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News bulletins from the Australian Council for Educational Research published January 2008 3134 subscribers Subscribe Now In this issue: School funding system a maze that encourages blame shifting Study reveals ICT proficiency of Australian students An excellent teacher for every child Teacher education courses in Victoria ACER UPDATE Education the key to overcoming disadvantage School funding system a maze that encourages blame shifting Australia must develop a national and transparent model of school funding based on comprehensible measures of need applying equally across the sectors if the funding debate in this country is to rise above a sterile ideological battle, argues a policy paper released by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). In the first of a planned series of policy papers from ACER, Dr Andrew Dowling describes the processes of school funding that currently exist in Australia and argues that more can be done to implement a consistent and transparent system. Continue reading » Study reveals ICT proficiency of Australian students Australia’s educators and policy makers now have a comprehensive picture of the level of ICT literacy of Australia’s Year 6 and 10 students following a landmark study completed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The report of the National Assessment Program – ICT Literacy Years 6 and 10 was released this week by the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA). It reports on a study conducted in 2005 involving approximately 7400 students from Years 6 and 10 in around 520 schools across Australia. Continue reading » An excellent teacher for every child The Rudd government was elected with the promise of a ‘revolution’ to provide Australia with a world-class education system. Why is an education revolution required, and what forms could it take? In this recent opinion article, published in The Canberra Times, ACER chief executive Professor Geoff Masters looks at Australia's education priorities. Continue reading » Teacher education courses in Victoria Teachers need deep content knowledge and comprehensive understanding of student learning processes to be effective in the classroom, says the latest ACER paper on teacher education. A study by Lawrence Ingvarson, Adrian Beavis and Elizabeth Kleinhenz has been published in the European Journal of Teacher Education. The study investigated the characteristics of effective pre-service education programs, essentially asking the question: What changes should be made to teacher education courses to better prepare future teachers? Continue reading » ACER UPDATE ACER and VIF Program to provide exchange opportunities for Australian teachers ACER has formed an alliance with the Visiting International Faculty Program (VIF), the United States’ largest international-exchange program for teachers, to help provide Australian teachers with an opportunity to teach in the United States and share knowledge and teaching skills with American colleagues. ACER will work closely with primary and secondary Australian educators interested in applying to teach in the U.S. with the VIF Program. ACER will handle applications from Australian teachers. Between 60 and 100 teachers Australian teachers will be selected for the exchange program and they will be posted in the US for short period of up to two years. Information on how to apply for the program will be posted on the ACER website in late February. Read ACER's Media Release. Physical activity and bodyweight of 17-year-olds examined A briefing paper from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), published by ACER, describes the physical activity and body weight reported by a sample of more than 7000 17 year-olds during 2005. It reports on their participation levels in sport and exercise, their health, body mass index (BMI) and associations between these and other characteristics. Overall, while 85 per cent of young people reported playing regular sport or exercise, only 25 per cent reported playing sport or exercise on a daily basis. Seventy-two per cent of the survey’s participants rated their general health as either excellent or very good. However, one fifth had a BMI placing them in the overweight to obese weight range, sparking concern. Hoops, hurdles and high jumps: Physical activity and bodyweight among 17 year-olds was published as LSAY Briefing Number 13 and is available from LSAY page of this website. Teacher Magazine achieves Bell Awards success Teacher Magazine was successful at the 2007 Publishers Australia Bell Awards taking out an award or being highly commended in three categories. Writer of the Year - Rebecca Leech, Teacher Magazine - Winner Business to Business Magazine of the Year - Teacher Magazine - Highly Commended Best Printing - Jillian Coates/Mary Giblin, Teacher Magazine - Highly Commended Education the key to overcoming disadvantage It’s an article of faith that education is the key to overcoming disadvantage and opening the door of opportunity. However young people don’t commence their education from the same starting line as Professor Stephen Dinham explains in this opinion article. Continue reading »
Copyright © Australian Council for Educational Research 2013 All rights reserved. Except under the conditions described in the Copyright Act 1968 of Australia and subsequent amendments, no part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without written permission. Please address any requests to reproduce information to communications@acer.edu.au Subscribe Unsubscribe Australian Council for Educational Research Private Bag 55, Camberwell, Victoria Australia 3124 Tel: + 61 3 9277 5555 Fax: + 61 3 9277 5500 Web: www.acer.edu.au

News bulletins from the Australian Council for Educational Research published January 2008
3134 subscribers
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In this issue:

School funding system a maze that encourages blame shifting

Australia must develop a national and transparent model of school funding based on comprehensible measures of need applying equally across the sectors if the funding debate in this country is to rise above a sterile ideological battle, argues a policy paper released by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).

In the first of a planned series of policy papers from ACER, Dr Andrew Dowling describes the processes of school funding that currently exist in Australia and argues that more can be done to implement a consistent and transparent system.

Study reveals ICT proficiency of Australian students

Australia’s educators and policy makers now have a comprehensive picture of the level of ICT literacy of Australia’s Year 6 and 10 students following a landmark study completed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).

The report of the National Assessment Program – ICT Literacy Years 6 and 10 was released this week by the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA). It reports on a study conducted in 2005 involving approximately 7400 students from Years 6 and 10 in around 520 schools across Australia.

An excellent teacher for every child

The Rudd government was elected with the promise of a ‘revolution’ to provide Australia with a world-class education system. Why is an education revolution required, and what forms could it take? In this recent opinion article, published in The Canberra Times, ACER chief executive Professor Geoff Masters looks at Australia's education priorities.

Teacher education courses in Victoria

Teachers need deep content knowledge and comprehensive understanding of student learning processes to be effective in the classroom, says the latest ACER paper on teacher education.

A study by Lawrence Ingvarson, Adrian Beavis and Elizabeth Kleinhenz has been published in the European Journal of Teacher Education. The study investigated the characteristics of effective pre-service education programs, essentially asking the question: What changes should be made to teacher education courses to better prepare future teachers?

ACER UPDATE

ACER and VIF Program to provide exchange opportunities for Australian teachers

ACER has formed an alliance with the Visiting International Faculty Program (VIF), the United States’ largest international-exchange program for teachers, to help provide Australian teachers with an opportunity to teach in the United States and share knowledge and teaching skills with American colleagues.

ACER will work closely with primary and secondary Australian educators interested in applying to teach in the U.S. with the VIF Program. ACER will handle applications from Australian teachers. Between 60 and 100 teachers Australian teachers will be selected for the exchange program and they will be posted in the US for short period of up to two years. Information on how to apply for the program will be posted on the ACER website in late February. Read ACER's Media Release.

Physical activity and bodyweight of 17-year-olds examined

A briefing paper from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), published by ACER, describes the physical activity and body weight reported by a sample of more than 7000 17 year-olds during 2005. It reports on their participation levels in sport and exercise, their health, body mass index (BMI) and associations between these and other characteristics.

Overall, while 85 per cent of young people reported playing regular sport or exercise, only 25 per cent reported playing sport or exercise on a daily basis. Seventy-two per cent of the survey’s participants rated their general health as either excellent or very good. However, one fifth had a BMI placing them in the overweight to obese weight range, sparking concern.

Hoops, hurdles and high jumps: Physical activity and bodyweight among 17 year-olds was published as LSAY Briefing Number 13 and is available from LSAY page of this website.

Teacher Magazine achieves Bell Awards success

Teacher Magazine was successful at the 2007 Publishers Australia Bell Awards taking out an award or being highly commended in three categories.

Writer of the Year - Rebecca Leech, Teacher Magazine - Winner
Business to Business Magazine of the Year - Teacher Magazine - Highly Commended
Best Printing - Jillian Coates/Mary Giblin, Teacher Magazine - Highly Commended

Education the key to overcoming disadvantage

It’s an article of faith that education is the key to overcoming disadvantage and opening the door of opportunity. However young people don’t commence their education from the same starting line as Professor Stephen Dinham explains in this opinion article.

All rights reserved. Except under the conditions described in the Copyright Act 1968 of Australia and subsequent amendments, no part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without written permission. Please address any requests to reproduce information to communications@acer.edu.au

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Australian Council for Educational Research
Private Bag 55, Camberwell, Victoria Australia 3124
Tel: + 61 3 9277 5555
Fax: + 61 3 9277 5500
Web: www.acer.edu.au