New publications

Indigenous students' results in international tests suggest that initiatives to improve their education has, to date, had little effect. Indigenous students remain over-represented at the lower levels and under-represented at the upper levels of proficiency. Performance of Indigenous students has not improved over time. The report brings together analyses of the achievement of Indigenous students in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy in each of the three cycles of the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) conducted in 2000, 2003 and 2006. Across the three PISA cycles, Indigenous students performed, on average, more than 80 score points lower than non-Indigenous students, and more than 50 score points lower than the OECD average. Adapted from publisher's media release. See also article in The Age 14 July 2009.

Out of school hours learning support programs (LSPs) offer students support with homework and ongoing learning, provide valuable study skills and self-esteem building, and can assist with transitions between secondary and tertiary study. LSPs are particularly important for disadvantaged students who tend to have less access to well-educated adults, educational resource in the home, careers information and social networks. The report outlines the nature of different LSPs, the benefits of and challenges to LSPs, and provides an outline of LSP policy in Australia and other OECD countries. A detailed discussion and recommendations for action at various levels of government are provided. Full text is available online.

Case studies of British schools that had seen swift and significant improvement in student achievement are examined in this report, which analyses the effects of school leadership on student learning outcomes. The research indicated that leaders improved student achievement through a combination of their personal attributes such as values and dispositions, and the particular combination and implementation of certain strategies within their unique working contexts. Prospective and current leaders should be supported by strong professional development initiatives that emphasise development of trust and collegial working environments; a framework of basic leadership values and practices should be established; provision for distributed leadership should be made; and leaders should be given specific training in dealing with contexts such as disadvantaged communities. Full text is available online.

This report presents factual information about the funding for non-government schools in Australia. Non-government schools will be the recipients of approximately $5.5 billion of the $11 billion earmarked for educational programs and support. A percentage of this amount is in the form of general recurrent grants, which fund salaries, professional development, curriculum development, and general and maintenance programs. Non-government schools receiving such funding must adhere to the guidelines outlined in Educational Goals for all Australians; funding since 2001 has been distributed largely according to the socioeconomic status of independent schools' communities. Full text is available online.

International trends in teacher education policy are examined in essays by nine academics, from countries including England, Scotland, the USA, Australia, Singapore and Belgium. Chapter titles include: The new teacher education in the United States: directions forward; 101 damnations: the persistence of criticism and the absence of evidence about teacher education in Australia; and European perspectives of teacher education and training. Adapted from publisher's description.

Prepared for the Welsh Assembly Government, this report documents research findings on ways in which primary schools can effectively involve parents to promote students' wellbeing and educational achievement. A number of themes emerged from the research. The enthusiasm of the principal is the single most important driver of parental involvement. Daily inclusion of parents, and promoting the school as a central hub of community activity, facilitates parents' sense of involvement. Parental involvement comes disproportionately from mothers and well-educated and confident individuals; schools need to improve efforts to include all parents. They also need to involve parents across a wide range of activities. Full text is available online.