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

Outcomes from education ministers' meeting

The Newcastle Herald reports that there is a teacher shortage across all states, territories and sectors. Australia’s education ministers recently committed to developing a National Teacher Workforce Action Plan to address this. The plan includes work on: elevating the profession; improving teacher supply; strengthening initial teacher education; maximising the time to teach; and better understanding future teacher workforce needs. A working group will deliver a report in December 2022. Other measures include that the Federal Government will deliver 5000 bursaries and expand the High Achieving Teachers program by up to 1500 teachers in collaboration with states and territories; states and territories will work with the federal government to further the internship model, to increase the number of final year students working in schools; federal ministers will seek to prioritise visa processing times for qualified teachers from overseas; and national guidelines will be developed to support early career teachers including mentoring, induction and classroom behaviour management.

‘Too soon’: Tough choice facing Australian parents

According to news.com.au, early learning educators are facing an “alarming” new trend, with post-pandemic troubles causing the perfect storm. Cost of living pressures, unaffordable childcare fees and a lack of emotional and social intelligence from our little ones is causing a headache for early learning teachers, who are concerned that children are being sent to school before they are ready. Between birth and five years of age, children’s brains rely heavily on everyday experiences and relationships to boost connections between their neurons, Mr Elassal, founder of the Thrive Early Learning Centres and of the National Coptic Childcare Alliance, explained. “Play based learning until at least the age of five is an important part of early learning and a lot of children have missed out because of Covid. This could actually stifle their development long term.” Notably, NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell recently announced plans for a universal school starting age of 6.

Apple for teachers a recipe for corporate creep, expert warns

The Age reports that tech giant Apple is embedding itself in Australian schools, accrediting “Apple teachers” and awarding its most devoted schools “distinguished” status, in a move one expert says risks distorting established recognition of teaching expertise. Apple has awarded almost 50 schools in Australia “Apple distinguished school” status for demonstrating the company’s “vision for learning with technology”. Prerequisites for achieving distinguished school status include that all students use Apple technology for learning, that the Apple platform is used in innovative ways, and that staff are proficient with devices such as iPads and Mac computers. The influence of Apple on Australian education is being studied in a federally funded project led by Australian Catholic University research fellow Dr Steven Lewis. Lewis said it was potentially dangerous to rely on a technology company such as Apple to provide professional learning for teachers.

Another school has banned mobile phones, but research shows that bans don’t stop bullying or improve student grades

According to The Conversation, there have been numerous recent phone bans at both public and private schools around Australia. This is part of a worldwide trend. In a move popular with parents, schools and governments, it is seen as a way to fix bullying and student disengagement. But research shows that banning doesn’t resolve these problems. Removing one variable – a phone – cannot address the complexity needed to resolve them. The purpose of school is to support children to develop the skills, knowledge and dispositions needed for the era in which they live. Despite concerns, research shows that mobile phones have generally been found not to disrupt teachers instructing students. This is because students mostly pick them up between tasks or at the end of lessons. Research also tells us that traditional (in-person) bullying continues to be more prevalent than cyberbullying around the world. So, removing one device for six hours a day will not stop bullying. When thinking about phones in schools, there are bigger issues to think about, beyond simply banning them at the school gate.

Don’t let kids fear world of hi-tech

According to The Australian, parents and teachers should overcome their fears about the negative influence of technology on children, according to an education expert who wants them to embrace a more positive approach that helps youngsters to manage an increasingly hi-tech world. The chief executive of the International Society for Technology in Education, Richard Culatta, says that there is an urgent need to develop positive behaviours online from an early age in order to face the “reality” of an increasingly digitised world. “Some parents and educators think they’re doing the right thing by holding our kids off of technology, but we’re actually giving up the most valuable time that we have to model and teach and prepare them how to be effective in those virtual spaces.” According to Mr Culatta, the existing curriculum and modelling for online learning has been far too narrow and negative, comparing it to teaching a child to play piano by telling them what keys not to play.

‘A huge win’: can sexual consent programs in schools make the change we need?

The Guardian reports that since former Sydney private school student Chanel Contos revealed the alarming prevalence of sexual abuse in high schools and launched the Teach Us Consent petition calling for earlier consent education, there has been progress in attitudes towards sexual violence, consent and gendered abuse in Australia. This progress includes Contos’s campaign achieving its goal of mandatory consent education in all Australian schools, starting next year. Prof Michael Salter, an expert in criminology and gendered violence at UNSW, says having honest conversations between young men to unpack the anxiety and tension in male sexuality can be transformative – but it is not a “silver bullet”. Salter says he is concerned this focus on children “exculpates the adults that have the responsibility for social transformation”. “It is not the fault of 13- and 14-year-old boys that they grow up in an unequal and sexist society,” he says. “It’s our fault.” Bianca Fileborn, an expert in criminology at the University of Melbourne, agrees. “There’s a lot of focus on young people, which is obviously important, but what about the rest of the community?” she says. “There’s a real need to actually engage in some broader community education around consent and sexual ethics as well.”

New report reveals some good news for principal health and wellbeing

According to an article in The Educator, Australia’s school leaders are successfully fighting back against burnout and restoring a healthy work-life balance, a new study shows. The ‘Flourish Movement 2022 Report’ was undertaken by Dr Adam Fraser from The Flourish Movement – an award-winning, research-based program designed to tackle burnout and reduce stress in school leaders – and Dr John Molineux from Deakin University. The Flourish program currently operates in six states and has seen impressive results. According to data analysed by Dr Fraser and Dr Molineux, since the program’s launch in 2016, the return on investment has been calculated at almost 300 per cent in the first year and 230 per cent in subsequent years. Dr Fraser told The Educator that “after the Flourish program we still see a 10 per cent increase in their resilience levels to a score of 5.12 out of 6. Weirdly, this improvement in resilience comes from them practicing greater levels of self-care.”

Bigger salaries for top teachers to stop classroom exodus

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that new teaching jobs with salaries up to $130,000 a year would be created to stop an exodus of educators from classrooms and entice students into the profession, under sweeping reforms planned by the NSW Government. Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said that “higher paid roles for outstanding teachers” were being considered to boost career opportunities, with University of Melbourne education expert John Hattie to lead advice on the changes. The overhaul comes as Australia’s education ministers recently met to discuss chronic teacher shortages that are plaguing school sectors across the country. “NSW has some of the best teachers in the world, but they often leave the classroom and move into management roles to secure higher pay and career progression,” Mitchell said. Mitchell said that expanding the “career path for classroom teachers [to] better reward excellence in teaching” was the key to modernising the NSW education system.

Tragedy as boy, 10, dies on grounds of NSW school

According to an article in news.com.au, a community is in shock after a note was found at the scene of a 10-year-old boy’s death at school, suggesting he took his own life. The boy, a year 5 student, recently died at the campus south of Wollongong after paramedics made desperate attempts to save him. NSW Police were contacted for comment. There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death. A spokesman for the Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong said “comprehensive support” and counselling will be provided to anyone impacted in the wake of the tragedy. “Local police and health services have provided significant assistance, and there is ongoing liaison with the Department of Education,” he said. Ian Hickie, former CEO of Beyondblue, said the community should try and pull together in the face of the tragedy. Professor Hickey also explained how the pandemic left a huge impact on children’s mental health which needed to be addressed.

Bondi Jewish school set to close after failing to meet standards

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that an eastern suburbs Jewish school is set to close after the state’s education authority recommended that its registration be cancelled for failing to meet curriculum and teaching standards. A decision by NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal backed a recommendation to cancel Bondi’s Yeshiva College registration, with a scathing inspection report finding the school did not comply with curriculum, teaching and governance rules. NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) found Yeshiva College was non-compliant across multiple areas, including teachers having necessary experience and qualifications, meeting minimum primary and high school curriculum requirements and providing a “safe and supportive environment” for students. It is understood the NSW Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell will take steps to enact NESA’s recommendation.

Educators are too ‘time poor’ to learn how to use child abuse detection scheme

The Age reports that a Victorian scheme designed to help detect vulnerable children at risk of abuse has had a low uptake from early learning and education staff because they are too overworked and “incredibly time poor”, according to a recent industry survey. The Child Information Sharing Scheme was designed after recommendations from the royal commissions into family violence and institutional responses to child sexual abuse. The scheme would allow services to share information on a child’s wellbeing without parental consent. The Victorian Department of Education and Training has said it will provide casual relief teacher funding for those wanting to do the training. It has created e-learning packages, face-to-face learning options as well as online webinars to make it easier for staff to complete. The majority of education and care services and schools have professionals who are trained in the CISS, and the Government has committed to the delivery of training until 2025.

Top End teachers to strike this week; Chief Minister claims it’s political
According to the NT Independent, teachers in the Greater Darwin region will be taking strike action this Friday that is expected to impact the functioning of Darwin and Palmerston schools. The Department of Education said in a statement on Monday morning that while the industrial action will affect schools, they will remain open, but may have “modified timetables” and combining classes. Teachers are the latest public servants, after firefighters and corrections officers, to voice their displeasure over failed ongoing EBA negotiations. Chief Minister Natasha Fyles suggested on radio Monday morning that the teachers’ strike action was somehow connected to the upcoming August 20 Fannie Bay by-election, where Labor is battling against the CLP and independents for the key seat. The Australian Education Union NT are currently negotiating a new enterprise agreement for non-contract principals, teachers and assistant teachers.

Premier unveils new measures to tackle child abuse

The Mercury reports that the Tasmanian Government has announced another set of major reforms to improve the safety and of children and young people. Among the new measures that the Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff recently announced are a massive expansion of Working with Vulnerable People checks and new regulations for out-of-home-care. Mr Rockliff said the Government had also established a central register of public service staff who have been sacked after disciplinary proceedings that agencies would be required to check before hiring new staff. Mr Rockliff said former Supreme Court Shan Tennant would be appointed as the independent Chair of a Youth Justice Reform Steering Committee and that there would be efforts to improve the training of RTI officers to ensure government agencies were accountable. He also discussed the ongoing development of a Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework, which would commence implementation from 2024.

INTERNATIONAL

One year of Taliban rule has devastated Afghanistan, but there are glimmers of hope within 'secret schools' (Afghanistan)

ABC News reports that in a radical act of rebellion, teachers in Afghanistan have established an underground network of secret schools to help girls and young women continue their education, which has become a human right outlawed by the Taliban. The teachers are disobeying militant rulers and risking their lives to ensure that at least a few Afghan girls and young women can keep learning. Some hold the lessons in their apartments. Other schools have grown too big and have moved into vacant buildings. However, they're all behind closed doors, populated via a whisper network of teachers, parents and community leaders who find those who want to learn and send them to the women who are brave enough to teach them. Founder and teacher Sodaba asserts, "The Taliban group does not represent Islam. There is no justification to deny girls from education in Islam. They just want impose their ideology on us."

COVID-19 caused millions of school closures. Here's the low-tech solution that is keeping kids in developing nations learning (International)

ABC News reports that when COVID-19 swept the globe, forcing millions of schools to close, an Australian researcher and an international not-for-profit found a creative yet low-tech solution to help children in developing nations keep learning. Now, they say, the program could be rolled out in Australia to help disadvantaged children in remote areas, and during disruptions such as natural disasters and strikes. When COVID-19 shut down schools in Botswana, the not-for-profit group Youth Impact provided families with non-smart mobile phones so they could access a combination of text messages and weekly, one-on-one, 20-minute phone calls with tutors. It was an adaption of their ConnectED literacy and numeracy program. Former Sydney resident and Youth Impact research project coordinator Claire Cullen said 4,500 families accessed the initial trial, resulting in a 31 per cent lift in numeracy. The success of the Botswana trial has sparked further studies involving more than 20,000 school students across five countries: Uganda, Kenya, Philippines, Nepal and India.