Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Competition And Choice: Determinants Of Access To University Places Via The Victorian School System, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

The provision of secondary school education in Victoria has changed substantially over the past 50 years. This thesis examines the consequences of these changes for the academic opportunities of government school students. In the 1950s and 1960s, unprecedented numbers of students and near-universal school participation provided a challenge to governments in relation to education provision. As a result, the comprehensive ideal for organising government secondary schooling was adopted. This system became an important vehicle for providing educational opportunities for many students who previously had limited access to the post-primary years. In the 1970s, funding for schooling in Australia received a …

Competition, Specialisation And Stratification: Academic Outcomes Of The Government School System In Melbourne, Australia, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

Following the increase in the school-aged population as a result of the post-war baby boom, Australia, like many other nations, established a large comprehensive public school system. This system was not only designed to cope with the growth in school enrolments, but also to provide a well rounded education and promote social cohesion. However, unlike many other comparable nations, Australia’s non-government school sector has also played an extensive role in the provision of school education – a role which has grown substantially over the past couple of decades.

Since the mid-1990s, enrolments in government secondary schools have been decreasing. As …