New publications

The National Partnership Agreement on Literacy and Numeracy is targeted at improving literacy and numeracy outcomes of students and schools with low levels of achievement. State and Territory governments targeted between 4 and 28 per cent of their students, depending on their reform focus. In total, over 1,200 schools participated – across the government, Catholic and independent sectors – representing over 500,000 students. Over 2010–11 and 2011–12, up to $350 million in reward funding is available to States and Territories based on the achievement of predetermined performance benchmarks, as assessed by the council. In June 2011, the Commonwealth announced that it had provided $138 million in reward funding to the States and Territories based on their performance in 2010. This is the council's second and final assessment under this National Partnership. Governments made a number of improvements in consistency and clarity of performance reporting from the first to the second year of reporting. We are also pleased that all targets were independently assessed and found to be reasonable and ambitious. From Overview. The full report is available online. See also article 18 June 2012 in The Sydney Morning Herald.

The audit objective was to assess the effectiveness of DEEWR's administration of the National Partnership Agreement on Literacy and Numeracy. The three high-level audit criteria used to form a conclusion examined the extent to which DEEWR established sound administrative and payment arrangements consistent with government policy, including through its negotiation of bilateral agreements, implementation plans and reform targets; properly managed administrative and payment arrangements; and effectively monitored and reported on delivery and outcomes. The full report is available online. See also article 15 June in The Canberra Times and report 14 June 2012 on Ninemsn.

This report maps out future directions for the education of Victoria's gifted and talented students. The learning needs of gifted students may differ dramatically from those of other students. Many gifted students benefit from faster-paced learning, independent study, more complex content, and opportunities to use high-order thinking and problem-solving skills. This report demonstrates that failure to provide appropriately for gifted students in the school environment can have severe and devastating consequences. Under-stimulated gifted students may be bored and frustrated at school. They may exhibit behavioural problems or even disengage from education entirely. A concerning number of gifted students dumb themselves down to fit in at school, while those who don’t may experience social isolation or even bullying. From Executive Summary. The full parliamentary paper is available online. See also article in The Age 21 June 2012.

The Department of Education and Communities (DEC) requires its primary schools to provide two hours per week of planned physical activity. This audit examined how well DEC manages physical activity in NSW Government primary schools, in particular how it achieves compliance with this requirement and implementation of better practices. From Executive Summary. The full report is available online.

Paper Boats is a collection of 21 short stories for years 7 and 8, written by students from immigrant, refugee or asylum seeker backgrounds. The stories reflect on the students' origins, journey and arrival in Australia. Designed for upper primary and lower secondary students of English, these lesson-sized stories cover a range of themes and styles that introduce students to writing techniques and the skills of critical literacy. Themes include War, Escape, Journey, Detention, Change, Opportunity and Belonging. The idea for the project came from secondary school teacher, Yasar Duyal, who works closely with refugee students in Victoria. Adapted from publisher's description. Available August 2012.

Issues and Controversies in Physical Education: Policy, Power and Pedagogy, edited by Seth Brown, aims to help physical educators develop purposeful and practical connections between scholarly work and their own practice. Whether you're a future or current physical educator, this book will enhance your understanding of the major issues and controversies in the field of physical education, and challenge you to think critically about the profession. The book is divided into three parts: policy, power, and pedagogy. In each part contributors relate their research (or areas of interest) to practical examples of teaching. The book is informed by a range of international perspectives on the issues and controversies in physical education and engages readers in a variety of theories, methodologies, methods and epistemologies regarding educational research. The intention is to encourage physical education teachers to critically analyse their daily practice and to reflect on what they observe, constantly thinking and challenging their assumptions about teaching. Adapted from publisher's description. See also media release from Massey University.

In US high schools teenagers must navigate complex youth cultures that often punish difference. Adults may view such social turbulence as a timeless, ultimately harmless rite of passage, but changes in American society are intensifying this rite and allowing its effects to cascade into adulthood. Integrating national statistics with interviews and observations from a single school, this book explores this phenomenon. It makes the case that recent macro-level trends, such as economic restructuring and technological change, mean that the social dynamics of high school can disrupt educational trajectories after high school; it looks at teenagers who do not fit in socially at school – including many who are obese or gay – to illustrate this phenomenon; and it crafts recommendations for parents, teachers and policymakers about how to protect teenagers in trouble. Adapted from publisher's description.

In view of the intense interest in computer games, educators and trainers in business, industry, the government and the military would like to use computer games to improve the delivery of instruction. Computer Games and Instruction is intended for these educators and trainers. It reviews the research evidence supporting use of computer games, for instruction, and also reviews the history of games in general, in education, and by the military. In addition, chapters examine gender differences in game use, and the implications of games for use by lower socio-economic students, for students' reading and for contemporary theories of instruction. Finally, well known scholars of games will respond to the evidence reviewed. From publisher's description.

Teachers are looking for new ways to respond to challenging behaviour. The premise of the book is that teachers can make a difference and that schools and early childhood education settings can be places where behaviour is addressed with courage and conviction. Both the education sector and wider society are increasingly exploring culturally responsive and relationship-based principles and practices. This book sets out the theory and practice of a range of restorative practices and shows they can work in education settings. There is discussion of issues such as building systems-level engagement, leadership approaches and adults modelling restorative practice. The editors have drawn together educators and researchers who are experts in their field and who care deeply about students and teachers. From publisher's description.