In this issue:

• VET programs boost employment prospects
• Are middle school programs effective?
• X, Y and Z: Research charts education across three generations
• ACER UPDATE

Participation in Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs improves the employment prospects and earning power of recent school leavers, a report into VET pathways by school leavers concluded.

The report, released on 18 September, found there are benefits to young men and women in undertaking a VET program rather than entering the workforce without any form of post-school education and training, with completion of a program providing even greater benefits.

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While there is a lot of information available about middle schooling, a critical review of the research found very little hard evidence for its effectiveness – case study and qualitative research tended to predominate.

ACER Research Director for Teaching, Learning and Leadership Professor Stephen Dinham along with Dr Ken Rowe, presented a review of middle school research at the British Educational Research Association conference in Edinburgh this month.

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Three decades of research into young people’s education and post-school transitions reveals trends for future generations.

ACER has conducted extensive research into young people’s education and post-school transitions over the last 30 years, through the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) and earlier studies. ACER Principal Research Fellow Dr Sheldon Rothman and Research Fellow Kylie Hillman presented their findings at the annual ACER conference in Brisbane in August.

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Principal for a Day 2008

The Principal for a Day event was held in Victoria on 2 September. The program, which is delivered by the ACER Leadership Centre in partnership with the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, provides an opportunity to showcase the successes of state education, and opens doors for principals into business and community networks. For business and community leaders, the program provides insight into and better understanding of the young people who represent the future of Victoria. This year’s program involved more than 100 “Principals for a Day” matched with school leaders in primary, secondary and special schools in metropolitan and regional Victoria. The Principal for a Day key was followed by a Forum, on 16 September, in which guest panelists discussed the issues arising from the Principal for a Day program, around the theme “Leadership: Finding the common ground”. Further information on the Principal for a Day program is available from the PFAD website.

ACER International Institute hosts Indian educators

A group of four Indian educators will visit the ACER International Institute in September and October under the Australian Endeavour Scholarship program. The scholarships, funded by the Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, were awarded through the Australian High Commission in Delhi.
The Indian educators will work with ACER International Institute staff to study school-based and system-wide student assessment practices in Australia. The group will be in Australia for six weeks. Four weeks will be based at the ACER offices in Melbourne, and two weeks will be spent in Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane. The educators will visit schools and talk with leaders and teachers about the administration and use of student assessment.