Education Commons^™

Children’S Independent Mobility : And The Mobile Phone: 8 To 12 Year Olds, Catherine Underwood

Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation

Children who know how to use a mobile phone, as opposed to those who don’t, are more likely to move about their neighbourhood without adult supervision, research from the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) suggests. The study, by ACER Research Fellow Ms Catherine Underwood, examined the extent to which knowing how to use a mobile phone is correlated with children’s physical activity and ability to move through their neighbourhood without adult supervision, also known as independent mobility. More than 800 Victorian primary school children aged between 8 and 12 years participated in the research, of which 84 per cent …

Evaluation Of The Sporting Chance Program, Michele Lonsdale, Jenny Wilkinson, Stephanie Armstrong, David Mcclay, Sharon Clerke, Jocelyn Cook, Kanat Wano, Robert Simons, Gina C. Milgate, Meredith Bramich, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation

The objective of the Sporting Chance Program is to encourage improved educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (boys and girls) using sport and recreation. Such outcomes may include an increase in school attendance, strengthened engagement with school and improved attitudes to schooling, improved achievement in learning, increased retention to Year 12 or its vocational equivalent and greater parental and community involvement with the school and students’ schooling. The program comprises two elements:

• School-based Sports Academies (Academies) for secondary school students; and

• Education Engagement Strategies (EES) for both primary and secondary school students.

The purpose of …

Gambling And Young People In Australia, Nola Purdie, Gabrielle Matters, Kylie Hillman, Martin Murphy, Clare Ozolins, Pam Millwood

Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation

This study was undertaken by the Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd (ACER) and presents a number of findings related to the gambling behaviour of young people in Australia. Three surveys were developed and administered between August 2009 and May 2010. They included on-line; pencil and paper; and computer assisted telephone interviews (CATI). The CATI interviews were administered to young people in all Australian States and Territories.

The study found that overall 77% of young people have participated in a gambling activity at least once within the 12 month period preceding the study. Gambling frequency as reported by young people …

Final Report: The Benefits Of School–Business Relationships, Michele Lonsdale, Alana Deery, Sharon Clerke, Michelle Anderson, Emma Curtin, Pat Knight, Meredith Bramich

Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation

In January 2011, the Australian Council for Educational Research was contracted by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) to collate information gleaned from a range of sources and prepare a report that made clear the benefits associated with stronger relationships between schools and businesses. ACER was also asked to assess the existing evidence base in an Australian context and identify ways in which this could be strengthened. Given the complex demands faced by schools in the twenty-first century, and the limited nature of the resources available to meet these demands, schools and governments are increasingly looking to …

School-Community Partnerships In Australian Schools, Michele Lonsdale

Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation

This report is based on an analysis of the data provided by Australian schools in their 2009 Schools First Impact Award applications. The data described the nature of the partnerships that schools had established with community and business groups, the reasons for these partnerships, the kinds of programs that were developed and implemented, and the effectiveness of the partnership/program.

These applications are a rich source of information about school–community partnerships in Australia. The report is organised around the following seven questions:

What types of schools established partnerships?

Who partnered with schools?

What were the main reasons for setting up these …