Education

More students from advantaged backgrounds study subjects that will get them a higher ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) in New South Wales, while students from lower socioeconomic families are over-represented in subjects that contribute less to the score. Our new study showed subjects such as advanced English are studied by …

There are two striking features of the reactions to the PISA results. First, it seems broadly accepted PISA defines educational quality when it only tests three subject areas and the methodology itself is questionable.

Recent studies by scientists who examine how people ask questions or explore problems have shown that by the time kids turn five, they have some understanding of what makes a question good or bad.

Australian 15-year-old reading scores are way below those of their peers in ten countries – including Singapore, Estonia, Canada, Finland, Ireland, Korea and Poland.

More than half of year 10 music students in NSW dropped the subject by the time they reached year 12. Their teachers said this was so they could choose subjects that would help them get a higher ATAR.

Concerns grow amid revelations Sydney University has withdrawn funding from its Chair of Australian Literature – the nation’s first.

We interview one of Australia’s most iconic school principals and world-renowned young adult fiction author, John Marsden.

Whether you’re a principal or a classroom teacher, it’s a timely reminder that our focus needs to be on how effective we are, not how much we can do.

Good readers use a full repertoire of skills, each dependent on the other. And a whole language approach to teaching reading is about arming new readers with this repertoire.

Principal McDermott describes how, since the implementation of this model, his school has seen a significant increase in interest from staff in seeking leadership roles.