New publications

Funded by a grant from the Sir John Templeton Foundation's Exceptional Cognitive Talent & Genius Portfolio, this nationwide study explores teacher attitudes to school practices in the acceleration of gifted students. The full title is Releasing the Brakes: Administrator, Teacher, and Parent Attitudes and Beliefs That Block or Assist the Implementation of School Policies on Academic Acceleration. The full report is available online.

The report describes results of the Targeting Resources in Primary Schools (TRIPS) study, an initiative of the Australian Primary Principals Association. The study has drawn on detailed information from 33 case study primary schools selected in 2009 because they were expected to benefit from the National Partnerships in 2010. The report addresses the distribution of target students in primary schools; factors limiting the progress of target students, and the forms of support that teachers think these students need; additional instructional support put in place for target students after the commencement of the National Partnerships; and the extent to which the additional support met the needs of the target students. Adapted from the executive summary. The full report is available online.

The NSW Auditor-General has released the Volume Nine Report to Parliament for 2011. The report includes comments on financial audits of government agencies in the Education and Communities sectors. Topics include the deferral of major IT projects, the age profile of teachers in schools, and year 12 retention rates. The full report is available online.

Beyond the Grammar Wars provides an historical overview of the debates around grammar and English/literacy teaching in the USA, England, Scotland and Australia. Examples of successful language/grammar-based pedagogies are used to address metalinguistic issues related to changes in textual practices in a digital and multimodal age. The book explores the challenges for educators who are committed to finding a 'usable grammar' to contribute to teaching and learning in relation to these practices. All of the contributors are acknowledged experts in their field. Activities designed for use in language and literacy education courses actively engage students in reflecting on and applying the content in their own teaching contexts. Adapted from publisher's description.

The Australian Curriculum: English uses standard grammatical terminology within a contextual framework; the Language strand focuses on knowledge of the English language and how it works. These developments are reflected in this updated edition of A New Grammar Companion for Teachers. Grammatical categories have been reorganised according to how they construct meaning in context: expressing and connecting ideas, interacting with others and creating coherent texts. Adapted from distributor's description.

Teaching Australian Literature brings together teachers, teacher educators, creative writers and literary scholars to look at the role of Australian literature in the school curriculum. Contributors examine the selection of Australian texts, issues of national identity, and how English teachers can engage students in reading Australian texts. It is published in the context of the implementation of the new Australian Curriculum: English. Adapted from publisher's description.

A Guide to Mathematics Leadership aims to help school leaders implement a high-quality mathematics program, regardless of the status of their current programs or the availability of resources. It presents a process-based approach to improving mathematics instruction based on five principles identified by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) – equity, curriculum, teaching, learning, and assessment – and four leadership principles from the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM) – equity leadership, teaching and learning leadership, curriculum leadership, and assessment leadership. Adapted from publisher's description.

Contributors examine the use of digital technologies for mathematics teaching and learning in countries across the world, examining in particular the impact of cultural diversity. Specific topics include the design of learning environments and curricula; implementation of curricula and classroom practice; access, equity and socio-cultural issues; and connectivity and virtual networks for learning. Adapted from publisher's description.

The study summarises achievement data on Hispanic students in US urban schools. After presenting student demographic data it provides evidence covering readiness to learn, achievement on NAEP, preparedness for higher education and careers, school experiences, and post-secondary experiences. The full report is available online (16MB). See also commentary in Edweek blog past 29 November 2011.