Fighting for Equity in Education
//This is a summary of a new research paper called Closing the Gaps published by Save Our Schools.
Total expenditure per student in government schools in Australia is much lower than in Independent schools and similar to that in Catholic schools. Continue reading “Closing the Gaps”
//A new report published today by the advocacy group Save Our Schools says that government schools are badly under-resourced in comparison to private schools to deal with education disadvantage. It calls for an investment of $6 – $9 billion a year in government schools to reduce large achievement gaps between rich and poor. Continue reading “Report Calls for Funding Boost to Government Schools to Reduce Education Disadvantage”
//A new OECD report on education shows that Australia spends less on school education than most other industrialised countries. Australia ranks 16th in primary school spending out of 22 industrialised countries and 13th out of 23 countries in secondary school expenditure according to the OECD’s latest annual review of international education, Education at a Glance, published last week. Continue reading “Australia’s School Expenditure is Below OECD Average”
//Labor’s cash bonuses for schools and teachers will be determined in part by improvements in test scores. There is little evidence that such schemes increase student achievement, but they are likely further harm education. The plan also glosses over the difficulty of reliably and accurately measuring the effect teachers and schools have on the learning growth of students.
The following is a slightly edited version of a submission made last year by the renowned US academic, Professor Helen Ladd, to the US education department criticising President Obama’s plan to require states to use test scores to evaluate the performance of teachers and principals. Continue reading “Lessons from the US for Labor’s Cash Bonuses for Teachers and Schools”
//A Liberal/National Party government will provide another boost to private schools with a tax rebate on school fees. It will provide a backdoor funding increase and shift more students to private schools. It will further damage public education in Australia and increase social segregation between the private and government school sectors. Continue reading “Abbott’s Education Rebate Will Give a Backdoor Funding Increase to Private Schools”
//A new study says that government schools are the clear “losers” from government funding of private schools over the past four decades. It shows that government funding of private schools in Australia has increased socio-economic segregation between government and private schools and allowed private schools to improve school quality rather than reduce their fees. Continue reading “Government Schools Lose from Government Funding of Private Schools”
//A NSW parliamentary committee report has rejected claims by private school organisations that students with disabilities in private schools receive less special funding than students with disabilities in government schools. The report recommends an increase in funding for students with disabilities in NSW government schools but not for private schools.
This is a major blow to private school organisations. They have campaigned long and hard on the myth that students with disabilities in private schools are under-funded compared to those in government schools. Continue reading “NSW Parliament Report Rejects Private School Claims on Funding for Students With Disabilities”
//This is an edited version of an impassioned call to defend public education by Diane Ravitch, Professor of Education at New York University, former US Assistant Secretary of Education and author of the best-selling book The Death and Life of the Great American School System. The speech was delivered at the 2010 Representative Assembly of the US National Education Association in New Orleans on 6 July 2010. Continue reading “Impassioned Call to Defend Public Education”
//One of the most ambitious efforts to link teacher pay to student achievement in the United States has done little to improve test scores or retain teachers according to an independent study released this week. Continue reading “Performance Pay Scheme Fails to Improve Student Results”
//A submission by Save Our Schools to the NSW Parliament challenges the claim by private school organisations that students with disabilities in private schools receive less additional funding than in government schools. The SOS submission demonstrates that the claim is incorrect and that many private schools have a large funding advantage over government schools. Continue reading “Students with Disabilities are Better Funded in NSW Private Schools than in Govt Schools”