Articles

Mentoring program for early career teachers in the Northern Territory In an initiative designed to reduce the attrition rate which can be as high as 50% in the first five years, the NT Dept of Education has launched a mentoring program to support teachers in the early stages of their career.

$1 million boost for Northern Territory school administrators An additional $1 million per year to support business managers in Territory schools has been announced by Minister for Education Eva Lawler to assist in reducing the administrative burden on schools.

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.

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.

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. 

$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.

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.

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.

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.

Aussie actors launch free literacy program for schools Some of Australia’s famous faces are volunteering their time to read to children. The Equity Foundation has launched a free program in schools called Storyville that harnesses the talent of performers.

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).