Articles

New School Ties: Networks for Success is a report on recent research into school networking. It describes collaborations in support of better outcomes for students, among schools or between schools and other agencies. In particular the research examines collaborations intended to help students who are underperforming in literacy and numeracy, at risk of leaving school early or less likely to enter university or to succeed in further or vocational education. The report was published by Victoria’s Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

The culture surrounding primary school science is complex and multifaceted. It is shaped by a range of influences, including national testing of literacy and numeracy, concerns about a crowded curriculum, the varying views of science held by parents and the wider school community, teachers' knowledge of and confidence to cover science, the responsiveness of timetabling and the general attitudes toward learning that prevail in the school. The article examines some of the cultures that can be observed in primary science education, and their impact on educational outcomes.