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

Hundreds of school closures in New South Wales and Queensland due to bushfire risk

According to news.com.au more than 200 schools will remain closed on Wednesday as dozens of fires continue to burn across Queensland and New South Wales. The decision to keep hundreds of schools closed across NSW follows the closure of 600 schools on Tuesday after the education department and independent schools followed advice of the state’s Rural Fire Service. In its last update at 7.10pm Tuesday, the NSW Department of Education had 222 schools listed that would “temporarily cease operations on Wednesday 13 November due to increased fire risk in the area”. Despite the mass closures, nine public schools were evacuated on Tuesday. Education Minister Sarah Mitchell assured the schools all had evacuation plans, and said the fires that forced those students to evacuate weren’t burning Tuesday morning when decisions to close schools had been finalised. Most of Queensland faces high or very high fire danger in the days ahead with 11 homes already lost in the Cobraball fire near Yeppoon near Rockhampton, and other significant blazes burning in the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast hinterlands, and the Scenic Rim west of Brisbane. In Queensland, two schools and two child care centres will be closed on Wednesday, according to the state’s Department of Education.

Paul Bongiorno: Time to commission transformative change

According to an article in The New Daily, yet another major royal commission is now under way in Australia, in itself testimony to the complete lack of trust the country has in its politicians to deliver for the national interest. The latest high-powered probe is into violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability. Its first public hearing began on Monday 4 November 2019 in Townsville, Queensland, looking specifically at the right to inclusive education. Its chairman Ronald Sackville QC has high hopes his commission will have the impact of other recent inquiries like the one into institutional child sexual abuse and even the ongoing aged care royal commission, whose interim report last week hit like a bombshell. Justice Sackville on ABC radio said “we’ve already seen that royal commissions have the capacity to be transformational.” He cited the child abuse royal commission, “which has fundamentally changed attitudes towards abuse of children and more particularly the response of institutions to that abuse”.

“It was nasty”: Children with disability bullied, belittled at school

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that a mother of five children with disabilities has told the disability abuse royal commission that one of her sons took a knife to school because he was so scared of bullies, while her daughter was belittled by a teacher for needing extra toilet breaks. The woman told a hearing in Townsville last Tuesday 5 November 2019 that it was "absolutely exhausting and frustrating" trying to get schools to make changes so children with disability could be included. In opening remarks on Monday, counsel assisting Dr Kerri Mellifont, QC, said the commission had already received information that showed students with disability were "not being treated as people with the rights to an equitable education". Queensland Teachers' Union president Kevin Bates told the commission disability was not considered in "any great detail" during education courses at university. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 33 per cent of people with a disability aged 15 and over have completed year 12. In 2018, the proportion of all students staying in school until year 12 was 85 per cent.

The first generations of “digi kids” are struggling with literacy as experts warn against screen time

According to the ABC News, leading educators, academics and teachers are sounding the alarm over the impact excessive screen time is having on Australian children's reading, writing and ability to concentrate in school. A Four Corners investigation has found that there are growing fears among education experts that screen time is contributing to a generation of skim readers with poor literacy, who may struggle to gain employment later in life as low-skilled jobs disappear. Four Corners gained exclusive access to the initial results of a national survey of 1,000 teachers and principals conducted by the Gonski Institute. The survey found excessive screen time had a profound impact on Australian school students over the past five years, making them more distracted and tired, and less ready to learn. The Growing Up Digital Australia study has been described by its authors as a "call to action" on the excessive screen use "pervasively penetrating the classroom".

Private school parents more satisfied with their kids' education than government school parents

The ABC reports on its Australian Talks National Survey: while 74 per cent of parents with children in state schools were satisfied with the education their children were receiving, parents in the private system were even more satisfied. More than 80 per cent of parents with children in the Catholic (81 per cent), independent (88 per cent), and other religious school (95 per cent) sectors were either somewhat or very satisfied with the education their children were receiving. The proportion of parents who were very satisfied with their kids' education was higher in the other religious school (64 per cent) and independent school (63 per cent) sectors, compared with the Catholic (37 per cent) and public school (36 per cent) sectors. So who is to blame for the small proportion of dissatisfied parents? Not Australia's teachers — at least 79 per cent of parents were satisfied with the job their children's teachers were doing, with no difference between sectors.

Private school funding growth rate almost doubles state school growth rate

According to The Age, Government funding for Australia's Catholic and independent schools grew at almost twice the rate of public schools in the decade to 2018, new analysis shows. Government funding per public school student grew 27.3 per cent between 2009 and 2017, analysis of the most up-to-date data published by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) shows. This compares with 49.1 per cent growth per student in the Catholic school sector, and 52.3 per cent at independent schools. The Australian Education Union, which analysed the ACARA data, called on the Morrison government to commit more money to the public system, arguing government school students were being short-changed. Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan said the Commonwealth had recently committed new funding for government schools between 2018 and 2023 that would outpace projected growth in funding for non-government schools over the next five years.

Distance education's original purpose lost as popularity increases, rural parents say

According to the ABC News, despite school-of-the-air enrolments dropping in Western Australia, Queensland is observing a trend in the opposite direction. Five out of seven distance education schools in Queensland experienced an increase in enrolments between 2008 and 2018. Total enrolments at the Capricornia school rose by more than 500 per cent, while Charters Towers and Cairns each saw an increase of more than 400 per cent. The federal president of the Isolated Children's Parents' Association (ICPA), Alana Moller, said more mainstream students had been switching to homeschooling and distance education across Australia. "There is a trend towards increasing non-geographically isolated students who are taking on distance education because of medical reasons or they may not fit into mainstream situations," Ms Moller said. "The geographically isolated numbers are being watered down within schools that were set up originally for geographically isolated children, but are now catering for a much wider range."

What impact are mental health apps having?

According to The Educator, the Black Dog Institute has launched a world-first study into the effectiveness of mental health apps for preventing anxiety and depression in adolescents. The five-year study involves 400 schools and more than 20,000 Year 8 students, representing the largest ever clinical trial of its kind in Australia. According to the most recent ABS data, 458 children and young people aged under 25 years died by suicide in Australia last year. A heart-breaking detail of this statistic is that 22 of them were children aged 14 years or younger. However, the Black Dog Institute’s new trial aims to turn this tragic situation around by gleaning crucial mental health information for the duration of the study. The ground-breaking study is now underway, with Wave 1 launching in 14 NSW-based independent schools this July and dozens more ready to join in coming months.

Australians believe children should play more - just not during school hours

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, parents overwhelmingly believe play helps children build important skills and primary schools should focus more on learning through play, but they are divided over when this should happen. A UNSW Gonski Institute for Education survey released last Thursday shows half of parents don't want kids having more break time at school, even as they agree children spend less time playing now than in the past and are under pressure to grow up too quickly. The finding has left the institute's research director and an international education expert Professor Pasi Sahlberg puzzled. Professor Sahlberg also urged a move away from binary views on social media and smartphones. He said blanket device bans such as in Victoria and Western Australia, supported by federal Education Minister Dan Tehan, are "problematic". In NSW smart phones are banned in state primary schools but high schools can choose their own policy. The community survey questioned 1612 people nationally.

Imams consider posting armed guards at mosques, schools

According to The Australian, leaders of Australia’s Islamic community are considering deploying armed guards at mosques and religious schools as part of a national security strategy intended to counter a recent spike in threats involving right-wing extremist groups. The Australian National Imams Council confirmed on Tuesday that a new community safety and security committee would receive advice from industry professionals and work with government authorities to enhance safety for Muslim organisations. ANIC spokesman Bilal Rauf told The Australian the council had decided to take responsibility “just as the Jewish community has done, rightly, for some time to ensure safety at mosques and religious schools”. Mr Rauf said employing armed guards was one of the options under consideration, subject to complying with government and police protocols. Jewish schools and synagogues in Sydney and Melbourne have used armed guards to enhance ¬security for many years, although community leaders will not name specific institutions.

Seven thousand Queensland teachers begin work bans

According to The Educator, teachers from more than 195 Queensland Catholic schools have begun work bans to protest industrial conditions and pay. The industrial action, which involves more than 7,000 teachers across the state, follows the failure of Catholic school employers to resolve key employee concerns at the latest negotiation meeting held in Brisbane last week. The work bans include stopping attendance at any meeting of staff, except meetings regarding student welfare and staff-student safety. Teacher duties during scheduled meal breaks, supervision lessons, playground and transport supervision will also be banned. Independent Education Union of Australia – Queensland and Northern Territory (IEUA-QNT) Branch Secretary Terry Burke said that despite some progress at Wednesday’s meeting, proposals to resolve the impasse “fell short”.

Push for private schools, universities to pay council rates

According to The Age, Victorian ratepayers are "unfairly" paying tens of millions more in council rates, according to the Municipal Association of Victoria, because private schools, universities, power stations and mines enjoy rate exemptions. The association - representing Victoria’s 79 councils - argues the rates system is not fair or equitable for all ratepayers. It calls for the abolition of rates exemptions received by organisations that no longer serve just the local community, as they did in previous centuries, but compete in state, national and even international markets. These include private schools, universities, power stations and solar and wind farms, mines, religious properties used for commercial purposes (such as retirement villages), gaming venues on Crown land and Crown land used for commercial purposes (such as timber reserves and port land). The chief executive of Independent Schools Victoria, Michelle Green, said she expected the Victorian government would promptly reject any suggestion that local councils be allowed to impose rates on non-government schools.

Vic child abuse calls “going unanswered”

According to news.com.au, thousands of calls about vulnerable children to Victoria's child protection hotline are going unanswered, new figures show. The worst affected region was the south, taking in Melbourne's southeast and eastern regional Victoria, the freedom of information data provided to the state opposition shows. More than 7100 of the 27,428 calls from the region went unanswered in the 12 months to August this year. And the average wait time was almost 10 minutes, more than all the other regions put together. The hotline receives reports of children suffering abuse or neglect from across the state. Opposition child protection spokesman Nick Wakeling wants the Labor government to ensure all calls are answered. But government MP Melissa Horne said Labor had invested $1.2 billion into the child protection services.

“Minimal progress”: State sued for “abandoning” autistic boy's education

According to The Age, the mother of a 17-year-old autistic boy has sued the state of Victoria over a government school’s alleged "abandonment" of her son’s education and failure to teach him the curriculum. The case, which could have implications for thousands of families who believe their child has been excluded from learning due to a disability, is listed for a three-week hearing in the Federal Court next year. The mother, whom The Age has chosen not to name, argues the school’s failure “to put intensive effort into his education” and instead fill her son's school days with “non-academic activities” has left him effectively illiterate, innumerate and unemployable. The boy is on the cusp of year 12 graduation but, according to a statement of claim filed with the court, his skills have progressed minimally in his 13½ years at Southern Autistic School. The Department of Education and Training said it was unable to comment about any of the allegations, because the matter is before the court. The school argued that the activities teach Jake important social and communication skills and are entirely in line with the Victorian curriculum.

INTERNATIONAL

“Education, not extinction”: Why the Italian government sided with the youth on climate change (Italy)

According to The Educator, “We cannot simply stand by and watch the destruction of our planet.” This is the call to action of Italian Education Minister Lorenzo Fioramonti, who last week announced that every government school in the country would make climate change and sustainable development education a mandatory part of the curriculum. In an interview with The Educator, Fioramonti, called climate change “the most important challenge humanity has ever faced” – a view shared by 11,000 scientists from 153 countries who declared a “climate emergency” in the BioScience journal on Wednesday. “There is much to be done within the education sector to responsibly address the risks of climate change: that’s why starting from September 2020 Italian teachers in every grade will lead lessons in climate change and environmental sustainability,” Fioramonti told The Educator. Fioramonti said this will comprise a 33-hour-a-year lesson, aligned to Agenda2030, which aims to improve sustainable development, promote peace and reduce poverty worldwide.

Many Attacks at Public Schools Could Be Prevented: US Secret Service (United States)

According to The New York Times, many attacks at public schools in the United States could be prevented by identifying students of concern, the US Secret Service said last Thursday in a report that found attackers routinely show troubling behaviour that should be reported. The study, which focused not only on mass shootings but other acts of targeted violence such as knifings, bolstered previous research on the warning signs students often exhibit before committing deadly violence at their school. The Secret Service, which is primarily tasked with protecting the US president and other elected officials, has analysed school violence since the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado. Its latest report focused on the decade between 2008 and 2017. The troubling behaviours attackers exhibited included communicating a threat to their primary target or saying they wanted to commit violence, such as by making a video message. In many cases, someone observed this behaviour but did not report it to authorities, the report found.

Cellphone ban in Ontario classrooms starts (Canada)

According to the CBC, a ban on the use of cellphones in Ontario classrooms came into effect on Monday 4 November 2019. The ban, first announced by the government earlier this year, had been delayed to give school boards time to implement the restriction. Under the ban, students can only use personal mobile devices during instructional time if it is for educational purposes, for health purposes, or for special needs. While some schools already have similar policies in place regarding cellphone use, the ban sets a provincial standard. The province has not said how teachers are going to enforce the ban. According to the provincial government, 97 per cent of the parents, students and teachers to whom they spoke during consultations in the fall of 2018 said cellphone use should be restricted in some way. But Thierry Karsenti, Canada Research Chair on information and communication technologies (ICTs) in education, said while he thinks cellphones are a problem for our society, a ban in schools is not the answer.