-h15qkm
- ‘Catholic funds boost ‘excessive’, editorial, The Age at
- Jennifer Hewett, ‘Tehan seems excessively optimistic’ in Australian Financial Review, 24 September 2018 at https://www.afr.com/opinion/columnists/education-minister-dan-tehan-excessively-optimistic-about-solving-school-funding-20180923-h15qll
- Michael Koziol, ‘ Catholic funds boost ‘excessive’, Grattan Institute analysis, The Age, 24 September 2018 at https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/morrison-government-giving-catholic-schools-10-times-what-they-need-analysis-20180923-p505gz.html
- ‘Buying school peace with temporary cash’ Australian Financial R3view, 25 September 2018, editorial, p. 38 at https://www.afr.com/opinion/editorials/buying-school-peace-with-temporary-prosperity-20180924-h15t46
- ‘School Funding deal lacks transparency, editorial The Age, 25 September 2018 at https://www.theage.com.au/national/school-funding-deal-lacks-transparency-20180924-p505ps.html
- ‘Catholic schools tipped to Stagnate’, Henrietta Cook at https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/catholic-enrolments-set-to-stagnate-over-next-decade-20180926-p5067m.html
The Murdoch Press, not unsurprisingly, gives columns to Catholic system lobbyist from the Victorian Catholic Education Commission, former liberal MP, Stephen Elder and his attempt to answer critics. The Australian which is behind a pay wall, had these articles on the Funding Wars:
- ‘Catholic Schools to Fight for State Cash’, The Australian, 26 September 2018 and
- Rosie Lewis, ‘Catholics swipe aty predictable complaints’ over funding deal’, The Australian, 25 September 2018
But The Guardian provides perhaps the most extensive analysis of the ‘funding wars’ issue with the possibility that the extra grants may not get through the Senate :
· ‘ Greens seek to disallow big chunk of extra funding to Catholic schools’ 21 September 2018 at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/sep/21/greens-seek-to-disallow-big-chunk-of-extra-funding-to-catholic-schools
· Lyndsay Connors, ‘Coalition recycles old nonsense with business-as-usual schools deal’, 23 September 2018 at:https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/22/coalition-recycles-old-nonsense-with-business-as-usual-schools-package
· Coalition admits states could derail its $4.6bn for Catholic and independent schools on 23 September at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/sep/23/coalition-admits-states-could-derail-its-46bn-for-catholic-and-independent-schools
· Victoria's Catholic education head appears to claim credit for minister's scalp on 24 September at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/sep/24/victorias-catholic-education-head-appears-to-claim-credit-for-ministers-scalp and
· States seek public education deal after Coalition's Catholic school handout on 26 September at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/sep/26/states-seek-public-education-deal-after-coalitions-catholic-school-handout
· Government threatens to withhold billions in school funding unless states back new deal at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/sep/27/government-threatens-to-withhold-billions-in-school-funding-unless-states-back-new-deal
- Following recent focus on selective schools it's interesting to see early signs of a rethink about school choice. A few days ago: 'School shopping': The trend leaving Sydney's high schools half-empty' Now 'New out-of-area policy to crack down on school shoppers' and 'Maria sent her daughter to the so-called 'bad school and she hasn't looked back' Both SMH, Sept 8.
- And it's on again, the school funding protection racket: SMH and Guardian report on pending deals with Catholic schools.
- 'Why Scott Morrison sends his daughters to private school' SMH and also in The Guardian. Values free...John Howard circa 2004. Here we go again....
- September 3 Good idea - new standards for teachers in NSW, including emotional intelligence and commitment to public education values etc. And a bad idea: St Ives North PS gifted and talented program. Half the students to come from out of area, stuffing up everyone else. Where are their public education values?