New publications

The National Report on Schooling in Australia 2012 has been produced by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) on behalf of the Education Council. The report highlights progress in 2012 towards the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians agreed by Australian education ministers in 2008 and on Council of Australian Governments initiatives for school education through the National Education Agreement. The report is available online.

The creation and flow of data has become a powerful governing tool in education. This volume of contributions aims to contribute to comparative historical studies in this field. Adapted from publisher's description.

The report outlines findings that relate to writing, taken from our fourth annual literacy survey, conducted in November/December 2013. It involved a total of 29,422 participants, aged 8 to 16. The survey explores 'how much young people enjoy writing, how good they think they are, how often they write, what types of materials they write and how they feel about writing'. From report, which is available online.

Teacher resources are available from the not-for-profit Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation. The latest is Tools for Teachers 5, which includes hands-on activities, lesson plans and investigations to make the kitchen and garden powerful learning spaces for children. There are separate editions for years 3 & 4 and years 5 & 6. Sample material from Tools for Teachers units may be viewed on the Foundation’s Free Resources page.

This book focuses on the powerful influence music programs can have on well-being and connectedness in schools. It is written specifically for music specialists working in school communities, including music therapists, classroom music teachers, instrumental teachers and generalist teachers. From publisher's description.

Student Teachers in School Practice discusses changes to the education of student teachers, in Britain and globally. Illustrated through detailed case studies, the book draws on observations of and interviews with practitioners in teacher education. See publisher's description.