The information in the Weekly Wrap is aggregated from other news sources to provide you with news that is relevant to the education sector across Australia and worldwide. Each paragraph is a summary of the subject matter covered in the particular news article. The information does not necessarily reflect the views of CompliSpace.

AUSTRALIA

School shutdowns accelerate rise in homeschooling

The Educator reports that Australia has seen an uptrend in families opting for homeschooling in recent years as parents search for ways to maximise their children’s learning. Figures show that the rise was taking place even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, but the recent school shutdowns have triggered an acceleration in families registering for home education. In an article published in The Conversation, Rebecca English, lecturer in education at the Queensland University of Technology, and Karleen Gribble, adjunct associate professor at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University, crunched the numbers and discussed the potential reasons for the rise. English and Gribble noted that “families who are home educating are an under-researched group,” and more studies were needed to better understand the reasons behind the numbers.

The government keeps shelving plans to bring international students back to Australia. It owes them an explanation

According to an article in The Conversation, Victorian universities recently re-proposed a previously conceived plan to get international students back under a similar model used to fly in tennis players for the Australian Open. Similar plans to get international students back have been considered in various states since borders closed in March last year – and then quietly shelved. So far, only the Northern Territory has been able to bring 63 students to Australia. Victorian Acting Premier James Merlino last week blamed Canberra for the lack of progress to bring students back. But Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge is on the other side of the blame game, saying, at the end of March: “there is still the opportunity to bring students back in small, phased pilots. This could occur if an institution works with the state or territory government and presents a plan to us for quarantining international students […] I have discussed various plans with government and university leaders but to date have not received any concrete proposal.” This is all very confusing for the international education sector, which has come up with a number of concrete plans.

Minister points to teacher training review as key to lifting academic performance

The Educator reports that improving teacher quality will be the key element in the Federal Government’s efforts to raise the academic performance of Australian students. Last Thursday, Education Minister Alan Tudge launched a review of initial teacher education courses, which he said was the most critical element in arresting declining learning outcomes – particularly in reading, maths, and science. The six-month review will be conducted by a panel of education experts, led by former Department of Education and Training secretary Lisa Paul. Malcolm Elliott, president of the Australian Primary Principals Association, Derek Scott, 2019 Australian School Principal of the Year awardee, and Bill Louden, Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Western Australia, were also appointed as committee members. The panel will be tasked to find ways on how to attract talented candidates into the profession and prepare them to become effective teachers.

Study reveals greater appreciation for teachers amid the pandemic

The Educator reports that two in five Australians have expressed a greater appreciation for teachers, lauding them for their efforts to provide continuous learning amid the challenges brought about by the pandemic, a new study has shown. A recent survey from Monash University on Australians’ perceptions of schooling during the COVID-19 outbreak has found that about 42 per cent of respondents have shown a marked improvement on how they viewed the teaching profession as a direct result of the pandemic. The report follows a 2019 study by the university, which delved into the perceptions of teachers and the general public on the teaching profession in Australia. The survey of 2,444 educators and community members highlighted a divide on how the two groups viewed teachers and their work. More than 70 per cent of teachers said the profession was unappreciated, despite 82 per cent of the public saying they felt that teachers’ work was respected.

Spike in serious misconduct claims against teachers during pandemic

The Courier-Mail reports that accusations of serious misconduct against Queensland teachers skyrocketed during the pandemic last year, with the state’s regulatory body reporting a startling increase in disciplinary complaints. Queensland College of Teachers’ annual report revealed 865 official disciplinary matters were received in 2020 – an increase of more than 60 per cent on the previous year. Alarmingly, notifications from employers regarding allegations of harm or potential harm to children by teachers almost doubled, up from 328 in 2019 to 610 last year. Another nine teachers were sacked due to reasons related to “professional competence”. Queensland Teachers’ Union president Cresta Richardson said even a doubling of notifications reflected “an extremely small percentage of the teaching profession”. She also said the pandemic contributed to a general rise in stress and anxiety. In 2020, QCT, which oversees the registrations of more than 111,000 Queensland teachers, suspended the registration of 33 teachers as “part of our child protection work”.

Government deletes “cringeworthy” milkshake consent videos

The New Daily reports that the Federal Government has dumped a “bizarre” milkshake video from its new consent education website, less than 24 hours after defending the material. Videos included in the government’s new ‘The Good Society’ education service – which tried to explain issues around sexual consent and assault through metaphors including tacos, swimming with sharks, and milkshakes in a milk bar – were ridiculed as “terrible” by leading politicians. On Tuesday morning, it was revealed the education campaign was funded by the Federal Government to the tune of nearly $4 million. By Tuesday afternoon, two of the videos had been dumped. Former Sydney school student Chanel Contos, who launched a petition earlier in 2021 calling for earlier and improved education on sex and consent, took to Instagram to criticise the videos. “You can’t teach the logistics of sex talking about the ‘birds and the bees’ and you can’t teach the intricacies of consent using milkshakes,” she said.

Schoolies hotbed of sex assaults, breeding ground of “rape culture”

The Courier-Mail reports that schoolies is a hotbed of sexual assaults and a breeding ground for a “rape culture” in Australia, experts say. They have spoken out about the annual “rite of passage” celebration amid a growing groundswell of anger over sexual violence and harassment of women across the country. It comes as a Victorian man faced Southport Magistrates Court this week charged over the alleged rape and filming of a girl at Gold Coast Schoolies in 2019. And Queensland Youth Affairs Minister Meaghan Scanlon, herself the victim of a Schoolies sexual assault, vowed to ramp up efforts to combat the scourge at this year’s festival – where music DJs will be instructed to stop concerts and call out any behaviour which crosses the line. Schoolies volunteers will also be given specific sexual assault training while a communications strategy is being developed covering sexualised behaviour, consent and respect.

Catholic schools split over Mark Latham’s anti-trans education Bill

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Catholic schools have split over Mark Latham’s proposal to ban any discussion of gender diversity in NSW classrooms, with the state’s main Catholic education body supporting the Bill but the large Parramatta diocese lodging a strong objection. In a submission to a Parliamentary inquiry into the Bill, the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta described the proposal as “counter to promoting and respecting the human dignity of all” and “an unacceptable incursion into the professional judgement of Catholic schools and school systems”. In its submission, Catholic Schools NSW, representing the state’s 600 Catholic schools, 30,000 staff and 257,000 students, said parental primacy was paramount. It supports the Bill, with the caveat it must not prevent schools providing pastoral care to LGBTQI students. The Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, led by Archbishop Anthony Fisher, also supported the Bill. Interest groups will appear at public hearings on the Bill in Parliament this week.

Schools, sporting teams urged to fly LGBTIQI+ flag for equality

The Herald Sun reports that schools and sporting groups are bringing in unisex bathrooms, forming non-gendered playing teams and flying rainbow flags in a bid to be more inclusive. The North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network has launched the #SpeakingUpSpeaksVolumes campaign to support LGBTQI+ students in schools. The campaign draws on material from Proud2Play and VicHealth, which include strategies for schools and sporting groups such as rainbow flag signage, unisex and gender-neutral change rooms and toilets, non-gendered formats for teams, and allowing people to play according to gender identity. The material also suggests avoiding “gendered terms” such as husband and girlfriend instead of the non-gendered partner, and mum and dad rather than parent. People are also encouraged to ask others which pronouns they use.

“How can we challenge a conversation if we lack courage?”

EducationHQ reports that, after losing a Year 9 student to suicide, educator, Rachel Downie decided that she needed to find a way to support our young people to say something when things “aren’t right”. She discovered that in emergent situations, students often felt too frightened to come forward with possible life-saving information, due to their social expectations and Australia’s cultural acceptance of bullying. This led Rachel to developing Stymie – harm reporting without fear. Rachel was recognised for her work with young people at risk of harm, receiving the Queensland Australian of the Year Award in 2020 and she has an important message for educators. Rachel will present her session “How can we challenge a conversation if we lack courage?” at the Leadership for Future Focused School conference, part of the National Education Summit, Brisbane on 4 and 5 June 2021.

INTERNATIONAL

Pfizer, doctors push for children to get COVID shot (United States)

KGW reports that, as Pfizer awaits FDA [Food and Drug Administration] approval to give children ages 12-15 its COVID-19 vaccine, some doctors say vaccinating children against coronavirus is the next step toward herd immunity in the United States. Pfizer is testing its vaccine with children ranging in age from as young as six months to teenagers under 16. It said early results so far indicate its vaccine is 100 per cent effective for kids 12-15. “These results haven't been peer reviewed yet, but if they stand, that's good news in the fight against this virus," said NBC News medical correspondent Dr. John Torres. Children make up about a quarter of the US population. To reach herd immunity and prevent COVID from continuing its spread, many doctors say both adults and children need to be vaccinated. Pfizer said if it received FDA approval, vaccine rollout for children could be ready by the start of the school year.