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 Ideagen.

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AUSTRALIA

National Child Protection Week is here – how will you be involved?

The Sector reports that National Child Protection week is being held this week from 3–9 September, with the aim of engaging, educating, and empowering Australians to understand the complexity of child abuse and neglect, and work together to prevent it. The campaign does this through the sharing of events and resources to encourage communities to engage in conversations around children’s safety and wellbeing. In 2023, the theme is “Where we start matters” highlighting that all Australians can play a part in combating child abuse and neglect by creating stronger, happier neighbourhoods. For Catholic schools and early learning settings in the Newcastle, Maitland and the Hunter regions of New South Wales, National Child Protection week is a dynamic time, where services get involved in the “Decorate your Gate” initiative, finding a gate, fence or alternative space to decorate in-line with the theme, “Where we start matters”.

Solution to reducing violence against teachers is complex

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the cost of teacher compensation payouts has tripled in six years from $51 million to $143 million. Mental health claims alone totalled $65 million and traumatic tendon, joint and muscle injuries accounted for a further $37 million. Last year, 14 teachers a week were lodging a claim. While there are many issues facing teachers, the step up in violence and related issues is a particularly worrying aspect. The issue of increasing disruption in Australian school classrooms is the subject of a Senate inquiry from which the delayed report is now expected in mid-November. Families need to work with education and health services to provide a foundation for positive behaviour. The reasons for the increasing incidence of violence in schools is layered and complex. Addressing this needs a whole-of-community approach.

Almost twice as many students using AI than employees: report

According to news.com.au, more than a quarter of the Australian economy will be significantly disrupted by AI technologies, experts have warned, as businesses and workers remain hesitant of new advancements. The report by consultancy firm Deloitte Australia found about $600 billion in economic activity stands be to be “rapidly and significantly” disrupted by new generative AI technology. The report also revealed the generational gap between large business, of which less than 10 per cent have officially adopted AI, and the 58 per cent of students already using it. Students were almost twice as likely to use generative AI tools such as ChatGPT than employees, with only 1.4 per cent of all Australian businesses currently utilising AI officially. The Deloitte report titled “Generation AI: Ready or not, here we come!” found about 75 per cent of employees were concerned about AI’s use, including with areas such as personal data.

Kids and (less) money: Are you giving your children economic anxiety?

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, psychologists report a big increase in recent years in what is known as eco-anxiety and economic anxiety in our children. The danger zone is particularly at ages eight to 12, when children are learning about the outside world. But whether it is environmental or financial worry, the key to containing stress about a scary unknown is empowerment, and that goes for kids and adults. For the environment, that is recycling, stopping using single use plastics, picking up litter on the beach or whatever gives them the sense of a solution. For household finances, that could equally be turning off those lights, coming up with cheaper fun activities to do inside rather than outside the house. But all that is only to happen if it is a whole-of-family campaign to get the costs and psychological discomfort down. Kids do need to know when times are tight; it is potentially a great financial teaching opportunity and promotive of future responsible money management.

‘Transformational’ program gives graduate teachers a boost

According to The Educator, Australia is facing significant teacher shortages. With up to 70 per cent of teachers considering leaving the profession as of January 2023. For most teachers, the first few years of their careers are critical. They shape their view of the profession, its benefits and challenges, and ultimately whether or not they want to continue. With the number of disillusioned teachers increasing post-COVID, it’s never been more important to ensure that teaching is a positive experience, particularly in those first years. To address this issue, as well as ongoing concerns about staffing and student engagement, the University of Newcastle has formed a four-year $5 million agreement with the Australian government to expand its Quality Teaching Rounds (QTR) program. The program has already shown significant positive effects on teacher experience and student learning and is now being expanded to focus on teachers in the early stages of their careers.

Flexible classroom designs are better than traditional, open-plan ones, survey finds

According to The Educator, the University of Melbourne’s Learning Environments Applied Research Network (LEaRN) says the assumption that there is a need to return to traditional siloed classrooms is “misguided.” School designs designed to cater to varied teaching and learning activities and diverse student needs are required, LEaRN said in a recent media release. In a 2021 survey conducted by LEaRN to over 800 schools, a quarter of primary and secondary school spaces in Australia and New Zealand are flexible in their design, while the rest are largely traditional classrooms. LEaRN said that “while further evidence of the impact on students of flexible spaces is needed, there is also a lack of evidence that traditional designs are any better”. The group also stressed that decisions about the future of school designs should be based on quality information covering a “broad view of the types of teaching, learning, and pastoral care activities” in schools.

Teacher accreditation requirements in NSW overhauled, five-year sign-off scrapped

According to The Daily Telegraph, school principals have hailed the NSW government’s decision to scrap an “onerous” accreditation requirement for teachers amid an ongoing campaign to reduce paperwork and stem the tide of resignations. Currently, teachers need to be signed off by their principal every five years as having met the NSW Education Standards Authority’s (NESA) requirements to be registered as a “proficient” teacher, but from November the rule will be abolished. Teachers will still be required to complete 100 hours of professional development every five years, but the Education Minister Prue Car said that the paperwork and evidence of competence teachers needed to produce to get their sign-off was “an onerous, offensive process” that is not necessary to maintain high standards. The Education Minister has pledged to continue finding ways to cut unnecessary red tape from teachers’ daily lives.

Teacher union slams ‘glib’ Andrews as kids sit on floor, VCE classes cancelled amid teacher crisis

According to The Herald Sun, Victorian students are being forced to sit on the floor in the back of classrooms as a result of severe teacher shortages. The education union has intensified its war with the Andrews government, sounding the alarm on a broken system, and warning the Premier is failing to invest in a solution to the chronic problem. Victorian branch president of the Australian Education Union Meredith Peace said that the state was battling an “unprecedented” teacher vacancy rate of 2500. Ms Peace said that this is forcing schools to combine classrooms and cancel VCE lessons. Premier Daniel Andrews on Tuesday said he was yet to meet with Ms Peace but rejected any suggestions he was ignoring the union.

Qld vaping research for major inquiry reveal 1 in 4 teens have tried it, as ED cases climbs

According to The Courier Mail, vaping rates among Queensland high school students are “incredibly high” and it has become “normalised behaviour”, research shows. Research commissioned as part of a parliamentary inquiry into vaping reveals about one in four 12 to 17-year-olds in Queensland has tried e-cigarettes, with 10 per cent of this cohort claiming to vape daily. Teens were likely to try their first e-cigarettes in school bathrooms or a mate’s house. More children are being referred to Queensland Children’s Hospital’s mental health arm due to vape-related concerns linked to nicotine dependence and withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, agitation and mood. The government last week launched a $1.3m campaign, “There’s Nothing Sweet About Vapes”, targeting children aged 12-17 on social media platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Twitch and Snapchat.

Broncos cultivate excellence in Indigenous education

According to The Educator, First Nations students in classrooms across Queensland and Northern NSW are accelerating their learning outcomes, developing cultural pride, and finding their voice for change, all thanks to the Beyond the Broncos Program. More than 2,800 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Years 7 - 12 are excelling both inside the classroom and within their local communities, forging strong paths forward to become the next generation of inspirational leaders. Beyond the Broncos Program empowers students to integrate their culture into the fabric of their school and improve their community through transferable skills. James Whitchard, Principal of The Rivers Secondary College Kadina High Campus, said that the program was invaluable in engaging students and played a significant role in retention and supporting the transition from Year 12 into the workforce. With the help of off-field sporting stars from the Broncos, the program equips students with the tools they need to learn and lead.

INTERNATIONAL

As school year begins, Quebec law limiting work hours for teens comes into effect (Canada)

According to CBC News, as students start returning to classes across the province, Quebec's rule to limit the number of hours teens can work during the school year is coming into effect. As announced last March by Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet, the law limits working hours for teens aged 14-16 to 17 hours a week with a maximum of 10 hours of work on weekdays and seven hours on the weekend. It also set the minimum legal working age at 14. Boulet said that he is convinced the law will help students succeed academically. Boulet said that “young people’s primary job is to be students”. The law has two goals, keep kids in school and protect them from workplace injuries. Boulet says that statistics show that nearly a third of teenagers who work more than 16 hours a week drop out of school. He referred to a study on psychological health among people aged 12 to 25 which found that those worked more than 15 hours per week reported symptoms of depression or anxiety.

‘Life or death’: LGBTQ2 people warn on dangers of school pronoun policy changes (Canada)

According to Global News, debates continues over policies requiring parental consent for youth under 16 to change their name or preferred pronouns in some schools. Members of Canada’s LGBTQ2 community say such legislation could put some at risk of abuse, harassment or even homelessness. The concerns come as Saskatchewan and New Brunswick recently put in place such laws. When asked earlier this week about whether Ontario will implement similar policies, the province’s education minister said that parents should be “fully involved” in “life-changing” decisions involving their children. But following a scathing report from the province’s child and youth advocate, who warned the changes risk violating children’s rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the province made it so psychologists, social workers and other school professionals do not need parental consent, though it doubled down on other central elements of its policy.