Education Commons^™

Perceptions Of The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Among Australian And New Zealand Universities, Hamish Coates, Marita Macmahon-Ball, Chris Rosicka

Higher education research

The number of secondary students completing an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma has risen rapidly in recent years, and the IB is playing an increasing role in preparing people for university study. The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) is interested in universities' perceptions of the IB as a preparation for undergraduate study, and engaged the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to research this area of higher education. The aim of the study was to investigate university representatives' perceptions of the IB Diploma. A key aspect of the research was to determine what university representatives knew about the IB Diploma, and whether …

Acer Enews 03 March 2007, Acer

ACER eNews Archive

No abstract provided.

Completing University : Characteristics And Outcomes Of Completing And Non Completing Students, Gary Marks

LSAY Research Reports

This report examines the factors that influence course completion by young Australians who commence university. It also documents the labour market outcomes of those who enrol at a university but who leave before obtaining a qualification. University education involves substantial public and private resources. It is important, therefore, to better understand the factors associated with course completion, and whether even a partial experience of university study may be beneficial in opening up other pathways. The report analyses data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program to address these questions. The data are from a sample of young people …

Research On Performance Pay For Teachers, Lawrence Ingvarson, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Jenny Wilkinson

Teacher workforce and careers

This report falls into three main sections, in accordance with the project brief. The first provides an overview of current pay arrangements and collective enterprise bargaining agreements for teachers in Australian schools. Within these arrangements, the report gives particular attention to provisions for performance-based pay schemes and to identifying potential impediments to the introduction of performance-based pay for teachers. The second part of the brief called for an overview of recent Australian and international research on the attitudes of stakeholders to performance-based pay schemes for teachers and the impact of these schemes on, for example, teacher retention, improved teaching standards, …

Civic And Citizenship Education In 2009 (Iccs): A Comparative Study, Wolfram Schulz, John Ainley

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

It is over the ten years since IEA last investigated civic education, and in that time new challenges have emerged in educating young people for their roles as citizens in the 21st century. These challenges have stimulated renewed reflection on the meanings of citizenship and the roles of and approaches to civic and citizenship education. In many countries there is a growing interest in using evidence to improve policy and practice in civic and citizenship education. The purpose of the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) is to investigate the ways in which young people are prepared to undertake …

Acer Enews 02 February 2007, Acer

ACER eNews Archive

No abstract provided.

Hoops, Hurdles And High Jumps : Physical Activity And Bodyweight Among 17 Year-Olds., Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

LSAY Briefing Reports

The prevalence of children and adolescents who are overweight has recently increased in importance as a public health issue in Australia. The past two decades have seen a rapid rise in the number of children who are overweight or obese, with no sign that this trajectory will plateau. Children and adolescents who are overweight are more likely to be overweight as adults and thus to be at increased risk of future health problems. This increase in the proportion of overweight children has been attributed to dietary changes, a lack of physical activity, increased sedentary lifestyle, increased television viewing and the …

Movement Of Non-Metropolitan Youth Towards The Cities, Kylie Hillman, Sheldon Rothman

LSAY Research Reports

This report focuses on a group of young people who were living in non-metropolitan areas in their final years of secondary school, and the pathways they followed in the years following secondary school, including their geographic mobility and participation in education, training and employment. Rural communities have long felt concern about the rate at which young people leave for urban areas, many never to return. This report analyses the issues involved by mapping the experiences of the same group of young people over an extended period of time. The authors investigate what pathways non-metropolitan youth follow in the years after …

Conceptualising And Evaluating Teacher Quality: Substantive And Methodological Issues, Lawrence Ingvarson, Ken Rowe

Student learning processes

Whereas findings from recent research highlight the importance of teacher quality in improving students’ academic performances and experiences of schooling, substantive and methodological issues surrounding the conceptualisation and evaluation of teacher quality are not well- understood. Such deficiencies are particularly evident in claims for ‘findings’ derived from econometric research – especially from those studies that merely employ conceptualisations and proxy ‘measures’ of quality in terms of teachers’ qualifications, experience, and students’ academic outcomes. Moreover, the econometric models fitted to the available, mostly aggregated data, typically fail to conceptualise and ‘measure’ teacher quality in terms of what teachers should know (subject-matter …

Acer Enews 01 January 2007, Acer

ACER eNews Archive

No abstract provided.

Research Digest Edition 2007/1 : Writing To Learn, Marion Meiers, Pat Knight

Research Digest

This edition of the Research Digest summarises key research studies that provide evidence of the potential of writing-to-learn approaches in improving student learning in a range of subject areas. The research tells us that writing-to-learn strategies can be used by any teacher, in all subject areas, and at all levels of schooling. Throughout the digest there are descriptions of a range of writing-to-learn strategies that demonstrate possibilities for classroom practice. This research digest is based on searches of a number of databases and bibliographic resources, including the Australian Education Index, ERIC, Education Research Complete, British Education Index and Scopus. The …

The Vit Program For Supporting Provisionally Registered Teachers : Evaluation Of Implementation In 2005., Lawrence Ingvarson, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Siek Toon Khoo, Jenny Wilkinson

Teacher education

The VIT’s Program for Supporting Provisionally Registered Teachers and its registration procedures are increasingly seen as valid and fair. The Program is generally perceived as leading to improvements in teaching practice. Principals and mentors were very positive about the program, and consistently reported high levels of satisfaction with its implementation. Research has repeatedly found that significant reforms are often accompanied by a degree of unease and resistance, and this has been the case with the introduction of the VIT standards and registration requirements. School leaders play a vital role in leading their schools through these changes. This study has found …

Standards For Teaching : Theoretical Underpinnings And Applications, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Lawrence Ingvarson

Teaching standards and teacher evaluation

The primary purpose of this report was to conduct a critical review of the literature on the application of professional standards to teachers' practice. The New Zealand Teachers Council provided the following questions in the Request for Proposals to guide the review: Where, in the complex mix of factors that can support teachers' professional capacity, do professional standards sit? How can standards support teacher learning? What are the benefits, costs and harms? Which models enhance and which detract from teachers' professional learning and the profession's overall capacity? Can the documented strengths of working with professional standards be gained in other …

Why Would Anyone Want This Job? The Challenge Of Attracting And Sustaining Effective Leaders For Australian Schools, Louise Watson

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

Over the past decade, there has been considerable concern about an impending crisis in school leadership due to a shrinking pool of applicants for principals’ positions. This paper explores the dimensions of this issue in Australia and identifies possible reasons for a decline in interest in principalship. It concludes with ideas and directions for policy reform.

Take Me To Your Leader: Leadership And The Future, Elizabeth Leo

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

Students need to leave school with dreams for the future, high aspirations and goals for themselves and society; young men and women who will contribute to active citizenship, community renewal and economic regeneration. Schools are critical in realising this mission. The majority of our schools have talented leaders and teachers with the vision, energy and passion to create a sustainable future for their students and their communities. However, it is more difficult for school leaders serving disadvantaged communities to succeed, not only in improving learning and attainment, but in sustaining these. Contemporary research on human motivation and learning is enabling …

Authoritative Leadership, Action Learning And Student Accomplishment, Stephen Dinham

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

There is a vast body of research confirming the important influence of the classroom teacher on student achievement. A key issue then, is that of how the quality of teaching and learning within individual classrooms can be influenced and improved. Based upon findings from a range of research projects investigating aspects of quality teaching, it is argued that two key, related influences on classroom achievement are educational leadership and teachers' professional learning. This paper concentrates mainly on the former. Educational leadership, like teaching and life generally, is heavily dependent upon relationships. There are two fundamental dimensions to relationships: responsiveness and …

Got A Minute? Can Instructional Leadership Exist Despite The Reactive Nature Of Principalship?, Sheryl Boris-Schacter

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

Alarmed by mounting evidence of a national shortage of qualified and committed school principals, a colleague and I interviewed and surveyed over 200 public school principals from across the United States to find out why so many are leaving the profession and how those who stay persist in their role. Based on that data, we drew conclusions about how successful practitioners prioritize competing demands and achieve life balance, while keeping instruction at the heart of the enterprise. This analysis resulted in a book published by Teachers College Press in 2006, Balanced leadership: How effective principals manage their work. Knowing all …

Research On The Practice Of Instructional And Transformational Leadership: Retrospect And Prospect, Philip Hallinger

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

The past 25 years have witnessed the emergence of new conceptual models. In contrast with many earlier leadership models applied to school administration, these models focus explicitly on the manner in which leadership exercised by school administrators and teachers brings about improved educational outcomes. Two of the foremost models, as measured by the number of empirical studies, are instructional leadership and transformational leadership. This paper will synthesize findings from research on these models in an attempt to understand what we have learned about learner-centered leadership.

Standards For Leadership : Gateway To A Stronger Profession?, Lawrence Ingvarson, Michelle Anderson

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

Recruitment, preparation, continuing professional learning and recognition of school leaders are widespread concerns for policymakers and practitioners. Standards for school leadership are a notable development in Australia and overseas for addressing these concerns. In Australia, many quality sets of standards for teachers and school leaders have been developed but they are not profession-wide. This paper is based on a project ACER was commissioned to undertake by Teaching Australia in June 2005. Our brief was to review approaches to standards and options for a national system for assessment against school leadership standards for prospective and established school leaders. The review examined …

Quality Australian Evidence On Leadership For Improved Learning, Bill Mulford

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

Where do those in schools start sorting the wheat from the chaff, genuine growth potions offering long-term improvement from the elixirs, shortterm opportunism and/or unrealistic expectations? The current and growing emphasis on evidence informed policy and practice is as good a place as any. The purpose of this paper is to take up the issues of the complexity and predictive validity of evidence, the need for evidence to be complex enough to come close to the reality faced by Australian schools and evidence that seeks to link leadership and student outcomes. Arising from detailed qualitative and quantitative research, two models …

Embracing The Challenge Of Leadership In Indigenous Education, Chris Sarra

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

In his address Dr Sarra will articulate some of the most fundamental barriers to the pursuit of stronger smarter educational outcomes for Indigenous children in Australian schools. He will reflect on his work as an educator, and a researcher with an interest in teachers’ attitudes and expectations of Aboriginal students, and challenge other educators to realise that we do have the knowledge and potential to make profound change in Indigenous education.

Leaders Acting To Improve Outcomes For Indigenous Students, Paul Hughes, Susan Matthews, Gavin Khan

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

This paper is by three educators who are Indigenous people with extensive experience in Indigenous education. They discuss the actions of school leaders needed to address the limited outcomes being achieved by the majority of Indigenous school students. A feature of this paper is the reflections of Gavin Khan and Susan Matthews on their experiences as Principals of schools with majority Aboriginal student enrolments. The paper takes the Australian Principals Association Professional Development Council - ‘L5 Frame for School Leadership’- and adds an Indigenous focus to the L5 Frame from their ‘Dare To Lead’ project. The L5 states: • Leadership …

Leadership For Radical Transformation In School Education, Brian Caldwell

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

There are now high expectations in Australia and comparable countries for the reform of school education. Change on the scale of transformation is required, that is, significant, systematic and sustained change that secures success for all students in all settings. It is evident that such an outcome can only be achieved if there is a dramatic increase in resources, but this does not mean an exclusive reliance on more money (financial capital), although this is important. Intellectual capital, social capital and spiritual capital are also important. Building strength in each and securing their alignment have profound implications for leadership and …

The Leadership Challenge : Improving Learning In Schools (Conference Proceedings), Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

This conference addressed key issues related to building leadership in schools that makes a difference to student learning outcomes. It provided news about the latest research on leadership practices that enable conditions for quality teaching and student learning. It also stimulated discussion about the resources and conditions that need to be in place if effective forms of leadership are to flower and be sustained in our schools.

The proceedings from the conference can be downloaded from thsis page. The slides accompanying the papers presented by various guest speakers are presented as Related Documents (below).

Moral Purpose And Shared Leadership: The Leaders Transforming Learning And Learners Pilot Study, Michael Bezzina

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

Shared leadership in education has been the focus of a great deal of activity, but less attention has been paid to shared moral purpose and to the connection between it and shared leadership in the pursuit of learning. The Leaders Transforming Learning and Learners (LTLL) pilot program set out to explore this gap. This paper presents some of the emerging understandings from the pilot, drawing in particular on focus group interviews, journals and web-based discussions as a source of data. The study reinforces the importance of shared moral purpose, but emphasises the need for explicitness which is supported through a …

The Impact Of Leadership On Student Outcomes: Making Sense Of The Evidence, Viviane Robinson

2007 - The Leadership Challenge - Improving learning in schools

Published empirical research was used to synthesise the evidence about the impact of different types of leadership on students’ academic and non-academic outcomes. The first analysis involved a comparison of the effects of transformational and instructional leadership on student outcomes. The second involved the inductive development of five sets of leadership practices and the estimation of the magnitude of their effects. The comparison of the effects of instructional and transformational leadership indicated that the effect of the former is consistently and notably larger than the effect of the latter type of leadership. The second analysis revealed five leadership dimensions that …

Acer 2006-2007 Annual Report, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

ACER Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Student Use Of, And Engagement With, Information Technology, John Ainley, Laura Engers

Digital learning research

The emergence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has changed the nature of the learning environments experienced by school students. ... The connection between the learner and the learning environment is central to understanding how virtual learning environments motivate or engage students... The research literature on engagement in general has distinguished between three forms of engagement; behavioural, emotional and cognitive. These distinctions provide a means by which students? engagement with information technology can be described. Behavioural engagement refers to participation (both how much and in what forms) in technology-related activities. In this context behavioural engagement pre-supposes opportunities to engage with …

National Assessment Program : Ict Literacy Years 6 & 10 Report 2005, John Ainley, Julian Fraillon, Chris Freeman, Ministerial Council On Education, Employment, Training And Youth Affairs (Mceetya)

ICT - Digital Literacy

Australia's national goals for schooling assert that when students leave school they should be: confident, creative and productive users of new technologies, particularly information and communication technologies, and understand the impact of those technologies on society. The Australian National Assessment Program includes the systematic assessment of the extent to which this goal is being achieved through triennial sample surveys of students in Years 6 and 10. This report is based on the assessment of ICT literacy conducted in October 2005. It describes the development of a computer-based tool for assessing ICT literacy among school students and the application of that …

Research On The Progressive Achievement Tests And Academic Achievement In Schools, Gerard Fogarty

Assessment and Reporting

This report presents three studies examining research conducted in Queensland on Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) published by Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). In study 1 ‘Predictive Validity of the Progressive Achievement Tests for Boys’, a battery of tests was used to assess vocabulary, comprehension, and numeracy skill levels of students commencing study at a regional high school. The tests were used as a screening tool to identify students who might benefit from additional instruction and also to select high achieving students for participation in extension work, maths competitions, and the like. Test results were later correlated with performance in …