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

Cyberbullying prevention programs: What do we know?

According to an article in The Educator,  research on cyberbullying is relatively new. We still have a lot to learn about the predictors and consequences of cyberbullying and how it differs from face-to-face bullying. We are also in the early stages of research on programs to prevent and intervene with cyberbullying. However, a systematic review and meta-analysis of current programs were published this year in the publication “Aggression and Violent Behavior”. Overall, the cyberbullying prevention and intervention programs were effective in reducing cyberbullying victimisation by around 14 to 15 per cent and cyberbullying perpetration by about 9 to 15 per cent. Given that research on cyberbullying is new, we do need more studies on the effectiveness of prevention and intervention programs. We do not yet know whether we need program components that focus specifically on face-to-face bullying only and cyberbullying only. An important next step in evaluation studies of cyberbullying programs is to identify the components of the program critical to reduce cyberbullying perpetration and victimisation. 

The Research Files Episode 52: Keeping students safe online

A podcast in Teacher of a discussion with Julie Inman Grant, the eSafety Commissioner, discusses the role of teachers in teaching children basic principles on how to use technology responsibly, show respect online, develop digital resilience skills and learn critical reasoning. “I’m sure there are cases when kids come to school, who are using devices on a daily basis, they may not have limitations set at home, they may not have learned the online etiquette that they need and we know that sometimes this burden falls to teachers. We think respectful relationships education is really important to teaching some of these values, but then we’ve also developed a range of teacher resources that are mapped to the curriculum and that are on the wellbeing hub, Student Wellbeing Hub that teachers can access... We do have a pre-service training program for those that are coming out of the teaching schools these days, but we’re really excited about revamping our teacher professional learning program.”

Should country parents get a tax break to send their kids to boarding school?

According to ABC News, remote and rural parents paying about $25,000 annually in boarding school fees as part of their child's education say the state and federal governments could do more to help keep bush families stay in the country. A push by the Pastoralists and Graziers Association of Western Australia for tax breaks for school boarding fees has sparked debate among country parents battling to meet the rising costs of their children's education, at both secondary and tertiary levels. Association president Tony Seabrook spoke with Prime Minister Scott Morrison about allowing boarding fees to be tax deductible. WA Nationals Member for Roe Peter Rundle said reinstating the full Boarding Away from Home Allowance would help families to keep living and working in the regions. In a statement to the ABC, WA Education Minister Sue Ellery said: "There is no plan to change the reduction to the Boarding Away from Home Allowance announced in 2017.”

Israel Folau's case is heading to the courts — so what happens now?

ABC News reports that Israel Folau's unfair dismissal case appears to be headed for a showdown in the Federal Court, with potentially far-reaching implications for any Australian with an employment contract and a social media account. The Fair Work Commission has issued what is known as a certificate following an unsuccessful attempt at mediation between Folau and Rugby Australia last month. Legal experts are heralding the coming court battle as a "test case" that will set a precedent for what holds sway before the courts — an employer's rights via an employment contract or their employee's freedom of religious expression. Josh Bornstein, an employment lawyer with Maurice Blackburn, warned that relying on the Code of Conduct may not sway a Federal Court judge. Why? Because the Fair Work Act states explicitly that an employer cannot discriminate against an employee, victimise or sack them because of their religion. "One of the reasons that it's not clear-cut is that there's been very little judicial consideration of this part of the Fair Work Act. Most cases settle.”

Bullying against teachers: what can be done?

According to The Educator, very few teachers will tell you that they go into the job for the money. Teaching is a student-focused role, aimed at bringing the best out in children and equipping them for a happy and successful life. This is part of the reason why reports of teachers leaving the profession due to incessant bullying, intimidation and violence are so upsetting. To better understand this worrying trend, researchers from La Trobe University conducted a month-long social media survey of 560 teachers across Australia last year. The researchers – Paulina Billett, a lecturer of Sociology, Edgar Burns, a senior lecturer of Sociology and Rochelle Fogelgarn, a lecturer in teacher education – found that more than 70 per cent of participants were bullied or harassed by a student in the preceding 12 months. One teacher told the researchers: “I worry about grades on report cards and how parents will react. They no longer accept it, but instead try to influence and intimidate teachers to change the grades based on what they believe their child deserves.” The respondents also suggested students and parents face penalties for breaching the code of conduct.

Succession planning – “contributive leadership”

Teacher reports on a discussion with Jayne Heath, principal of Australian Science and Mathematics School (ASMS), about how she maintains and benefits from a leadership succession plan. Heath is in her first year as principal at ASMS and says succession planning for the Adelaide school is all about developing teachers to be leaders at every level. By creating a culture like this, Heath affirms the benefits are immediate and stretch further than just who the next principal might be. The ASMS approach is based on a framework centred on three levels of professional capital: working on the individual, social capital and decisional capital, which the school terms “contributive leadership”. The other key focus at the school – something that Heath finds benefits the wider school community – is on each staff member being a learner. As a school leader, how are you developing the leadership capacity of staff? As a principal, if you were to hand your position over to someone else tomorrow, how confident would they be in performing the role? What support networks and structures are in place to aid a smooth transition?

NAPLAN already passes our tests

According to an article in The Australian by Julian Leeser MP, the Federal Member for Berowra, since the earliest days of the National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy, it has been a lightning rod for teachers unions and some educational bureaucrats who have never wanted it to succeed. When NAPLAN was introduced it filled a gaping hole in Australian education. Never before had there been a nationally consistent way of measuring some of the most fundamental skills children need to learn at school. Not every important skill is measured, but it is hard to dispute the value of knowing whether children are meeting literacy and numeracy benchmarks. When Australia is being beaten in international testing by countries such as Kazakhstan and Slovenia, you’d think a standardised test that showed where improvements were needed was more important than ever. When results decline, it is not the test that should be blamed. No one is suggesting that NAPLAN should not be reviewed but a genuine review rather than a political review of NAPLAN — one guided by a desire to improve rather than replace it — should be undertaken. By jumping the gun and conducting a breakaway NAPLAN review, the New South Wales, Queensland and Victorian education ministers are kneecapping the prospect of a future considered, useful review, involving all stakeholders.

“I don't know who to vote for”: students trigger civics revamp

The Age reports that the teaching of civics and citizenship is set to be overhauled in Victoria, following a campaign by students who are concerned young people are disengaged from politics. The state’s peak student body, the Victorian Student Representative Council, has called for youth-run "Politics 101" workshops to be rolled out to secondary schools, professional development sessions for teachers, and resource packs that detail how to vote and why it's important. Education Minister James Merlino has responded to their calls, instructing the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority to work with students to improve civics and citizenship education. Every three years, a sample of about 10,000 Australian students are tested on their knowledge of the Australian government, judicial system and democratic processes. The latest assessment found 55 per cent of year 6 students reached or exceeded the standard, but this dropped to just 38 per cent for year 10 students.

Engineers have invented a “smart” schoolbag so kids will never “forget” their homework again

The New Daily reports that a classic school day drama has inspired a Deakin University engineer and inventor to solve a problem that has driven parents insane since classrooms were invented. Dr Hamid Abdi recruited Masters students to engineer a “smart” schoolbag that knows whether or not it’s packed properly, according to the demands of the day’s timetable. Dr Abdi said they have a prototype set to be trialled in a Geelong primary school – with a view to then securing a commercial partnership. The smart schoolbag uses radio frequency identification (RFID) chips to detect items in the bag – including lunch, sports gear, hat and jumper – and the Internet of Things (IOT) technology to check its contents against the daily school plan. “We know packing the schoolbag each morning can be difficult, especially for younger kids, because the timetable changes daily and each day they need to pack different things,” Dr Abdi said.

New South Wales has 48 selective schools, while Victoria has 4. There’s an interesting history behind this

An article in The Conversation reports that New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian made a “captain’s call” in recent months that raised the ire of many parents, teachers and education groups. She announced that NSW would build a 49th selective school. It will be the first new fully selective school in the state in 25 years. Selective schools are public schools that take high-achieving students. They are meant to offer opportunities for any higher achiever, regardless of social class, but research has consistently shown a high proportion of students in selective schools are from more advantaged households. Australian states have distinct histories when it comes to public secondary education. A market of schools has been fostered since the 1980s, as federal governments have deliberately increased the number of non-government schools and made access financially easier for parents. State governments have re-introduced differentiation in the public school sector (sports, language, performing arts and visual arts high schools, for instance.) The ideal of the comprehensive school – a common school with a common curriculum for all youth in a community – has not been sustained.

INTERNATIONAL

Canadian High School Students Don’t Get Full Picture On Climate Change: Study (Canada)

According to the Huffington Post, while Canadian high school students learn that the earth is warming, many aren’t learning the full picture of climate change in their classrooms, according to a new study from the University of British Columbia and Lund University in Sweden. The study examined the high school science curricula across Canada to assess how well students are taught climate change. And not every province has a passing grade. The study’s lead author Sean Wynes says that the biggest gap is with the scientific consensus that climate change is real. “Generally, Canadian curricula do a good job of teaching that climate change is caused by humans,” he told HuffPost Canada. “But they don’t really focus as much on the scientific consensus of the fact or on solution.” Wynes conducted the research, alongside Kimberly Nicholas at Lund University, as part of his PhD at UBC. He says they were motivated largely by a statistic showing that only half of young people in Canada see climate change as a serious threat.

Special needs education breaking our budgets, warn councils (United Kingdom)

According to The Guardian, county councils across England are warning that the cost of covering special needs education is breaking their budgets, with local authorities overspending by more than £100 million last year to meet the sharp rise in demand. Research by the County Councils Network found that some councils had recorded a 90 per cent increase in young people being given care plans requiring special support, with 27 county councils overspending by a total of £123 million in 2018-19 at a time when local authority purses are under severe pressure. MPs on the education select committee have published a report on school funding in England that calls for £1.2 billion to fill the deficit in provision for special educational needs and disabilities (Send). The county councils said the number of young people on education, health and care plans (EHCPs) requiring additional support in their areas had risen by 50,000 in five years following reforms introduced by the 2014 Children and Families Act.