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

Climate change strikes across Australia see student protesters defy calls to stay in school

According to ABC News, tens of thousands of young Australians have walked out of their classrooms to stage protests in capital cities demanding action on climate change. Rallies began in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart outside state parliament buildings and town halls on Friday. Students have also marched at rallies across regional Australia, with large crowds protesting at Geelong, Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, Cairns and Townsville. Many used humour to get their point across, with posters referencing internet memes and suggesting fail grades for the nation's political efforts on climate change policy. Others were more serious — one poster urged politicians to "panic" about addressing climate change and another warned "there is no Planet B".

Take the lead on bullying prevention, parents urged

The Educator Online reports that approximately one in four Year 4 to Year 9 Australian students (27 per cent) reported being bullied every few weeks or more often. This issue has been made more complicated by cyberbullying, which has allowed the offenders to hide behind anonymity, increasing feelings of anxiety and helplessness among their victims. For schools, the challenges are obvious, and a range of initiatives have been launched over the years to make playgrounds – and homes – as safe as possible for children across Australia. To address this, the peak body for parents with children in Catholic schools says it is critical that parents actively engage in and support schools’ anti-bullying strategies. Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP) executive director, Peter Grace, says that bullying is learned behaviour, which makes the type of behaviour that parents model for their children incredibly important.

Does school funding improve student outcomes?

According to The Educator, there is a view that increased funding of schools – particularly disadvantaged schools – will improve student outcomes and help Australia climb back up the global league tables. However, Blaise Joseph, an education Research Fellow at The Centre for Independent Studies and a former teacher, says studies show that this is not necessarily the case. “There is no clear relationship between school spending and student outcomes. Countries which spend more money on schools don’t necessarily get better results on the international literacy and numeracy tests,” Joseph told The Educator. Joseph pointed to figures that show school spending per student increased by 14 per cent in real terms between 2006-07 and 2015-16, real spending per student increased in all school sectors and states and territories, and the proportion of total government funding for schools allocated on the basis of disadvantage increased from about 11 per cent in 2009 to 25 per cent in 2017.

Continued participation in Anti Bullying Day leads to results - report

According to Independent Schools Victoria, the Education Council has released a snapshot report on the positive impact on schools of the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence (NDA). The day of action is held each year on the third Friday in March, with the aim of helping schools work with their school communities to find practical and lasting solutions to bullying and violence. The report, The Shape the Future of the NDA Survey, looks at the impact of the NDA on schools with 1–2 years, 3–4 years and 5–7 years involvement. For schools that have participated for more than five years:

• more than 7 out of 10 (73 per cent) reported positive changes for students
• two thirds (66 per cent) reported positive changes for staff
• two thirds (66 per cent) reported positive changes in school climate.

Modern Queensland children lagging in sporting ability

According to The Courier Mail, Queensland children can’t run, jump, kick, throw or catch as well as children from previous generations, worried sporting communities warn. Sports authorities from a variety of codes have said that the difference in ability is noticeable, with some organisations forced to adjust to meet players’ abilities. As president of the Beenleigh Netball Association for more than 30 years, Maree Robbins has observed the significant drop in sporting abilities. “In yesteryear, children’s ability to run for lengths of time was much more promising, but that ability isn’t there anymore,” Ms Robbins said. Co-author of one study, Professor Grant Tomkinson, formally of the University of South Australia, said the results were alarming. “We should definitely be concerned about it,” Prof Tomkinson said. “The likely culprits are increases in fatness and declines in physical activity.”

Bullying Stops Here! Website launched

According to a Tasmanian Department of Education media release, the Department’s new anti-bullying website – Bullying Stops Here has been officially launched. The site includes a comprehensive suite of resources for teachers, principals and system leaders. These resources have been funded through the Tasmanian Government’s Combatting Bullying Initiative and developed by Real Schools, in consultation with the Department of Education. The website provides a wide range of information for school leaders, teachers, students, parents and carers. Content includes articles, videos, webinars, infographics, teacher tools and a student leadership resource.

Generational change: 100 per cent of NT government schools say “no” to bullying

According to Mirage News, for the first time since its inception nearly a decade ago, 100 per cent of Northern Territory government schools have signed up to take part in this year’s National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence. The annual day encourages students across Australia to sign up to take part in a nationwide movement to unite and take a stand together against bullying and violence in schools, classrooms and online. The theme of this year’s event is Bullying. No Way. Take Action Every Day. The day is a largely student-led initiative that complements a number of programs and services in NT schools to tackle the scourge of bullying and its potentially devastating impacts.

From play to pressure; a Finnish perspective on Australian schools

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, many thousands of hours have been devoted to figuring out why Finland consistently out-performs countries like Australia on OECD rankings. In 2015, for example, Australia was 25th in the world in maths and 16th in reading, while Finland was 13th and fourth. But it may well be influenced by the one big difference that has struck Finnish education professor Otto Sahlberg since his arrival - that Australian parents and schools put far more emphasis, and therefore pressure, on academic performance and comparisons than their Finnish counterparts. "[My son] Otto's readiness in terms of academics, reading and things, don't concern me at all," said Professor Sahlberg. "My main thing is that he loves to go to school, and that he learns to understand why he's at school - what's the purpose of it."

George Pell and the court sentence Australia couldn't turn away from

According to nine.com.au, Cardinal George Pell’s sentencing after being convicted of child sex abuse was broadcast live across all networks on Wednesday. Workers huddled around computer screens, shoppers stared at strangers’ iPads and people switched on their TVs to watch as Chief Judge Peter Kidd delivered his powerful remarks. “In my view, the broadcast of my sentencing remarks is simply a clear demonstration of transparent and open justice,” Judge Kidd told the court, “and an accessible communication of the work of the court to the community of a case of interest.” Australia’s top lawyers applauded Judge Kidd’s decision to allow cameras into the County Court of Victoria, saying it helped demystify the justice system. They want to see more of it – and they’re likely to, if Judge Kidd gets his way. Since joining the County Court of Victoria 2015, the highly-respected jurist has pushed for greater transparency. He believes the courts need to play a bigger role in teaching Australians about trials and sentencing. “It demystifies the court process for the general public and also shows the work of our hardworking judges in action,” he told nine.com.au in a statement.

INTERNATIONAL

(US) Education level predicts depression rates and access to care

According to Psychology Today, a recent survey reported in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry points to a clear trend in the prevalence of depression and the access people have to treatment (psychotherapy and medication). The survey looked at data for adults in the United States over the years 2005-2014 and found that the incidence of depression went up over these years. This despite more attention being given to mental health and policy changes on the local, state, and national level aimed at increasing access and coverage for mental health services. More disturbingly, the increases were uneven across the population such that people with the lowest education levels suffered the greatest increases in depression. In contrast, among the highest educated group, women saw no change in the prevalence of depression while men actually saw a reduction.