Articles

Education has 'dropped the ball' in teaching writing skills Many Australian children are leaving primary school without the handwriting and keyboarding skills to enable them to perform at their best in writing tasks across the curriculum, according to an Australian literacy academic.

Rissalah College to pay back $4.3 million to NSW government Rissalah College in Lakemba, Sydney, has agreed to repay $4.3m and will lose all funding if it employs, contracts with or pays long-time former Principal Ali Roude or members of his family at any future time.

$2.7m funds for intensive English tuition for refugee children in NSW schools Newly arrived refugees attending Catholic and independent schools will benefit from $2.7 million to fund intensive language tuition and other specialist support.

Engineering is Elementary program for schools launched Questacon, Australia’s National Science and Technology Centre, and Raytheon Australia and have marked 10 years of partnership by announcing the development of a pilot of the Engineering is Elementary program for schools. 

Most disadvantaged schools missing out on Teach for Australia recruits Public schools pressure group Save our Schools (SOS) has used the findings of the Teach for Australia Evaluation Report released by the Commonwealth Dept of Education and Training to criticise the fast-track teacher training program.

AITSL adds to school leadership resources collection AITSL has added to its collection of materials to support the professional growth of current and aspiring school leaders and new principals. There is a three-step guide for principals: watch the video; read the guide; explore the resources.

Brain boost? A headset to stimulate the brain is being developed at Uni WA Student innovators and graduates from The University of Western Australia are developing a headset that can monitor human brain waves and stimulate the brain to improve concentration and boost the brain’s performance.

Not-in-School 15YOs distort Australian position on the PISA league table Analysis by Save Our Schools shows that the PISA international league table rankings are misleading because a large proportion of the 15-year-old population in many countries is not in school.

2018 Musica Viva In Schools celebrates cultural diversity The 2018 program spans the globe, harnessing proven educational benefits on its quest to bring live music to schools. From the rice fields of China to the sounds of Da Vinci’s Italy and the childhood games of the Torres Strait Islands.

NSW Champion Girl Challenge – 10 schools in 10 weeks KYUP! is offering 10 fully funded half-day violence education workshops valued at $30,000 to state secondary schools in Term 4. Over 10,000 students and young women have participated since 2013.

Scholarships to help Indigenous students flourish in STEM economy Indigenous school leavers are invited to apply for the Origin Foundation Grant King Indigenous Scholarships, which will provide two students with a scholarship to study Engineering or Science at UNSW.

New portal to create STEM stars AMSI has welcomed this week’s launch of STARportal, a new online tool designed to facilitate student engagement with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).