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Full-Text Articles in Education

Education Out Loud Case Study: School For Life, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic, Jolanda Butler Jan 2024

Education Out Loud Case Study: School For Life, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic, Jolanda Butler

International Education Research

Children living in remote rural parts of Ghana experience inequality in basic education, in terms of both access and outcomes. This issue is particularly acute in the north of the country and for girls. For example, 30 percent of children in the north have no school nearby and 20 percent will never enroll. Furthermore, transparency and accountability within Ghana’s education system is weak. Generally, information is not disseminated in a way that is accessible to most citizens (for example it is not produced in a local language), which means they are denied the opportunity to understand and engage with the …


The Scottish Government International Development Fund: Designing A New International Development Inclusive Education Programme, Alexander Towne, Desmond Bermingham Jan 2024

The Scottish Government International Development Fund: Designing A New International Development Inclusive Education Programme, Alexander Towne, Desmond Bermingham

International Education Research

This document was commissioned by the Scottish Government following a review of Scotland’s approach to international development in the wake of Covid-19, and incorporates a needs analysis and evidence, review, a detailed description of the global and national policy contexts relevant to partner country education systems and inputs from partner country governments, civil society and development partners on their priorities for investment in Inclusive Education. Drawing on these inputs, the report proposes a focus for the Scottish Government’s inclusive education programme on learners with disabilities and girls and young women, which is due to begin implementation in 2024. It also …


Education Out Loud Case Study: Iid, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic, Miriam Linder Jan 2024

Education Out Loud Case Study: Iid, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic, Miriam Linder

International Education Research

The education system in Bangladesh has undergone significant change since the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. In 1973 the community-sponsored school system, in which communities felt a moral obligation to take an active role in schools, was transformed into a centralised national system. This caused a shift in the sense of ownership of the education system and a disconnect between community and school. This in turn led to the development of a system, which lacks accountability and community monitoring, and has left the system vulnerable to shocks that disproportionately affect already disadvantaged students. Nevertheless, there have been some notable …


Education Out Loud Case Study: The Gear Alliance, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic, Sam Boering Jan 2024

Education Out Loud Case Study: The Gear Alliance, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic, Sam Boering

International Education Research

This case study is part of a larger body of work funded by the Global Partnership for Education’s (GPE) Education Out Loud (EOL) programme. It explores the advocacy and policy influencing (API) activities of the GEAR Alliance, a transnational alliance of four East African civil society organisations (CSO) receiving funding from EOL, and the process, results and impact of action research project they conducted in partnership with MDF/ Australian Council for Education Research (ACER), an EOL ‘Global Learning Partner’ (GLP). EOL is the GPEs fund for advocacy and social accountability. The fund aims to support CSOs to be active and …


Technology In Education: A Case Study On Lao People's Democratic Republic, Yung Nietschke, Anna Dabrowski Nov 2023

Technology In Education: A Case Study On Lao People's Democratic Republic, Yung Nietschke, Anna Dabrowski

International Education Research

This paper was commissioned by the Global Education Monitoring Report as background information for the development of the 2023 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report: technology and education, Southeast Asia. Digital technology has the potential to transform learning and offer a solution to persistent challenges in equity of access and quality of learning for all students. COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of technology to deliver alternative modes of education. It has also put the spotlight on the digital divide that technology creates. This Case Study explores the progress of technology integration in the education sector in Lao PDR in line with …


Policy Brief: Investigating School-Based Programs That Support Student Mental Health And Psychosocial Wellbeing In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Anna Dabrowski, Katherine Dix Nov 2023

Policy Brief: Investigating School-Based Programs That Support Student Mental Health And Psychosocial Wellbeing In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Anna Dabrowski, Katherine Dix

Global education monitoring

School closures and disruptions to mental health services linked to the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly impacted the lives of children, young people and their families. Now, more than ever, schools are expected to provide emotional and psychosocial support and stability to students, educators and other school staff. Education systems are therefore investing more resources into school-based mental health programs to ensure they can provide the required level of support, in addition to acknowledging the need for social-emotional skill development. The ever-growing number of school-based mental health and wellbeing programs make it challenging to identify programs that are effective. It is …


Halt Certification: Reducing The Workload, Increasing The Rigour And Cutting The Cost, Lawrence Ingvarson, Hilary Hollingsworth Oct 2023

Halt Certification: Reducing The Workload, Increasing The Rigour And Cutting The Cost, Lawrence Ingvarson, Hilary Hollingsworth

Teacher workforce and careers

In December 2022, federal, state and territory education ministers released a National Teacher Workforce Action Plan to improve teacher supply and retention in the profession. While recognising the important role that Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) certification could play, the plan also recognised that the current approach to certification was cumbersome for teachers and called for it to be ‘streamlined’. At the request of the education ministers, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) has produced a revised Framework for the Certification of HALT Teachers. Guided by the Framework, certifying authorities across state and territory school systems …


Policy Brief: Monitoring And Evaluating Global Citizenship Education In The Asia-Pacific Region, Payal Goundar, Rachel Parker Sep 2023

Policy Brief: Monitoring And Evaluating Global Citizenship Education In The Asia-Pacific Region, Payal Goundar, Rachel Parker

Global education monitoring

Global citizenship education is now an important element of curricula, policy, and practice in many diverse nations around the world. Almost a decade ago, education for global citizenship was described as a target under United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4.7 – to ‘ensure all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development.’ Despite efforts to define and frame global citizenship education (GCED), systems continue to grapple with understanding, enacting, and assessing GCED in ways that reflect changing local and global conditions for students, teachers, and schools. This new study responds to the need for tools and resources to …


Summary Report. Being And Becoming Global Citizens: Measuring Progress Toward Sdg 4.7. Phase I: Monitoring Teacher And School Readiness To Enact Global Citizenship In The Asia-Pacific Region, Rachel Parker, Jennie Chainey, Payal Goundar, Sarah Richardson, Anna Dabrowski, Amy Berry, Claire Scoular Sep 2023

Summary Report. Being And Becoming Global Citizens: Measuring Progress Toward Sdg 4.7. Phase I: Monitoring Teacher And School Readiness To Enact Global Citizenship In The Asia-Pacific Region, Rachel Parker, Jennie Chainey, Payal Goundar, Sarah Richardson, Anna Dabrowski, Amy Berry, Claire Scoular

Global education monitoring

The relationship between global citizenship and education quality was established almost a decade ago, when it was described as a target under United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.7 – to ‘ensure all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development.’ Despite efforts to define and frame global citizenship education (GCED), systems continue to grapple with understanding, enacting, and measuring it in ways that reflect changing local and global conditions for students, teachers and schools. This study responds to an identified need for tools and resources for systems to enact, monitor and evaluate GCED, particularly in primary school …


Analysis Of Early Childhood Education And Learning Outcomes In The Pacific, Dan Cloney, Yung Nietschke, Jeffery Marshall Feb 2023

Analysis Of Early Childhood Education And Learning Outcomes In The Pacific, Dan Cloney, Yung Nietschke, Jeffery Marshall

Early Childhood Education

There is strong evidence supporting early childhood education (ECE) programmes as an effective way to support children to have the best start in life, especially for the most disadvantaged children. When high‐quality programmes are established – where quality is assured, and barriers to participation eliminated – large positive effects are observed that are sustained into adulthood. Indeed, substantial positive returns on public investment in ECE programmes are reported. When low‐quality programmes are taken to scale in the market, however, smaller effects or no effects are observed. This is attributed to failure to get quality right. And when quality is too …


Teachers Report Card 2021: Teachers’ Perceptions Of Education And Their Profession, Australian College Of Educators Oct 2021

Teachers Report Card 2021: Teachers’ Perceptions Of Education And Their Profession, Australian College Of Educators

Australian College of Educators - National

Teachers play a central role in the development of Australia’s young people. It is essential that their voices are heard by those who make and decide policy, and by others who influence their learning and development. The NEiTA-ACE Teachers Report Card 2021is based on a survey of amplifying the voices of teachers on the state of education and on their profession.


Building Resilient Education Systems: A Rapid Review Of The Education In Emergencies Literature, Pina Tarricone, Kemran Mestan, Ian Teo Aug 2021

Building Resilient Education Systems: A Rapid Review Of The Education In Emergencies Literature, Pina Tarricone, Kemran Mestan, Ian Teo

International Education Research

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vulnerabilities and inequalities of national education systems and hindered the education of millions of children globally. In response, the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Centre, which is a long-term, strategic partnership between the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), undertook a rapid review of literature to support policymakers. The research has six evidence-based outcomes that can help policymakers to build resilient education systems and thereby enhance education quality and equity during emergencies. The COVID-19 emergency provided the impetus for this research, with much of …


Marginalisation: Practitioner Level, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer) Jan 2021

Marginalisation: Practitioner Level, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Education Analytics Service

This Practitioner level module is designed to ensure staff members who engage with and lead policy dialogue with international and domestic partners understand the patterns of marginalisation in education and the policies, strategies and structures that can be put in place at the national, school and community level to reduce marginalisation. It is recommended that staff complete the Marginalisation: Foundation level module as background information to this Practitioner level module.


Australia: Pisa Australia—Excellence And Equity?, Sue Thomson Jan 2021

Australia: Pisa Australia—Excellence And Equity?, Sue Thomson

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

Australia’s education system reflects its history of federalism. State and territory governments are responsible for administering education within their jurisdiction and across the sector comprising government (public), Catholic systemic and other independent schooling systems. They collaborate on education policy with the federal government. Over the past two decades the federal government has taken a greater role in funding across the education sector, and as a result of this involvement and the priorities of federal governments of the day, Australia now has one of the highest rates of non-government schooling in the OECD. Funding equity across the sectors has become a …


Marginalisation: Foundation Level, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer) Jan 2021

Marginalisation: Foundation Level, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Education Analytics Service

The purpose of this module is to provide introductory information about the key characteristics and strategies to reducing marginalisation. It provides a foundation to engage in this topic and apply advice from staff with operational or expert levels of knowledge in combatting marginalisation. On successful completion you will be able to be an informed participant in forums related to marginalisation.


Teacher Development Multi-Year Studies. Emerging Themes: Challenges And Enablers, Debbie Wong, Elizabeth Cassity Jan 2021

Teacher Development Multi-Year Studies. Emerging Themes: Challenges And Enablers, Debbie Wong, Elizabeth Cassity

Education Analytics Service

The global learning crisis has highlighted the urgent need to improve the quality of education. COVID-19 disruptions have placed even greater focus on the learning improvement agenda, and the need to ensure disadvantaged children are not further left behind. Teacher development, and improving teaching quality, therefore is at the heart of many education systems’ policies and programs. This paper presents some of the key considerations for improving teaching across three countries which are being investigated as part of a multi-year teacher development study series. This study series, commissioned by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), involves …


National Education Policy 2020: Education Opportunities After School Completion, Jyoti Sharma, Prasad K. D. V. Yarlagadda Jan 2021

National Education Policy 2020: Education Opportunities After School Completion, Jyoti Sharma, Prasad K. D. V. Yarlagadda

Teacher India

The reforms under the New Education Policy 2020 make it easier for Indian students to enter reputed international universities and enhance inter-institutional collaboration between Indian and foreign universities, say Jyoti Sharma and Prasad K. D. V. Yarlagadda.


Inquiry-Based Science Education In India: Prospects And Challenges, Garima Bansal Jan 2021

Inquiry-Based Science Education In India: Prospects And Challenges, Garima Bansal

Teacher India

Dr Garima Bansal discusses the historical development of science education in India, the emergence of inquiry-based education, the current state of science education at the school level, and the role of school leaders in making inquiry-based learning a reality.


Gender Parity In Science: The Intersection Of The National Education Policy 2020 And The Draft Science, Technology, And Innovation Policy, Jyoti Sharma Jan 2021

Gender Parity In Science: The Intersection Of The National Education Policy 2020 And The Draft Science, Technology, And Innovation Policy, Jyoti Sharma

Teacher India

With International Women’s Day observed on 8 March, Jyoti Sharma’s review of the National Education Policy 2020 and the draft Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy through the lens of gender parity is a timely reminder of the need to support improved participation of women in science.


Covid-19: The Need For Teacher Development In Critical Thinking Pedagogy, Maya Menon Jan 2021

Covid-19: The Need For Teacher Development In Critical Thinking Pedagogy, Maya Menon

Teacher India

The pandemic has intensified the learning crisis and highlighted several educational challenges. Maya Menon describes why it is important to invest in teacher development so that teachers are empowered to deliver the skills required by NEP 2020.


Lao Pdr: Policy Insights From A Multi-Year Teaching And Learning Study Series, Debbie Wong, Hilary Hollingsworth Jan 2021

Lao Pdr: Policy Insights From A Multi-Year Teaching And Learning Study Series, Debbie Wong, Hilary Hollingsworth

Education Analytics Service

The Australian Government is supporting significant education reforms in Lao PDR. This policy note summarises baseline findings on primary school teacher practice and student learning outcomes, at a point just prior to major curriculum changes. Key findings include the need for intensive action on Lao language literacy, targeted teacher training on the new curriculum with a special emphasis on second language learners, and deepened engagement with school communities to reduce student absenteeism and improve student readiness for school. Part of a multi-year study series, the Education Analytics Service is investigating how the Basic Education Quality and Access in Laos program …


Enhancing The National Assessment System To Improve Learning Outcomes In Bhutan: Case Study 2020-2021, Anu Radha Sharma, Anannya Chakraborty, Arjun Kumar Gurung Jan 2021

Enhancing The National Assessment System To Improve Learning Outcomes In Bhutan: Case Study 2020-2021, Anu Radha Sharma, Anannya Chakraborty, Arjun Kumar Gurung

Assessment and Reporting

To measure the efficacy of school sector interventions, Bhutan Council for School Examinations and Assessment (BCSEA) partnered with Australian Council for Educational Research (India) to strengthen its National Education Assessment (NEA) for obtaining evidence on learning, monitoring the progress of learning outcomes, understanding associations between context and achievement, and differences in achievement between groups. Eventually, the assessment reform will support measuring learning at the key stages of grades 3, 6, and 9. This case study report presents an overview of this project.


Measuring What Matters: Insights On The Value Of Whole Child Development, Porticus, Australian Council For Educational Research, Pina Tarricone, Yung Nietschke, Kylie Hillman Jul 2020

Measuring What Matters: Insights On The Value Of Whole Child Development, Porticus, Australian Council For Educational Research, Pina Tarricone, Yung Nietschke, Kylie Hillman

Monitoring Learning

This policy analysis report captures how cities and countries value, define, and measure Whole Child Development (WCD) - and equivalent - both broadly and in the context of reaching those in extreme adversity. The WCD conceptual framework of this study refers to 11 key themes: values, life skills, social and emotional learning, spirituality, academic knowledge, student engagement, adult support, community, academically challenging learning, safe environments, and health. The report provides insights into the challenges experienced in embedding WCD in education systems and offers evidence around the growing recognition and momentum globally around WCD and holistic learning. One of the key …


The Early Grade Reading Assessment: Assessing Children’S Acquisition Of Basic Literacy Skills In Developing Countries, Australian Council For Educational Research May 2020

The Early Grade Reading Assessment: Assessing Children’S Acquisition Of Basic Literacy Skills In Developing Countries, Australian Council For Educational Research

Assessment GEMS

The Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA), administered individually in about 15 minutes, measures the most basic foundation skills for literacy acquisition in the early grades. The assessment was developed by the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) through funding provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Bank, in addition to resources provided by RTI. In the context of this emerging focus on measuring basic literacy skills, EGRA was developed to provide a battery of assessments of basic reading skills for developing countries to monitor the status of early reading in primary schools. The assessment tool was …


International Early Learning And Child Well-Being Study, Australian Council For Educational Research May 2020

International Early Learning And Child Well-Being Study, Australian Council For Educational Research

Assessment GEMS

The International Early Learning and Child Well-Being Study (IELS) assesses children at age 5, measuring key learning and development outcomes. The overall purpose of IELS is to help countries to better support the development and overall well-being of young children through improved early learning experiences. It achieves this by: providing robust empirical data on children’s early learning; identifying factors that enable and inhibit children’s early learning; and informing early childhood education centres and schools about skill levels of five year old children, as well as related contextual factors, which could be used to make more informed decisions about curriculums and …


The Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics Program: Thinking Globally In A Regional Context, Unicef, Southeast Asian Ministers Of Education Organization (Seameo) Nov 2019

The Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics Program: Thinking Globally In A Regional Context, Unicef, Southeast Asian Ministers Of Education Organization (Seameo)

Assessment and Reporting

The Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) program is a regional assessment that aims to set a common approach to assessing the learning outcomes of students at Grade 5. As an alternative to international large-scale assessments and national assessments, SEA-PLM has developed a set of assessment and survey instruments for the Southeast Asian region. Designed to be a system-level monitoring tool of educational quality and equity, SEA-PLM covers four domains: mathematics, reading, writing and global citizenship. The assessment also includes questionnaires that gather important contextual information from students, parents, teachers and school principals. A key feature of the SEA-PLM assessment …


Key Skills For The 21st Century: An Evidence-Based Review, Esther Doecke, Quentin Maire Aug 2019

Key Skills For The 21st Century: An Evidence-Based Review, Esther Doecke, Quentin Maire

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

It is vital that education systems deliver quality outcomes for all young people and prepare them well for their future in the economy and society. To do so, many systems have traditionally had a strong focus on developing academic skills, particularly in literacy and numeracy. In recent years, education systems have developed greater expectations that schools will also equip young people with a broader set of skills for the 21st century (e.g. creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving). This paper addresses these developments and the challenges they present. Building on an evidence-based review, this paper asks what are the key skills required …


Buk Bilong Pikinini Literacy Program Evaluation 2018: Evaluation Report, Dan Cloney, Prue Anderson Nov 2018

Buk Bilong Pikinini Literacy Program Evaluation 2018: Evaluation Report, Dan Cloney, Prue Anderson

Early Childhood Education

Buk bilong Pikinini (BbP) provides access to early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs with a specific focus on English language literacy for children from vulnerable communities in Papua New Guinea. This is highly relevant, given the fact that there is likely an over-representation of illiteracy in disadvantaged households and few opportunities for children within those households to be ready for a school system with English as the language of instruction. Established in 2007, BbP has been in operation for more than 10 years and has opened 17 library sites in that time. This evaluation provides evidence about the likely …


Integrating The Findings From The National Assessment Of Student Achievement Into The Policy Process: An Experience From Nepal, Lekha Nath Poudel, Gopal Prasad Bhattarai Oct 2018

Integrating The Findings From The National Assessment Of Student Achievement Into The Policy Process: An Experience From Nepal, Lekha Nath Poudel, Gopal Prasad Bhattarai

Assessment and Reporting

This paper presents the experiences from Nepal on how the findings from the National Assessment of Student Achievement (NASA) have been integrated into policy processes. The purpose of this brief paper is twofold: to give an overview of the process of the National Assessment of Student Achievement, and to describe how the results were disseminated to different stakeholders to incorporate the findings into the design of policy processes. In doing so, the case study highlights how the assessment findings have been used to design and implement policies and programs in education.


Challenges In Stem Learning In Australian Schools, Michael J. Timms, Kathryn Moyle, Paul R. Weldon, Pru Mitchell May 2018

Challenges In Stem Learning In Australian Schools, Michael J. Timms, Kathryn Moyle, Paul R. Weldon, Pru Mitchell

Policy Insights

Australian STEM education seems caught in a whirlpool of problems that are contributing to one another. Student engagement and performance in STEM are declining, but we do not have the supply of qualified teachers we need to improve learning. The STEM curriculum is unbalanced and fragmented, leading to less interest among students. It is not possible to break out of the downward cycle from within the current system and it requires policy changes that address the issues raised in this report. This means developing well-considered, systemic and joined-up policies that address the following challenges: Improving student outcomes, building the STEM …