New publications

'This report focuses on the findings from the Financial Literacy assessment conducted as an optional component of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2012.' From Introduction. The full report is available online. See also article in The Age 17 November 2014.

'In May 2013, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) commissioned the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to conduct an independent evaluation of its implementation of the Helping Our Kids Understand Finances (HOKUF) initiative.... Through the delivery of professional learning to 33% (2,003) teachers above the targeted number of 6,000 teachers, and the development of the Professional Learning Packages and online and digital resources, the evaluation shows that teachers in both trial and non-trial schools increased their awareness of the importance of consumer and financial literacy education for young Australians.' From report pages 3, 51. The full report is available online.

'In recent years we have experienced a global recession that has changed the global labour force with industries closing down, job lay-offs and increasing unemployment. On top of that, in Australia we’ve experienced significant structural and technological change that has seen us move from an agricultural based economy to a service based economy. In the 36th AMP.NATSEM report we’ve taken a look at the current state of the Australian labour market – what we do, how much we earn, youth unemployment and how we compare internationally. Some occupations from the 1990s no longer exist – we’ve said goodbye to typists and the person running the photocopy room, and hello to computer programmers and mobile phone salespeople. Add to these changes shifts in demographics and gender and an ageing population, the Australian workforce is a fascinating reflection of modern times.' From publisher's description, linked to the full report online.

'This paper discusses the ways in which the internet has profoundly changed how we produce, use and collect research and information for public policy and practice, particularly focusing on the benefits and challenges presented by grey literature. The authors argue that grey literature (i.e. material produced and published by organisations without recourse to the commercial or scholarly publishing industry) is a key part of the evidence produced and used for public policy and practice. Through surveys of users, producing organisations and collecting services a detailed picture is provided of the role, importance and economic value of grey literature.' From publisher's description.

'The Foundation to Year 10 Australian Curriculum: English falls far short of what would reasonably be expected of a national English curriculum. This analysis is based on a comparison with eight post-war Australian state curriculums. The existing curriculum has two main weaknesses. The curriculum largely fails to address the great works of the Western literary tradition, or to suggest which of these should be read and when. Most of the literature that is mentioned is designed to conform to the cross-curriculum priorities... The curriculum incorporates a considerable amount of content that does not relate strictly to the study of the English language or English literature, at the expense of content relevant to English. Much of this would be better placed in a humanities curriculum.' From Executive Summary, part of the full paper online.

'Easy A’s is the latest installment of the National Council on Teacher Quality’s Teacher Prep Review, a decade-old initiative examining the quality of the preparation of new teachers in the United States... Using evidence from more than 500 higher education institutions that turn out nearly half of the nation’s new teachers each year, we find that in a majority of institutions (58 percent), grading standards for teacher candidates are much lower than for students in other majors on the same campus. Second, we find a strong link between high grades and a lack of rigorous coursework, with the primary cause being assignments that fail to develop the critical skills and knowledge every new teacher needs.' From executive summary, linked to the full report online.