In this issue:

• Australian students ranked 2nd in digital reading literacy
• Joint efforts needed to improve the literacy and numeracy skills of Australian adults
• Preparing Mathematics Teachers:  A Study of Teacher Education in 17 Countries
• Understanding children’s road safety knowledge
• 95% of staff in schools experienced workplace bullying
• ACER Update

Australian students ranked second of participating countries in an international assessment of digital reading literacy, with girls performing better than boys, according to an ACER report released in May.

The 'Preparing Australian Students for the Digital World' report reveals Australia’s national results from the Electronic Reading Assessment component of the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009, in which 15-year-old students’ ability to read, understand and apply digital texts was assessed. Students also completed a questionnaire about their access to and use of information and communication technologies at home and school.

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Investment in increasing adult literacy and numeracy levels may be one of the keys to boosting Australia’s productivity, delegates at the first national conference on adult language, literacy and numeracy assessment were told in May.

ACER Senior Research Fellow David Tout said international studies have demonstrated that investment in increasing the literacy and numeracy skills of adults has a direct and positive impact on productivity and GDP per capita.

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Countries that do well in international studies of mathematics achievement, such as Chinese Taipei and Singapore, have strong teacher education programs and quality assurance arrangements. They ensure that teaching is an attractive profession for the most able high school graduates, that the supply of new teachers matches the demand and that graduates meet high standards before gaining full entry to the profession, according to a study jointly managed by ACER.

The Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M) compared how seventeen countries prepared teachers of mathematics, as well as the knowledge these future teachers had of mathematics and how to teach it. The first of several reports from the study was released by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) in April.

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As children around Australia participated in National Walk Safely to School Day in May, research released by ACER revealed that while boys have slightly greater awareness of road safety rules, girls are more likely to obey them.

The research, by ACER Research Fellow Ms Catherine Underwood, examined whether walking to school has an effect on children’s physical activity and ability to move through their neighbourhood without adult supervision, also known as independent mobility.

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Over 95 per cent of staff in schools experienced some form of workplace bullying, with a zero tolerance approach needed to stamp out this behaviour, according to a book launched in May by General Peter Cosgrove AC, MC.

Written by Dr Dan Riley, Dr Deirdre J Duncan and John Edwards, and published by ACER, 'Bullying of Staff in Schools' aims to assist school employees to understand the phenomenon of staff bullying, its existence, the forms it takes, and its impact on staff and their schools.

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Autism Master Class with Tony Atwood and Marilyn J Monteiro

ACER Psychology is hosting ‘Autism Conversations’, a two-day Master Class designed to provide practitioners with current information regarding the identification of and intervention planning for children, adolescents and adults with autism spectrum differences. The Master Class will be co-presented by renowned Aspergers Syndrome expert, Professor Tony Atwood, and, in her first visit to Australia, respected autism spectrum disorder specialist, Dr Marilyn J Monteiro. The ‘Autism Conversations’ Master Class takes place in Brisbane on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 July. For further information on this event and on other autism seminars taking place in July, visit the ACER Psychology website.

Whole school improvement in literacy seminar

Primary and secondary educators with an interest in improving literacy are encouraged to attend the ACER Institute Leading Thinkers seminar, ‘Whole School Improvement in Literacy:  Key questions to guide leadership’. Presented by leading New Zealand literacy expert, Dr Alison Davis, this practical seminar will guide and assist school leaders and teachers of literacy to effectively develop and implement a sustainable school-wide plan for the improvement of literacy. The seminar is being held in Sydney on 13 June, in Melbourne on 14 June and in Brisbane on 31 October 2012. Further information is available on the ACER Institute website.

NAB Schools First applications close soon

Applications for the 2012 NAB Schools First awards close on 29 June. This year there are 55 Impact Awards, 65 Seed Funding Awards and 10 Student Awards to be won, with $3 million in funding is available to 130 outstanding school-community partnerships across the three award categories. The winners will be announced in August.

NAB Schools First is a strong partnership between NAB, ACER and the Foundation for Young Australians. It is Australia’s largest corporate initiative of its kind and is open to all schools around the country. To date, 305 Australian schools have shared in over $15 million award money to support their school-community partnership. To find out more and to download application forms, awards criteria, guidelines, and Terms and Conditions visit www.schoolsfirst.edu.au