October 17 2019

NEWSLETTER ARTICLES

Philanthropy support for schools in need

I was delighted to accept an invitation to join the Members’ Committee of Schools Plus recently with notable education and business leaders, Anthony Mackay AM, David Gonski AC, and Tim Fairfax AC.

Schools Plus is a philanthropic organisation focused on helping students overcome educational disadvantage through the fostering of philanthropic partnerships. Since it commenced in 2015, Schools Plus has already connected with over 25 per cent of the 4,600 disadvantaged schools in Australia through programs, workshops or inquiries.

This has resulted in an additional $14 million flowing into the Australian school system, with over 600 projects benefiting 178,000 students.

School Plus was born from the recommendations identified in the Review of Funding in Schooling, led by David Gonski, calling for greater business and community support of schooling in Australia and the establishment of a national fund. In my former role as Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations, I was responsible for leading the legislative changes required to establish this fund.

A national organisation like Schools Plus plays a valuable role in supporting schools to identify and access greater support to help students across a broad range of needs.

Of course, this does not remove the responsibility of state and federal governments to fund schools and students according to need, particularly students from low socio-economic backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, and students with a disability, for example.

We must also recognise the support of parent contributions and local business and community organisations that contribute greatly to the funding of school communities across Australia.

I look forward to my role on the Members’ Committee to review the strategic direction of Schools Plus and help make sure future initiatives align with their goal to support long-term change in disadvantaged schools and the wider education system.

Jacinta Collins
National executive director, Catholic Education

For more information on Schools Plus visit the website

Position paper calls to move beyond ATAR

A new position paper developed in collaboration with a wide range of educational providers has called for Australia to move beyond the Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranking (ATAR) as the primary tool for university entry.

Beyond ATAR is the result of a collaboration between many sectors of education which began in May 2018 when the Australian Learning Lecture hosted a forum in conjunction with Mitchell Institute.

The paper outlines three proposals to improve the experience and life outcomes of young people:

• Proposal one – that the age 15-19 stage of education, from Year 10 to the first-year post school, is re-cast as a specific developmental phase of education in which young people are supported to develop knowledge, skills and capabilities within various domains. All learners should be supported to navigate this phase and find a line of sight into work or further study that can lead them to a thriving adulthood and builds on their unique interests, capabilities and aspirations.
• Proposal two - that a learner profile is designed to provide a trusted, common way of representing the full range of attainments of young people during their transition years (within school and beyond) across a broad range of domains. The design of this profile should enable any jurisdiction to map and align it to its own representation of learner outcomes and capabilities, as reflected in its curriculum, reporting and certification systems.
• Proposal three - that tertiary education providers adopt broader, more transparent entry criteria, design entry pathways and update their admissions processes to better align candidates’ interests, capabilities and aspirations with the educational opportunities on offer, and better reflect evidence about the progress and potential of learners.

The paper argues that despite the ATAR declining in usage from around one in three to one in four enrolments in recent years, it remains the dominant narrative in education and community forums.

“The ATAR is seen as the standard for completing a course – even though it is just a rationing tool with the number not reflecting the difficulty of the course in question,” the paper reads.

“The reliance on ATAR fails to allow for recognition of students with a ‘jagged’ profile who excel in certain areas while performing adequately in others. The ATAR puts emphasis on achieving a high average in all subjects, limiting appreciation of different kinds of excellence and different rates of progress across varied domains, thus removing incentives to optimise individual talents and pursuits and artificially narrowing pathways for students.

“A single number is a thin representation of the outcome of 13 years of schooling.”

However, claims that the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) disadvantages those who excel in some subjects but struggle in others, have been dispelled by research showing most Year 12 students perform consistently across learning areas.

According to The Australian, an analysis of NSW HSC student data from 2013 to 2017 by the Universities Admission Centre showed a strong cor¬r¬elation between individual student marks in a range of subjects.

The UAC analysis revealed the strongest and most positive correlation was in subjects classified as similar, such as two mathematics subjects, where the correlation was +0.9 out of a possible +1. English and humanities subjects, including Modern History and Aboriginal Studies, also correlated strongly at +0.8, while correlation in marks in subjects in different learning areas, such as maths and creative arts was not as strong but still positive at +0.4.

Read more from The Australian and download Beyond ATAR

News: Less focus on NAPLAN in My School overhaul

A revamp of the My School website will see a reduced focus on NAPLAN results and a greater focus on student learning gain, in response to the Australian Government’s review that found that data on student improvement was overshadowed by overall school results.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, David de Carvalho, CEO of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) which administers NAPLAN and My School, said ACARA had clear instructions from education ministers.

"Firstly, there's too much NAPLAN content on the MySchool website ... it gives it too much prominence," Mr de Carvalho told The Age Schools Summit last week.

“And secondly, we have to focus more on student gain, what the school is actually doing to improve students' results, as opposed to simply comparing the overall levels of achievement between statistically similar schools."

Mr de Carvalho said NAPLAN had "become this bogeyman and a catch-all for all kind of discontents, but we need to distinguish the NAPLAN test itself from the issue … of why it has become such high stakes compared to the standardised testing that was done prior to that".

"It's the school comparisons issue I think that is causing the most angst amongst principals and schools leaders, resulting in some of the high-stakes nature of the test and perhaps having some unintended consequences in terms of pedagogy [the study and theory of the methods and principles of teaching]."

Changes to My School would alleviate this, he said, and were welcomed by Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan.

"That [how the data is presented] is a part of NAPLAN we all agree needs to be looked at," he said. "My hope is we'll have an agreement for better presentation of the data in December."

NAPLAN is also the subject of a separate review by Victoria, NSW and Queensland to see whether the test is working appropriately.

Read more via the Sydney Morning Herald

Government focus on phonics instruction

The Morrison Government said it will ensure student teachers know how to teach the fundamentals of learning to read and will introduce a free, voluntary phonics health check for Year 1 students so parents and teachers can better understand a child’s reading level and what support they may need.

In a media release, Federal Minister for Education Dan Tehan said the government will fund the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) to establish a small taskforce to provide advice on incorporating phonics into the national accreditation standards for initial teacher education.

"AITSL will draw on the taskforce’s expertise, focusing on ensuring graduate teachers can teach the fundamentals of literacy through learning how to teach the five essential elements of literacy: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, comprehension,” Minister Tehan said.

"Our government believes in the primacy of developing strong literacy and numeracy skills as the bedrock of a quality education.

“There is clear evidence that children benefit from phonics instruction in learning to read and spell so our government wants teachers to have the skills to teach phonics well,” he said.

AITSL will progress the proposed changes to the accreditation standards to all education ministers for endorsement in December 2019.

Report: Impact of future work on youth mental health

A new report released last week by ReachOut and EY reveals the impact of the changing nature of work on the mental health of young Australians.

Ready or Not: Equipping young people for the future working world found that work, money and study were identified as the main sources of stress for young people with at least 25 per cent of students so stressed by exams they sought help from a counsellor, GP or mental health professional.

Key highlights:

• Only half of students surveyed believe they are ready for the workforce after finishing their studies (47%)
• Almost one in five (18.7%) students said they didn’t feel confident that they would be able to find work
• Over 40 per cent of students surveyed felt that the training and support they received was not adequate to find work (43.3%)
• Many young people want more opportunities to develop their experience of the working world through placements, internships, apprenticeships and volunteering (28.4%)
• The main sources of stress for young people surround work, money and study.

CEO of ReachOut Ashley de Silva said stress is often a result of the pressure on young people to do well in exams, find stable employment and gain financial security in a more precarious work environment impacted by automation, globalisation and the gig economy.

“What comes through from the report is that concerns young people have about work and their future is impacting them right now when it comes to stress about exams. We know that unhealthy levels of stress can impact mental health if left unchecked,” said de Silva.

Access the full report here.

Bathurst director receives ACEL Fellowship

From left: Jenny Allen with the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell MLC and ACEL NSW president Ann McIntyre.

Catholic Education Diocese of Bathurst executive director of schools Jenny Allen has been awarded a 2019 Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) Fellowship Award for New South Wales at a recent dinner in Sydney.

ACEL NSW Fellowships are awarded to members of ACEL who have demonstrated outstanding educational leadership and made a significant impact and contribution over an extended period of time to educational leadership and educational outcomes within their workplace and beyond, at a local, regional, system, state and/or national level.

Vicar general of the Diocese of Bathurst Fr Paul Devitt congratulated Jenny on her award.

“I would like to congratulate Jenny on this truly well-deserved recognition of her commitment to Catholic education within our diocese,” he said. “We are very fortunate to have her leadership and dedication to the students and staff in our care.”

Jenny said she was surprised and delighted by the recognition of Catholic education.

“Having had no expectation of receiving an ACEL Fellowship award, I was delighted by this recognition of Catholic education,” said Jenny.

“I have had the privilege of working alongside so many outstanding educators in service of the mission of the Church in education.”

Around the dioceses

Catholic school teachers learning about conversations worth having

Teachers in Melbourne’s Catholic schools are learning about an approach to engage students when they are confronted by challenging situations, called “pedagogy of encounter”.

According to Catholic Education Today, the approach is relational and conversational, and is designed to “draw people closer to each other, to God and to graced and hope-filled moments”.

Using four strategies as part of a “conversation worth having” (i.e. paying attention to the things going on around us, paying attention to what it means to be Catholic and in the world today, bringing the cultural and religious realities together, and going deeper) teachers are able to create more meaningful and authentic conversations with students, and connect them to their experience of everyday situations and their faith.

“In conversations worth having we acknowledge these realities that so often confront us. It’s not enough to pretend that our children didn’t see, that our children didn’t hear. When they’re ready, our children will ask the questions that they need to ask, and we need to take them and their questions seriously,” the article reads.

“Their questions matter to them and they should matter to us too. In having the conversation we don’t need to have all the answers, we only need to listen and to respond to their questions in a way that is true to the gospels.”

Read more about this approach here.

Featured: World Teachers’ Day

World Teachers' Day is being celebrated in Australia on Friday 25 October. The day is an opportunity for the community to recognise and appreciate teachers and the important role they play in shaping the next generation. This year, AITSL is encouraging schools and the community to focus on the #brightfuture of the profession including beginning teachers starting their career.

On the eve of World Teachers’ Day (Thursday 24 October), AITSL will also be hosting a live Q&A session with their chair, Laureate Professor John Hattie. Join #hattiechat on Twitter from 5.30pm – 7pm (AEDT). Get your question about the future of the profession ready to ask during the event, or email your question ahead of time via email

For more information and resources visit AITSL’s website.

Reminders

Applications extended for Leadership for Mission program 

The application deadline has been extended until 21 October 2019 for Leadership for Mission: a two year program for Catholic women aged 25-35, participants contribute a total of only $4000 which covers flights, accommodation, four unit Graduate Certificate in Theology, and excursions/immersion experiences. For more information and to apply visit the website.

Applications open for Early Learning Languages Program for preschools

Applications are open for preschools to apply for the Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) program - a digital, play-based program that introduces young Australians to languages other than English. It can help teach 13 languages: Arabic, Mandarin, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Modern Greek, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese. For more information and to register for an information webinar visit the website.

Closing soon: National Science Grants

Applications are open for national science grants of between $2,000 and $20,000, for innovative ideas, events and projects that inspire Australians to get involved in science. The project must be directed towards a science-related activity that will be conducted in Australia during or near National Science Week next year. Applications close 30 October 2019. For more information and eligibility criteria visit the website.

Closing soon: Public consultation into school banking programs

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) is seeking input into a public consultation on school banking programs as part of its ongoing review of their use and impact in primary schools. Through the review into school banking, ASIC is seeking to better understand how these programs are implemented, how they are marketed to school communities, how students are engaging with these programs, and the type of accounts established through these programs while they are at school and in later years. Submissions close 31 October 2019. For a copy of the discussion paper and to provide feedback visit the website.

Date Claimer: 2020 National Catholic Education Conference

The 2020 National Catholic Education Conference will be held from 6 – 9 September 2020 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. With the theme, ‘The future is listening’, the aim of the conference is to bring together school and system leaders, educators, clergy and religious, students, educational professionals, researchers, families and other groups interested in Catholic education to promote examples of best practice and plan future directions to continue the flourishing of vibrant and authentically Catholic learning communities across Australia.

To register your interest visit the website.

Reflection

“Education promotes equality and lifts people out of poverty. It teaches children how to become good citizens. Education is not just for a privileged few, it is for everyone. It is a fundamental human right.” – Former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon.

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is celebrated today (October 17) – find out more here.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the articles within this publication are those of the authors and commentators. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of the National Catholic Education Commission, its Commissioners or employees, unless expressly mentioned.

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