This Month
This construction material is a time-bomb. No one seems to care
The use of versatile but porous concrete was common in post-war Britain. But its use for load-bearing purposes is a global phenomenon whose potential vulnerabilities are spread far and wide.
- Feargus O'Sullivan
- Opinion
- Education
How to turn around Australian kids’ appalling classroom behaviour
Australia’s education system has consistently been marked down when it comes to the behaviour of students and the capacity of teachers to manage classrooms.
- Glenn Fahey
September
Australia’s most powerful people in education in 2023
There are significant changes ahead for the way children are taught in schools and the cross-section of students at universities.
- Julie Hare
- Opinion
- High school
Why we need to rethink careers education in schools
While some positive school-community engagement exists, it is still not systemically embedded in the ways schools operate.
- Doug Taylor
August
‘Dud’ teaching degrees to blame for failing schools: Henderson
The opposition education minister said “deficient” university teacher education courses were to blame for falling school performance and should be defunded.
- Julie Hare
How a love of books turned this school’s NAPLAN results around
Victoria topped the states in 16 of 20 categories of the latest literacy and numeracy measures. Elsternwick Primary School had a simple plan to turn its scores around.
- Julie Hare
One-third of Australian children behind on their learning: NAPLAN
This year’s simplified NAPLAN results reveal one in 10 children are in dire need of help and one in three are below the national benchmark.
- Julie Hare
Fix education and training to boost productivity: BCA
Australia’s education system is a major drag on productivity, says the BCA, but it doesn’t need to be.
- Julie Hare
July
Schools crisis: why a revolution might be under way
Australia’s four-decade long experiment with the education of its children is on the cusp of ending. And not before time.
- Julie Hare
- Opinion
- Education
Australian schools should learn from Mississippi’s education revolution
One of the poorest states in the US is achieving remarkable results in both reading and maths for economically disadvantaged students by using evidence-based teaching and learning.
- Leslie Loble
Public private partnerships to ease the burden
Public private partnerships (PPPs) are re-emerging as an infrastructure funding solution to spread the risk and ease the burden of up-front capital costs imposed on the public purse.
- Tim Boreham
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Courageous Clare’s plan to stop Australia’s great schooling rot
A Labor education minister is now acknowledging that the problems and solutions for Australian schools lie in fixing the poor quality training that teachers receive in our universities.
- The AFR View
Labor to overhaul teaching standards and ‘focus on fundamentals’
State and federal education ministers hope the changes will also boost numeracy and literacy as NAPLAN scores go backwards despite billions in extra funding.
- Hannah Wootton
June
Victorian budget takes $100m hit after school payroll tax watered down
The independent education sector’s chief executive says the impost will ‘milk parents’ doing it tough battling higher day-to-day costs.
- Gus McCubbing
May
- Exclusive
- Mergers & acquisitions
Country maths teacher sells his tech company for $40m
Andrew Spitty was a regional Victorian maths teacher when he started a side business building tech to improve student assessments; 12 years on he has sold it for $40m.
- Paul Smith
- Exclusive
- Autism
How a new approach can help kids with autism
A program designed to help children from challenging backgrounds achieve academically is being used for children with autism.
- Julie Hare
End of ‘sweetheart’ payroll tax deal will hurt girls schools
Tuesday’s state budget included the removal of payroll tax exemptions from more than 100 non-government schools to help pay for pandemic-era debt.
- Tom Burton
- Opinion
- Opinion
Vested interests thwart school reform
The Albanese government has correctly identified the things that need to change in our classrooms. The test will be facing down unions, academics and state bureaucrats.
- Glenn Fahey
- Opinion
- Education
If kids can’t read, then the writing is on the wall for them
Teaching children to read is a core promise of our education system. Every time we fail to deliver on this promise, we shut down a lifetime’s possibilities.
- Jordana Hunter and Anika Stobart
April
Bad behaviour in Australian classrooms among the worst in OECD
Misbehaviour, bullying, intimidation and truancy are now among the most important challenges facing schools.
- Julie Hare
