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Recent headlines . . .
Transparent, but unreliable
NATIONAL - After questions were raised
about the reliability of national literacy and numeracy
tests, Primary school principals have urged the government
to inform parents about margin of error in the tests which
rate the published performance of schools.
Read
newspaper report
Canteens going cashless
NATIONAL - Brown paper bags and giving
cash and coins to children for school lunches will be a
thing of the past, as schools across New South Wales begin
to test a cashless, online lunch system to order and pay
for school lunches.
Read
newspaper report
Fees raised as school feel the pinch
SA- Nearly 20% of schools in South Australia
raised their fees above the standard level in the past year.
Questions have been raised about insufficient funding for
public schools from the Government.
Read
newspaper report
HSC exams on laptop
NSW - New South Wales Board of Studies
predicts that Higher School Certificate students will be
completing exams on laptops by 2012.
Read
newspaper report
Mental health week targets primary schools
NATIONAL - More than $12 million will
be spent over the next three years to help improve the mental
health of primary school-aged children as part of a new
campaign for this year's mental health week. The new program
will teach children how to deal with anxiety, depression
and conflict and 'giving young children the tools to manage
their lives into the future'.
Read
newspaper report
Private school prices escalating
NATIONAL - Private school fees will increase
by up to $1300, with several schools now charging over $20,000
a year in fees.
Read
newspaper report
McDonalds maths reaches half a million
NATIONAL - More than one in three secondary
school students in Australia have signed up for an online
maths tutoring program offered by corporate giant, McDonalds.
Read
newspaper report
Three charged over school holiday vandalism
QLD - Three teenage students have been
charged after allegedly going on a school holiday 'vandalism
spree' at a school in Brisbane's west.
Read
newspaper report
France focuses on business, innovation and
technology
NATIONAL - The French Embassy in Canberra
is working towards a better relationship with Australia
by boosting educational links between the two countries.
An agreement between France and Australia will make it easier
for Australian students to work and study in France, and
vise versa.
Read
newspaper report
Opinion . . .
Attendance improved, problems remain unsolved
QLD - Chris Sarra raises serious questions
about the Family Responsibilities Commission in Queensland
attempts in improving school attendance for Aboriginal students.
Read
newspaper report
$1.5 billion 'stuff up'
NATIONAL - Lenore Taylor asks how effectively
the government is going about the education revolution,
and how there came to be a $1.5 billion mistake.
Read
newspaper report
Good news . . .
Cockburn Wetlands Education Centre sees
a Better Tomorrow
WA- City of Cockburn's A Better Tomorrow
Sustainability Award has been awarded to Cockburn Wetlands
Education Centre.
Read
newspaper report
International
Six students injured school fire
INDIA - School safety measures in Indian
schools are being questioned after six students were injured
in a fire in a New Delhi school.
Read
newspaper report
School starts again
in Padang
INDONESIA - SMA1 High School in Padang, Indonesia, has reopened
after a violent earthquake damaged the school and killed
one of the teachers.
Read
newspaper report
ACEL Noticeboard
How can corporate Australia support our schools?
Business Class: How Can Corporate Australia Support
Our Schools? is to be held at Melbourne's iconic
NGV International on October 20 and will feature a panel
of leading figures from some of the most influential and
respected organisations operating in the Australian education
landscape today.
The panel put in place by Spheres of Influence to debate
the issue of how corporate Australia can support our schools
features:
Prof. Brian J Caldwell, Managing Director, Educational Transformations;
Adam Smith, CEO, Foundation for Young Australians; Dr Steve
Holden, Managing Editor, Teacher Magazine; Jenny Lewis,
CEO, Australian Council of Educational Leaders, and Rupert
Macgregor, Executive Director, Australian Council of State
School Organisations.
''The aim is to disseminate the major issues on the
subject of corporate Australia's involvement in education
and create some tangible outcomes to help shape the future
of a subject that is gaining an increasing amount of attention
and has a significant bearing on the future education of
Australia's children and young people,' said Patrizia Torelli,
Managing Director, Spheres of Influence International.
The event comes at a time when the answer to the question
of corporate Australia's role in supporting our schools
is yet to be answered by Government. Speaking recently on
the
topic, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education
The Hon Julia Gillard MP said: ''Clearly, we [The Rudd
Government] believe the engagement of corporate Australia
with schools has to be on the basis of making a genuine
difference, not on the basis of product promotion [...].
But I do believe that corporate Australia can play a role
in supporting our schools.'
It is critical that in the next few months the education
sector takes steps to develop a concerted viewpoint on how
corporate Australia can support our schools and Business
Class provides a significant opportunity to foster dialogue
on the subject.
Spheres of Influence aims to produce tangible outcomes with
which to move forward and ensure Australia is a world leader
in the responsible and mutually beneficial engagement of
the corporate world with schools.
Tickets can be purchased by visiting: http://www.sofiibusinessclass.eventbrite.com/
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