Research Developments - Articles online
Where to now for early childhood education and care?
Early childhood education and care has been a rapidly growing part of Australian education for over twenty years and now caters for more than half a million Australian children. Yet there is little consistency and continuity between learning programs, no agreed or desirable learning outcomes and large numbers of unqualified or minimally qualified staff. Alison Elliott examines the issues. Click here to read the article.
Download references and further reading from this article (PDF format: 36 kb)
Why parents choose public or private schools
Assumptions have often been made about what parents are looking for in the school they select for their children but there has been little evidence to support these assumptions. An ACER study for The Sydney Morning Herald looked into the reasons behind the drift away from public schools in Australia and asked what do parents really think of our schools? Adrian Beavis, the report's author, discusses its findings. Click here to read the article.
View the full report on the Sydney Morning Herald website
Evaluation of school-based arts education programs in Australian schools
Participation in school-based arts education programs can have a positive impact on students' engagement with learning, according to recent ACER research. However, there was little statistical evidence of improvement in academic progress as a result of participation in arts education. Jennifer Bryce reports on the study.
Reading for pleasure and literacy achievement
Helping children to develop an interest in books and reading can not only be enjoyable for adults and children alike but also have an important positive influence on reading achievement. Marion Meiers outlines research that emphasises the importance of engagement with reading.
