Tag Archives Schools

Words and Actions…. A rare commodity.. I was privileged to attend the Broadford Secondary College awards night [ last night, December 18th] and witness the launch of the Delaney Family Endowment for Year 12 students studying at Broadford Secondary College. This is a $20,000 Endowment in perpetuity. http://youtu.be/C7HfKXkOCZ4 How simply the policy challenges facing the nation can be distilled in to…

Vale Jack Keating. A teacher, colleague, mentor and friend; Jack, you will be missed. Those that have had anything to do with post-compulsory education in Victoria, Australia or around the world, will understand the loss to our field. Thank you Jack. Lector si monumentum requiris circumspice   Links: Vale Jack Keating - The Australian 24th July 2012 Vale Jack Keating…

The disturbing scenes in London over the last few days bring in to a stark contrast the competing challenges of the immediate, short-term need for social order and the extended, long-term need for social inclusion. There are many thousands of pictures and words that will be written about this London summer. Jonathon Freedland, writing in the Guardian says: The soul…

Do Teachers Matter?. A psychology study hit the headlines last Friday under the banner ‘Teacher quality makes little difference, study shows’. AN AUSTRALIAN study has cast doubt over the “teacher effect”, by suggesting differences between teachers play only a minor role in how well a child will learn. The global study, led by the University of New England, monitored 500 pairs…

The Black-White Test Score Gap Down-under. Andrew Leigh observes: Discussing NT schools, the CIS’s Helen Hughes writes: This week all Australian children in school years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sat numeracy and literacy tests for the second time. The tests are to give Australians an annual snapshot of basic educational progress. The first national ‘NAPLAN’ tests, held in May…

Schools That Transform. - Andrew Leigh David Brooks reports on some surprisingly large impacts from a randomised trial of New York “Harlem Children’s Zone” schools. The effects are so big that I find it hard to imagine they’re readily replicable, but it’s tantalizing stuff. The fight against poverty produces great programs but disappointing results. You go visit an inner-city school, job-training program…

If ever there was essential reading for every teacher and every teacher-educator, the work of Professor John Hattie from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, would be at the top of my reading list. The clarity and focus of such an extensive, system-wide meta-study that focusses on the EFFECTs of what teachers, schools and education systems DO is very compelling.…

91.2% of Class Time in Their Seats. USA Today is reporting on a new comprehensive study of elementary school classrooms that is being published in this week’s Science magazine. Aside from not being overly engaged, the study of over 2,500 classrooms showed that “The typical child in the USA stands only a one-in-14 chance of having a consistently rich, supportive…

I think it is a big step forward, and it should have happened 20 years ago

Dr. Ken Boston
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