Latest PISA results ‘cause for concern’

04/12/2013 by
PISA Infographic

ACER News    |     3 December 2013   Australian mathematics and reading achievement in decline    |     Significant gaps in student achievement by gender, Indigenous status, location and wealth  A report released  by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) reveals the mathematics and reading skills of Australian 15-year-olds have slipped backwards over the past decade.  Releasing the report, PISA 2012: How Australia measures up, ACER’s Director of Educational Monitoring and Research, Dr Sue Thomson said, Despite still performing above the OECD average, Australia’s backwards slide in achievement shows that there is some cause for concern. The 2012 Programme for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: acer, Schools, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Simpson defence doesn’t wash

02/12/2013 by

 Fairfax Media     |      1 December 2013 Pyne fails to justify Gonski backflip In ducking and weaving over his lately revealed determination to demolish the National Schools Plan (aka Gonski) - contrary to assurances before the election - education minister Christopher Pyne has deployed all aspects of the Bart Simpson excuse: I didn't do it; You didn't see me do it; and, You can't prove I did it. But as attested by just about all media commentators and state and education ministers (liberal, national , labor and greens) from those jurisdictions that signed up to the plan, 1) he did do it, 2) everyone's seen him do it and  3) it can be proved he did it.   He's got into name … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coalition policies, Commonwealth policies, Government, Schools, Teaching & learning, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Gonski is gone but can anything be salvaged?

27/11/2013 by
David Zyngier

The Conversation     |    27 November 2013 Federal education minister Christopher Pyne has managed to upset the states and the education community with his declaration to “go back to the drawing board” on the Gonski funding scheme. Although Pyne’s announcement will feel like a bombshell to many, some in the education community saw it coming. During the election, Pyne switched from saying not very much on school funding, to only committing a Coalition government to four years of funding under a “unity ticket” on education. But the previous government’s agreements with the states were for six years, with the bulk of the money going out to schools in the last two years, beyond the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coalition policies, Government, Schools Tagged With: , , , ,

The Scan in October 2013 : Most read items

02/11/2013 by

1 November 2013 Why TAFE matters 25 October 2013  |  The insightful Leesa Wheelahan will soon be decamping the LH Martin Institute to take up the at the University of Toronto.  Here she reflects on the challenges facing the TAFE sector as a result of “VET reform”, which she suggests can only result in a greatly diminished role for TAFE, at great community and social cost....[ READ MORE ]....  Hockey rules out privatisation of HECS 18 October 2013     |    Treasurer Joe Hockey has  hosed down speculation that the government plans to “privatise” student debt, following claims that the right to recoup loans worth about $23 billion may be “sold off” to the private sector. But education … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Budget, Coalition policies, Commonwealth policies, Government, Group of 8, Higher education policy, Holmesglen TAFE, International, International students, La Trobe University, LH Martin Institute, Qualifications, Rankings, TAFE, TEQSA, Uncategorized, University of Melbourne, VET, Vocational education & training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Scan | #142 | 1 November 2013

01/11/2013 by
Terry Speed

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The state of Australian education A report  by the Council of Australian Governments Reform Council shows mixed progress on education. Participation in preschool is high and school outcomes in the early years are improving. Nationally, average scores improved in Years 3 and 5 in reading and in Year 5 in numeracy, but there were no improvements in Years 7 and 9.  Australia is also performing behind top countries in these key areas. Year 12 attainment has increased, particularly for Indigenous … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ANU, Budget, Business Council of Australia, COAG, Coalition policies, Commonwealth policies, Conferences, Government, Grattan Institute, Higher education policy, Industrial relations, International, Life & stuff, Research, Scan Main Edition, Schools, Science, Swinburne University, TAFE, TAFE Directors Australia, TEQSA, Tertiary media, UNSW, VET, Vocational education & training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The state of Australian education

31/10/2013 by
COAG

30 October 2013 A report  by the Council of Australian Governments Reform Council shows mixed progress on education. Participation in preschool is high and school outcomes in the early years are improving. Nationally, average scores improved in Years 3 and 5 in reading and in Year 5 in numeracy, but there were no improvements in Years 7 and 9.  Australia is also performing behind top countries in these key areas. Year 12 attainment has increased, particularly for Indigenous students. More than a quarter of young people are not fully engaged in work or study after leaving school and this has worsened over five years. While 85% of people aged 20 to 24 had completed year 12 or … [Read more...]

Filed Under: COAG, Schools, Uncategorized, universities, VET Tagged With: , ,

The Scan | #141 | 25 October 2013

25/10/2013 by
News Wedge

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Medical research funding announced The government has announced more than $559 million in funding to Australian health and medical research through the National Health and Medical Research Council. This is over $100m less than the previous government allocated in each of the past two years. The Gillard government spent $652m in last year’s October round and a record $674m in 2011, funding some 1140 grants each year.  However, NHMRC funding allocations are staggered through the year, with another substantial round expected in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ANU, Budget, Commonwealth policies, Government, Higher education policy, La Trobe University, LH Martin Institute, Life & stuff, NHMRC, Notices, Qualifications, Regional, Research, Scan Main Edition, TAFE, Torrens University, Uncategorized, Universities Australia, University budgets, VET Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Agrifood workers need training: AWPA

25/10/2013 by
AWPA

A report released by the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency (AWPA) on Australia’s food industry has found the industry needs more highly skilled workers if it is to capitalise on growth opportunities. The Food and beverage workforce study finds our agrifood industry—including both agriculture production and food processing—is in transition, and needs to attract skilled workers to grow new export markets in the Asian region. T he industry employs approximately 553,000 people—and generates around 4% of Australia’s GDP and 11.5% of the value of exports. The AWPA chair Philip Bullock said while Australia’s agriculture output continues to rise and contribute significantly to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: AWPA, Qualifications, TAFE, VET Tagged With: , ,

Low literacy and numeracy skills hurt Australians and the economy

18/10/2013 by
Economist literacy

ACER News   |  9 October 2013 The existence of large numbers of Australians with low literacy and numeracy skills has a negative impact on individuals, the economy and productivity, according the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). Results from the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) have been released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Developed with the support of ACER, the study assessed people aged 15-74 years in 25 countries in terms of proficiency in literacy, numeracy and problem-solving in a technology-rich environment. David Tout, Senior Research Fellow at ACER and a member of the Numeracy Expert Group for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: acer, General Tagged With: , ,

The cone of silence descends

26/09/2013 by

27 September 2013 The difference between being in government and opposition, Tony Blair once famously said, is that in government a minister wakes up and thinks, "what will I do today". In opposition, the spokesperson wakes up and thinks, "what will I say today?" New education minister Christopher Pyne possibly began to appreciate this difference when his public musings about "quantity" versus "quality" (i.e. the pros and cons of the demand driven system),  sparked the most public attention of the nascent government's term (except for deciding not automatically announcing new boat arrivals).  People think that what he says may reflect what he's going to do. It certainly inspired … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coalition policies, Commonwealth policies, Government, Society Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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