Individual, Institutional and Community 'Capacity Building' in a Cluster of Disadvantaged Schools and their Community. It is no longer ethically, socially or economically acceptable to have significant and growing proportions of the school population that are alienated, marginalised and excluded from a satisfying and rewarding educational experience. The national and community benefits for Australia expected from this research will be a better understanding of, and possibly alleviation of, the s ....Individual, Institutional and Community 'Capacity Building' in a Cluster of Disadvantaged Schools and their Community. It is no longer ethically, socially or economically acceptable to have significant and growing proportions of the school population that are alienated, marginalised and excluded from a satisfying and rewarding educational experience. The national and community benefits for Australia expected from this research will be a better understanding of, and possibly alleviation of, the structural educational impediments that operate on disadvantaged individuals, institutions and communities. It is in the national interest to have a society in which all its members, not just the privileged, gain lifelong benefit from a rewarding schooling experience.Read moreRead less
Children, on-line learning and authentic teaching skills in primary education. The main aim of this project is to identify the authentic skills and strategies adopted by teachers of online learning programs in rural and urban locations. By studying teaching and learning behaviours in primary education we seek to match best practice in teaching with quality online learning outcomes. ICT experts acknowledge the urgency of this knowledge. Without clear indicators for teachers we run the risk of mis ....Children, on-line learning and authentic teaching skills in primary education. The main aim of this project is to identify the authentic skills and strategies adopted by teachers of online learning programs in rural and urban locations. By studying teaching and learning behaviours in primary education we seek to match best practice in teaching with quality online learning outcomes. ICT experts acknowledge the urgency of this knowledge. Without clear indicators for teachers we run the risk of mismatched traditional techniques and minimising teaching effectiveness. The expected outcomes will be benchmarked data linking numeracy and literacy standards with best practice in on-line teaching, and an accompanying interactive web based professional development package grounded in theory.Read moreRead less
Principal Aspirations and Recruitment amidst Leadership Disengagement. The research addresses the problem of principal shortages in a climate of leadership disengagement and why the principalship is becoming a less attractive career option for teachers. It will establish whether the principalship is part of teachers' professional goals and identities, and identify the factors conducive to, or inhibitory of, teachers' principalship aspirations. Qualitative and quantitative methods will be used ....Principal Aspirations and Recruitment amidst Leadership Disengagement. The research addresses the problem of principal shortages in a climate of leadership disengagement and why the principalship is becoming a less attractive career option for teachers. It will establish whether the principalship is part of teachers' professional goals and identities, and identify the factors conducive to, or inhibitory of, teachers' principalship aspirations. Qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to ascertain teachers' anticipated career profiles and leadership role perceptions in Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland. Research outcomes should lead to a review and possible redesign of the principal role, and influence significantly the states' succession planning policies and leadership development strategies.Read moreRead less
International comparative study of successful school leadership: Successful school leadership in Australia. There is renewed focus by government on education, facilitated by the move to a knowledge society and the realisation of the importance of good education to Australia's prosperity. School principals are key to how schools function. With an ageing principalship and a high principal retirement rate, there is renewed interest in developing current and future principals as evidenced by the est ....International comparative study of successful school leadership: Successful school leadership in Australia. There is renewed focus by government on education, facilitated by the move to a knowledge society and the realisation of the importance of good education to Australia's prosperity. School principals are key to how schools function. With an ageing principalship and a high principal retirement rate, there is renewed interest in developing current and future principals as evidenced by the establishment of the National Institute for Quality Learning and School Leadership. This research is about successful school principals and is part of an international effort to better understand school leadership, particularly that of schools that have undergone dramatic improvement. It holds the promise of transforming leadership preparation and support.Read moreRead less
Space to Grow: The Faulkes Telescope and improving science engagement in schools. Exceptional opportunities exist to engage, develop and enrich science students and their teachers through access to the cutting-edge Faulkes Telescopes (FTs). The FT South (sited in Australia) is the world's largest dedicated to educational use with Australia enjoying a 15% share as the host country of this exceptional educational initiative. Operated remotely via the internet, the FT provides natural links to ICT, ....Space to Grow: The Faulkes Telescope and improving science engagement in schools. Exceptional opportunities exist to engage, develop and enrich science students and their teachers through access to the cutting-edge Faulkes Telescopes (FTs). The FT South (sited in Australia) is the world's largest dedicated to educational use with Australia enjoying a 15% share as the host country of this exceptional educational initiative. Operated remotely via the internet, the FT provides natural links to ICT, on-line learning, physics, astronomy and mathematics. Given appropriate support, it can play a valuable role in re-engaging students in science and enhancing science education and literacy outcomes in Australian schools over the next 20 years.Read moreRead less
Federalism in Australian schooling: Its impact upon quality and equity. The project is designed to support the objectives for schooling in Australia that have been identified by the Council of Australian Governments. These objectives are in the face of growing inequities in the distribution of educational resources, growing concentrations of students with high levels of educational needs, and imbalances in the distribution of resources across key stages, especially in early childhood education. ....Federalism in Australian schooling: Its impact upon quality and equity. The project is designed to support the objectives for schooling in Australia that have been identified by the Council of Australian Governments. These objectives are in the face of growing inequities in the distribution of educational resources, growing concentrations of students with high levels of educational needs, and imbalances in the distribution of resources across key stages, especially in early childhood education. By examining the ways in which federalism contributes to the structural barriers to these objectives and by developing and validating a set of structural reforms the project will contribute to these national objectives. Read moreRead less
Scaffolding numeracy in the middle years: an investigation of a new assessment-guided approach to teaching mathematics using authentic assessment tasks. The project will investigate the efficacy of a new assessment-guided approach to improving student numeracy outcomes in Years 4 to 8. The project adds to existing knowledge through the development of a learning and assessment framework for multiplicative thinking and rational number in a form and language accessible to teachers. The project is i ....Scaffolding numeracy in the middle years: an investigation of a new assessment-guided approach to teaching mathematics using authentic assessment tasks. The project will investigate the efficacy of a new assessment-guided approach to improving student numeracy outcomes in Years 4 to 8. The project adds to existing knowledge through the development of a learning and assessment framework for multiplicative thinking and rational number in a form and language accessible to teachers. The project is innovative in that it will develop and use authentic assessment tasks, as opposed to written tests or individual interviews, to identify learner's needs in terms of the framework and inform subsequent teaching. This represents a significant contribution to the Commonwealth's goal of improving numeracy outcomes for all.Read moreRead less
Developing portfolio assessment in Mathematics and English: Insider and outsider perspectives on the implementation of professional teaching standards. In previous parallel SPIRT projects the national subject associations in Mathematics and English/Literacy developed professional standards for excellence in teaching. This research project, with the Victorian Institute of Teaching, will study both the preparation of portfolio items by groups of 'outsider' teachers who played no part in the develo ....Developing portfolio assessment in Mathematics and English: Insider and outsider perspectives on the implementation of professional teaching standards. In previous parallel SPIRT projects the national subject associations in Mathematics and English/Literacy developed professional standards for excellence in teaching. This research project, with the Victorian Institute of Teaching, will study both the preparation of portfolio items by groups of 'outsider' teachers who played no part in the development of the Standards, together with the evaluation of their portfolios by groups of 'insider' assessors from the respective subject associations who helped develop the Standards. Data from this project will contribute to validating the Standards, to clarifying the issues of subject-specific/generic professional standards, and to improving quality in teachers' professional development.Read moreRead less
Education Investment in Australian Schooling: Serving Public Purposes. The public purposes of schooling are central to the social and economic health of Australian society, since they provide a basis for realising the goals and aspirations of that society. This project will use the insights and current practices of many school communities to establish how the purposes of schooling are currently understood and enacted. This clarification will be used as the basis for (a) a reassessment and refine ....Education Investment in Australian Schooling: Serving Public Purposes. The public purposes of schooling are central to the social and economic health of Australian society, since they provide a basis for realising the goals and aspirations of that society. This project will use the insights and current practices of many school communities to establish how the purposes of schooling are currently understood and enacted. This clarification will be used as the basis for (a) a reassessment and refinement of such policy statements as the National Goals of Schooling; (b) professional development activities and resources and sharing of good practice; and (c) the development of instruments for assessing the achievement of public purposes.
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