By Pasi Sahlberg and Glenn Savage Australia has the resources, the talent and now a government with enough political capital to build better and fairer education systems, if we’re brave enough to act. With its landslide victory, the second Albanese government has the power to honour the vision set out in the 2019 Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration, that all schools should be both “excellent and equitable”. If…
read moreLike many of us, I carry the memory of a teacher who helped me believe in myself and sparked a lifelong interest in what I do today. That is the lasting power of teachers. Today, more than ever, teachers hold the key to a better future—for our children and for entire nation. At a time when student engagement in school is in decline and wellbeing concerns are rising, the role of teachers must be seen not only as essential, but…
read moreBy Pasi Sahlberg and Trevor Cobbold The latest results from the annual national literacy and numeracy tests in schools shows what we already knew: Australian education systems are not getting any better or fairer. The Better and Fairer Schools Agreement (BFSA) that the federal government is currently negotiating with the states and territories aims to address that problem. But while it may improve the learning outcomes of some…
read moreThere is good news and bad news for Australia in the latest Pisa – Programme for International Student Assessment – results released this week by the OECD. First the good: Australia is back in the OECD’s top 10 education countries. Now the bad: that good news is not because our education systems are performing better than before. Australia is still sliding downwards – but other countries are doing so faster. Many of…
read moreTeaching and parenting have one thing in common: Both are much more complicated today than they used to be. The months of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic were concrete proof of that for many of us. In The Drum, Meg Southcombe spoke about the lack of respect that many teachers experience in their work. It is true that teachers feel increasing pressures from the system above and from parents on the side. Moreover, there…
read moreSchools have traditionally been responsible for imparting knowledge and skills necessary for a good education and a prosperous life to children and young people. Not long ago, schools were the primary places where youngsters acquired the knowledge required to succeed in the future. During that era, parents played a crucial role in their children's overall education, including instilling values, shaping behaviour, promoting health,…
read more"If we don't fix inequities in our schools soon, we'll pay a high price for that later." This is what I heard from a primary school principal during my recent visit to her regional school. "But schools alone can't do that. It takes the whole village," she said. She is right. Family background is far more important in explaining what students learn at school than people think. This has remained a solid empirical-research finding for…
read moreDear Minister, As a frequent visitor to your country and an admirer of its cultural richness, I was delighted to read of your recent appointment as minister of education. In your previous job, you often voiced your concerns about the state of education in your country. I have also read your writings where you call into question old ways of thinking about education and are highly critical of how education policy has been put into…
read moreA decade ago paediatricians noticed a worrying trend: children's mental health was beginning to decline. Anxiety disorders, depression and loneliness had suddenly become more common among teenagers around the world. Health experts and researchers didn't know exactly why that happened. Some said that these were simply statistical variations without any particular cause. Others believed there must be something new in children's…
read moreWith Sharon Goldfeld The cold fact is that despite continuous reforms and growing investments over the past two decades, educational performance – and especially equitable performance – of Australia’s schools isn’t improving. Indeed, in many ways it is getting worse. Consider these statistics. Since 2000 Australia’s PISA scores have dropped 33 – 24 points in maths, reading, and science. Students’ performance in…
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