ACSSO supports National Reconciliation Week

The latest education news for the principal and parent leaders

May message from the Chair
Combined parent bodies' statement about violence in schools
Public Education Day 2019
Alpacas with Maracas boost reading
ACSSO Life Member Joan Brown AM
Mission Australia Youth Survey 2019
MyFutures free resources
Caught you being great!

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Read our Chair's message

Where meaningful family engagement is supported, funded and practised, student outcomes are improved, and schools are happier and more productive communities...

A message from Kevan Goodworth

ACSSO President and Chair

Where was education?

The Federal election has come and gone, and I suspect the thought I shared in my pre-election message has sadly been realised: education was not front and centre of the issues being canvassed.

Questions of the economy and the environment deserve to be central to any political debate, but the quality of the education of our children is also critical to any future that we hope to build for the nation. This remains our work.

Moving forward

On behalf of the board and members of ACSSO I congratulate the incoming government on their victory. We look forward to working closely with the new Education Minister, Dan Tehan, in our continued advocacy for public education.

I will restate our demands:

for a fair, simple and transparent funding model to apply to all schools
for serious consideration to be given to the question of early childhood education
and for a vigorous pursuit of a real approach to family engagement.

The wholistic solution

As parents and caregivers we are understandably concerned to read in the media that schools are not receiving family support, and that teachers are sometimes the target of inappropriate adult behaviours.

The answer to this issue is patently obvious and is confirmed by research. Where meaningful family engagement is supported, funded and practised, student outcomes are improved, and schools are happier and more productive communities.

I was reminded of this powerful imperative this last week when visiting two schools that are being funded by a great Gonski initiative, the Fair Funding program, which is auspiced by Schools Plus.

But first, some background: one of the Gonski recommendations was to link philanthropy more easily to the needs of students in our poorer schools. With the help of benefactors and outstanding leadership from CEO Rosemary Conn and her team, we now have dozens of schools across the nation receiving financial assistance for creative initiatives, particularly in schools and regions where this might not otherwise have been possible.

One such program featured in my recent school visits. It is an imaginative approach to the preservation and teaching of indigenous language, which has brought a rural community and its state school together with a common purpose and resolve. The sense of excitement in that school community is palpable and speaks to the meaning of harmony. I say this in the knowledge that I am writing this message during National Reconciliation Week.

Curriculum updates

ACSSO's CEO Di Giblin and I were fortunate to meet recently with ACARA and to contribute to discussions around the further development and refinement of the Australian Curriculum.

It was interesting to hear how closely attuned the curricula of British Columbia and New Zealand are to the history of their first peoples and the lessons that might be learned from this.

ACARA is now ten years old and its leadership is keen to see that the Australian Curriculum remains of international quality. Along with annual monitoring and seeking regular advice from the states and territories, ACARA has also embarked on a research curriculum project which involves comparative international studies using British Columbia, Finland, Singapore and New Zealand as case studies.

ACARA's learning in this project is at an early stage, but it would seem that the overarching goals of these comparison curricula are not dissimilar.

The real variations lie in curriculum design, levels of prescription and the level of support that is being provided to schools for implementation. The latter is something that parents and the teaching profession in Australia are certainly keen to see extended.

NAPLAN 2019 concerns

And finally - NAPLAN. Issues with NAPLAN online this year led to disrupted tests for some 30,000 students. This is a cause for significant parental concern and we hope that ACARA and Education Services Australia will be able to provide answers and solutions to take to the next Education Council meeting.

Similarly, we look forward with considerable interest to the report of Professor Bill Louden on the use and presentation of NAPLAN data, which has been commissioned by the Education Council. Professor Louden has consulted widely with parent groups across the nation, including with ACSSO, and his findings should assist significantly in informing the way forward.

Kevan Goodworth
President and Chair
Australian Council of State School Organisations
March 2019

Read more messages and views here

Parents and schools working together - better!

ACSSO has partnered with the Australian Parents Council and the Catholic School Parents Association to voice our concern about the impact of recent media statements portraying parents as aggressive, violent and the cause of stress for principals and teachers.

Violent or threatening behaviour by anyone is totally unacceptable and can never be condoned.

We know that parents are involved in 5% of these kinds of incidents against staff in schools, and that is 5% too many. But the recent media reports have exacerbated tension between two of the most significant parties in a young person’s school life – parents and teachers.

Instead, as leading organisations for parents and communities in our nation’s schools, we ask how we can foster and support good communication and collaboration, for the benefit of everyone invested in children’s education.

All parents and teachers, along with other selected professionals, have a shared responsibility for the wellbeing and development of young people.

Read the full media release here

Parents celebrated Public Education Day 2019

On May 23, Public Education Day was celebrated in school communities across Australia.

“This day provides an additional opportunity to highlight the wonderful achievements of public education as a cornerstone of Australian society,” said Kevan Goodworth, President of the Australian Council of State School Organisations.

“Many schools take this opportunity to plan and celebrate with activities including morning tea with their school community, tree planting ceremonies, school assemblies, grandparent days, performing arts displays and lunchtime concerts and barbeques.

“This year it also provided an opportunity to invite local MPs to acknowledge and celebrate the excellent work undertaken by teachers, parents and students.

"We need to keep exposing local politicians to the quality of our great schools firsthand so they understand how important a well-funded public education system is to our country.

"Government acknowledgement, both state and federal, of the true value of public education is critical to the future of a democratic Australia.”

Following ACSSO's advocacy leading up to the Federal Election, our organisation will maintain a strong voice in discussions with Federal Minister, Dan Tehan,especially around ensuring that the needs of our young people are met and they all have access to opportunities to develop their strengths and be the best they can be.

“Funding to education should be fair, simple and transparent to allow all young people, of all backgrounds the freedom to succeed in their local schools. A smart country puts the young people of our nation and their future first,” Mr Goodworth said.

“Our public schools are increasingly the first choice for parents and should rightly be the number one investment priority for all governments."

National simultaneous storytime 2019

This year more than one million children from early childhood and school education classes participated in National Simultaneous Storytime. The chosen story, Alpacas with Maracas by Matt Cosgrove, is pictured here with ACSSO President Kevan Goodworth and some keen junior readers.

See the video, below, for more.

New ACSSO Life Member, Joan Brown

Joan Brown was a ACSSO President from 1977-1981 and has been named a Life Member in recognition of her service.

The ACSSO team met up with Joan recently and she continues to be a treasure and a fountain of knowledge in the field of parents and student - remaining passionate about public education.

Her insights are as relevant today as in the 1970s, particularly in the areas of equity and early childhood.

Joan reminded us of a slogan used by her cohort... today it would be presented like this: #stateschoolsaregreatschools

Find out more about this wonderful ACSSO Life Member Joan Brown AM in this story.

Join the 2019 Youth Survey

We warmly invite you to support the 2019 Mission Australia Youth Survey.

The Youth Survey is turning 18 this year and they want to hear from as many young people across the country as we can about what it is like growing up in Australia!

What?

The Youth Survey is Australia’s largest annual survey of young people in Australia. The online survey is open to young people between the ages of 15 and 19, and takes 15 minutes to complete.

Why?

The Youth Survey is a key evidence and policy platform used by governments, NGOs, schools and community organisations around the country. Taking part will help us and other organisations advocate for policies and programs that support young people.

When?

The Youth Survey is now open and will close on the 31st of July 2019.

How?

You can find out more in the Youth Survey ‘toolkit’ for organisations.

Please help to encourage young people to take part online - yes, including on their smartphones!

Or help spread the word through your youth networks or on social media via Facebook, Twitter (@MissionAust), Instagram (@mission_aust) or LinkedIn.

Where?

Young people can join the survey here or use the full link below for easy copy and paste.

https://www.missionaustralia.com.au/what-we-do/research-impact-policy-advocacy/youth-survey

MyFuture news

Discover myfuture’s resources, providing teachers and careers practitioners information that encourages students to explore career options and career pathways.

The service includes teacher resources designed to help build students’ career development awareness, interactive and downloadable career bullseyes, job search resources and more.

View the organisation and professional resources on this Assist others page.

Caught You Being Great - CYBG

If you have a story of our school community doing great things, we would love to consider them for our weekly edition of CYBG on the ACSSO Facebook page.

Tell us your thoughts about education in Australia

Help us to help you!

Head over to http://www.acsso.org.au/have-say/3-messages-feedback/ and share your opinion on current education policies so we can present the widest possible views to decision makers.