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News bulletins from the Australian Council for Educational Research published May 2011 3134 subscribers Subscribe Now In this issue: Aptitude testing in university admissions Study reveals nature of school-community partnerships First insight into coursework postgrad student engagement Indigenous students highly engaged with university study Strengthening links between teacher pay and performance ACER Update Aptitude testing in university admissions An ACER report released this week by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations calls for the wider use of aptitude testing to ensure that senior secondary students with the capacity to do well at university are able to gain admission. Report co-author, ACER Higher Education Research Director, Associate Professor Hamish Coates said there is a need to develop new approaches to university selection that are simple and transparent for prospective students, and that maintain practical benefits for institutions. Continue reading » Study reveals nature of school-community partnerships An analysis of applications for the inaugural NAB Schools First awards reveals almost all (98 per cent) of the 801 applications for an Impact Award made by primary and secondary schools from around Australia in 2009 were said to have benefited students. ACER has analysed the rich database of information provided by schools in their applications to learn more about why schools are forming partnerships with business and community groups, the kinds of partnerships being formed, and the impact these partnerships are having in improving outcomes for students. Continue reading » First insight into coursework postgrad student engagement Results from a new study of coursework postgraduate students’ engagement in education suggest that, while coursework postgraduates in Australasia tend to have higher levels of engagement than undergraduate students, Australian and New Zealand higher education providers could do more to improve student and staff interactions and provide enriching educational experiences. More than 10 000 students from 15 higher education providers in Australia and New Zealand participated in the first full administration of the Postgraduate Survey of Student Engagement (POSSE) in 2010. ACER released a research briefing paper on the results in late April. Continue reading » Indigenous students highly engaged with university study Indigenous university students experience similar or higher levels of satisfaction and engagement with learning than their non-Indigenous peers, according to a research briefing paper from the Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE) released in May. The analysis also reveals that Indigenous students rate their relationships with other students and teaching staff just as positively as non-Indigenous students do and are significantly more likely to report positive relationships with administrative staff. Yet despite such positive findings, Indigenous students are significantly more likely to seriously consider leaving their current institution prior to completing their studies. Continue reading » Strengthening links between teacher pay and performance In this opinion article, originally published in The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, ACER Principal Research Fellow Dr Lawrence Ingvarson argues that the best reason for linking teacher pay and performance is to encourage teachers to develop their practice to the point where they can demonstrate they have attained high professional standards. Continue reading » ACER Update Principal for a Day Community and business leaders throughout Queensland will next week experience life as a school principal when they participate in the Principal for a Day program that is being held from 23 to 27 May to coincide with State Education Week. Principal for a Day is a collaboration between schools and their communities that aims to increase and strengthen relationships, based on knowledge and understanding, between the private sector and education. It is a unique opportunity for business and community leaders to shadow a school principal to gain a first hand behind-the-scenes experience of the strengths and challenges facing our schools every day. Victoria’s Principal for a Day event takes place this year on Tuesday 23 August. The program is a joint partnership between ACER and the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) and has been running in Victoria since 2001. Schools and community and business leaders interested in participating in the 2011 event can obtain more information from www.acer.edu.au/pfad or by contacting Ms Viv Acker on 03 9277 5617 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) NAB Schools First Only one week remains to enter the NAB Schools First Student Award. Implemented for this first time this year, the award gives students an opportunity to implement their own school-community partnership idea. There are five awards up for grabs, with each award including $2000 to help implement the school-community partnership idea, mentoring opportunities, support from the NAB Schools First team and an Apple iPad for the student. Applications close at 5pm on Friday 27 May 2011. For the third consecutive year, schools are invited to apply for a Seed Funding and Impact Award and be in the running to share in over $5 million. In 2011, 60 Impact Award winners will receive $50 000 each and 50 Seed Funding winners will receive $25 000 each. Seed Funding and Impact Award applications open on 20 June and close on 29 July. The winners will be announced in September, followed by the announcement of State and National Awards in October and November. To find out more about NAB Schools First and to download application forms, awards criteria, guidelines and Terms and Conditions visit www.schoolsfirst.edu.au or call 1800 649 141. Research Conference 2011 The ACER Research Conference 2011 Indigenous Education: Pathways to success will be held in Darwin on 7-9 August. The conference will focus on what we can learn from research about creating and sustaining positive educational outcomes for Indigenous students. Presenters will highlight the conditions, contexts, curriculum, pedagogy and practices that establish pathways to success for Indigenous students. The keynote speakers are: Professor Jeannie Herbert, Charles Sturt University, NSW; Professor Lester-Irabinna Rigney, Flinders University, SA; Professor Jonathon Carapetis, Menzies School of Health Research, NT; and Professor Lorna Williams, University of Victoria BC, Canada. The conference will be relevant to those directly involved in Indigenous education as well as those concerned more broadly with what we can learn from research about creating and sustaining positive educational outcomes for Indigenous students. Early bird registrations close 1 July. For more information including the full conference program visit www.acer.edu.au/conference
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 May 2011
3134 subscribers
Subscribe Now

In this issue:

Aptitude testing in university admissions

An ACER report released this week by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations calls for the wider use of aptitude testing to ensure that senior secondary students with the capacity to do well at university are able to gain admission.

Report co-author, ACER Higher Education Research Director, Associate Professor Hamish Coates said there is a need to develop new approaches to university selection that are simple and transparent for prospective students, and that maintain practical benefits for institutions.

Study reveals nature of school-community partnerships

An analysis of applications for the inaugural NAB Schools First awards reveals almost all (98 per cent) of the 801 applications for an Impact Award made by primary and secondary schools from around Australia in 2009 were said to have benefited students.

ACER has analysed the rich database of information provided by schools in their applications to learn more about why schools are forming partnerships with business and community groups, the kinds of partnerships being formed, and the impact these partnerships are having in improving outcomes for students.

First insight into coursework postgrad student engagement

Results from a new study of coursework postgraduate students’ engagement in education suggest that, while coursework postgraduates in Australasia tend to have higher levels of engagement than undergraduate students, Australian and New Zealand higher education providers could do more to improve student and staff interactions and provide enriching educational experiences.

More than 10 000 students from 15 higher education providers in Australia and New Zealand participated in the first full administration of the Postgraduate Survey of Student Engagement (POSSE) in 2010. ACER released a research briefing paper on the results in late April.

Indigenous students highly engaged with university study

Indigenous university students experience similar or higher levels of satisfaction and engagement with learning than their non-Indigenous peers, according to a research briefing paper from the Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (AUSSE) released in May.

The analysis also reveals that Indigenous students rate their relationships with other students and teaching staff just as positively as non-Indigenous students do and are significantly more likely to report positive relationships with administrative staff.

Yet despite such positive findings, Indigenous students are significantly more likely to seriously consider leaving their current institution prior to completing their studies.

Strengthening links between teacher pay and performance

In this opinion article, originally published in The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, ACER Principal Research Fellow Dr Lawrence Ingvarson argues that the best reason for linking teacher pay and performance is to encourage teachers to develop their practice to the point where they can demonstrate they have attained high professional standards.

ACER Update

Principal for a Day

Community and business leaders throughout Queensland will next week experience life as a school principal when they participate in the Principal for a Day program that is being held from 23 to 27 May to coincide with State Education Week.

Principal for a Day is a collaboration between schools and their communities that aims to increase and strengthen relationships, based on knowledge and understanding, between the private sector and education. It is a unique opportunity for business and community leaders to shadow a school principal to gain a first hand behind-the-scenes experience of the strengths and challenges facing our schools every day.

Victoria’s Principal for a Day event takes place this year on Tuesday 23 August. The program is a joint partnership between ACER and the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) and has been running in Victoria since 2001. Schools and community and business leaders interested in participating in the 2011 event can obtain more information from www.acer.edu.au/pfad or by contacting Ms Viv Acker on 03 9277 5617 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

NAB Schools First

Only one week remains to enter the NAB Schools First Student Award. Implemented for this first time this year, the award gives students an opportunity to implement their own school-community partnership idea. There are five awards up for grabs, with each award including $2000 to help implement the school-community partnership idea, mentoring opportunities, support from the NAB Schools First team and an Apple iPad for the student. Applications close at 5pm on Friday 27 May 2011.

For the third consecutive year, schools are invited to apply for a Seed Funding and Impact Award and be in the running to share in over $5 million. In 2011, 60 Impact Award winners will receive $50 000 each and 50 Seed Funding winners will receive $25 000 each. Seed Funding and Impact Award applications open on 20 June and close on 29 July. The winners will be announced in September, followed by the announcement of State and National Awards in October and November.

To find out more about NAB Schools First and to download application forms, awards criteria, guidelines and Terms and Conditions visit www.schoolsfirst.edu.au or call 1800 649 141.

Research Conference 2011

The ACER Research Conference 2011 Indigenous Education: Pathways to success will be held in Darwin on 7-9 August. The conference will focus on what we can learn from research about creating and sustaining positive educational outcomes for Indigenous students.

Presenters will highlight the conditions, contexts, curriculum, pedagogy and practices that establish pathways to success for Indigenous students. The keynote speakers are: Professor Jeannie Herbert, Charles Sturt University, NSW; Professor Lester-Irabinna Rigney, Flinders University, SA; Professor Jonathon Carapetis, Menzies School of Health Research, NT; and Professor Lorna Williams, University of Victoria BC, Canada.

The conference will be relevant to those directly involved in Indigenous education as well as those concerned more broadly with what we can learn from research about creating and sustaining positive educational outcomes for Indigenous students. Early bird registrations close 1 July. For more information including the full conference program visit www.acer.edu.au/conference

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