What's newAEU executive lifts boycott of NAPLAN testsThe federal executive of the Australian Education Union (AEU) has removed the union's ban on administration of the NAPLAN tests, which are due to proceed next week. See media statement 6 May 2010 by the Australian Minister for Education Julia Gillard. See article in The Age and article in The Australian both 7 May 2010; opinion and article in The Sydney Morning Herald both 6 May 2010, and commentary in The Herald Sun 7 May 2010. See also earlier opinion by New York education leader Joel Klein in The Australian 4 May 2010. Half of English primary schools may boycott SATsUp to half of the primary schools in England plan to boycott SATs next week, according to an article in the Daily Mail 7 May 2010. Members of the National Association of Head Teachers and staff in leadership roles in the National Union of Teachers voted last month to refuse to administer the tests, according to the report. Victorian budget's impact on schoolsVictorian Minister for Education Bronwyn Pike has discussed the recent Victorian budget's implications for schools in a statement 6 May 2010. See also article on news.com.au 4 May 2010, and article 5 May 2010 and article 6 May 2010 in The Age. WA introduces tests for pre-primary childrenUnder a new program to be rolled out by the end of next year, all children in Western Australia will be tested on literacy and numeracy prior to entering primary school. See report on ABC News 4 May 2010. Continued discussion of ethics classes in NSW schoolsThe trial of a secular ethics program in 10 New South Wales schools has been discussed on the ABC's Late Night Live program. Performance pay discussed in USAAn article from the website of the Harvard Graduate School of Education has examined the value of incentive-based pay schemes for teachers. Dance and football programs for KoorisDeputy Victorian Premier and Attorney-General Rob Hulls has announced the launch of two new programs involving football and dance to help improve educational outcomes for Indigenous students. See statement from Minister for Education Bronwyn Pike, 22 April 2010. McGraw-Hill's e-book campaignPublisher McGraw-Hill, in partnership with Intel, has launched its LEAD21 literacy curriculum, which will involve offering e-books on the purpose-built classroom computers offered by Intel. The K–12 market is recognised as particularly challenging due to differences in access between schools. See article in The Australian 27 April 2010. |