AUSTRALIA

More Victorian schools ‘may have been used inappropriately’ to funnel away funds

According to The Age, almost a dozen schools have been investigated for misusing taxpayer funds originally allocated to students in need.  This follows after discovering a corrupt ring scammed more than $6 million from the state schools, spending money on alcohol, overseas travel, and lavish lunches.

Muslim schoolboys allowed to refuse women’s handshakes

News.com.au reported on a Sydney school adopting a policy allowing schoolboys to refuse to shake a woman’s hand.  Instead boys  are allowed to put their hands across their chest to indicate they would not be shaking the hand of a woman.  The practice reported to come from the Islamic hadith which teaches: “It is better to be stabbed in the head with an iron needle than to touch the hand of a woman who is not permissible to you”. The New South Wales Department of Education requires schools to recognise cultural, linguistic backgrounds of all students.

Qld Govt pledges $6m to boost child safety

News.com.au reported that the Queensland government is proposing to overhaul communication between departments with regard to child safety matters by pledging $6 million dollars in funding.  This boost in funding is due to the tragic death of Tiahleigh Palmer.  This funding will allow departments to communicate with each other more effectively to help prevent child abuse incidents.

Students in Townsville missing thousands of days of school for unacceptable reasons

The Townsville Bulletin reported on the number of days students have missed school without a valid reason in the Townsville region within the last 12 months.  Department of Education figures reveal 4,588 unauthorised absences reported by Townsville school principals, equalling to approximately 12.5 years equating to a child missing their entire education.

A Perth school just made every kid’s wish come true: No homework!

The West Australian wrote about a Year Six class not receiving any homework, making every child’s dream come true.   The school says: ‘Research has shown the effect of homework on a child’s development is minimal’.

INTERNATIONAL

USA: A computerised early warning system for students in academic trouble

Science Magazine wrote about a program which acts as an early warning system to flag when student results vary.  The warning signs are based on subtle data changes such as a student receiving a B- when they normally receive B+.

Canada: Eighth-grade teacher is suspended after giving students instructions on how to cook and inject meth for drama class

The Daily Mail has reported that a Canadian teacher who has been suspended without pay, after issuing an assignment to his eighth-grade class instructing them to make and inject crystal meth for an acting assignment.

UK: Campaigners hail school decision to let pupils choose gender identity

The Guardian reported on a non-government girls' school allowing female students to use boys’ names and wear boys’ clothes if they wish, under a new gender identity protocol.

New Zealand: Pay teachers based on student progress report

The Otago Daily Times wrote about how New Zealand teachers’ pay rates should directly correlate to the progress in student learning, similar to performance based systems of evaluating the salaries of teachers in the United Kingdom and the United States of America.  This has lead to mixed discussion around teachers salaries directly relating to performance.