In this issue:

• Recognising and rewarding teachers
• Quality standards and regulation discussed
• ACER UPDATE

One of the most influential factors in students’ learning is the knowledge, judgement and skill of their teachers. A recent paper by ACER Principal Research Fellow Dr Lawrence Ingvarson in Professional Development in Education reviews the Scottish Chartered Teacher Scheme in the light of international interest in policies designed to promote teacher quality. The Scottish Chartered Teacher Scheme emerged in 2001, designed to recognise and reward teachers who attained high standards of practice. The scheme aimed to attract and retain effective teachers, and to ensure all teachers continue to engage in effective professional learning.

Continue reading »

Australian Universities already have rigorous quality assurance measures in place that deliver a world-class university system but, according to speakers at a University of Melbourne seminar on August 31, more needs to be done to ensure adequate assessment of student achievement and graduate outcomes. Professor Alan Robson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Australia and current chair of the Group of Eight and Dr Hamish Coates, Principal Research Fellow with the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) delivered the third in a series of seminars conducted by the University of Melbourne’s Centre for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE) and the LH Martin Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Management on 31 August. The seminar, Quality Standards and Regulation: the start of a new era, examined the role of the new Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) in monitoring quality and institutional performance.

Continue reading »

Masters joins expert working group

ACER’s chief executive Professor Geoff Masters has accepted an invitation to become Deputy Chair of the Transforming Learning and the Transmission of Knowledge Expert Working Group of the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC). The PMSEIC was established in 1997 as the Government’s principal source of independent advice on issues in science, engineering and innovation and aspects of education and training. The council discusses major national issues in science, engineering and technology and their contribution to the economic and social development of Australia with discussion informed by Expert Working Groups’ independent reports focusing on areas of special interest to the Government.

Conference to discuss the attractiveness of the academic profession

ACER is participating in the LH Martin Institute's first international conference The Attractiveness of the Academic Profession:  The Management Challenge, on October 1-2 in Melbourne. The conference will provide the opportunity to explore the relative attractiveness of the Australian academic profession in comparison to its major competitor systems.

This conference will draw on the results of a major international comparative study on the changing nature of the academic profession undertaken by the University of New England’s Centre for Higher Education Management and Policy (CHEMP) and the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The Changing Nature of the Academic Profession (CAP) project was conducted in around 20 countries over 2007-2008.  It will also be the first opportunity for the researchers involved to use the international dataset that the project has generated. Further information is available from the
LH Martin Institute website

Schools First awards update

The first round of applications for Schools First closed in August and more than 1500 applications were received. ACER has been responsible for evaluating the applications. Schools could apply for an Impact Award, which recognises excellence in school-community partnerships, and/or a Seed Funding Award, which recognises the potential for excellence in these partnerships. According to assessors, applications showed remarkable diversity in terms of the projects that have been set up. The stories were sometimes quite moving; many were inspirational; nearly all showed an excellent understanding of the important contribution that such partnerships can make to improving educational outcomes for students. The three partners – ACER, the Foundation for Young Australians and the National Australia Bank – are all heartened by the level of commitment shown by school communities to harnessing the expertise that exists in these communities. For more information visit www.schoolsfirst.edu.au