New publications

This paper seeks the views of Queenslanders about how best to give children in public, Catholic or independent schools a flying start to prepare them for the transition to primary school and the later transition to secondary school. A Flying Start reviews current educational performance in the State as well as the Queensland Government's ongoing program of reform. A series of discussion questions are posed in the paper. Submissions to the Government are invited from all interested people and organisations. Participation can also take place through public consultation forums to be held in schools and communities around the State. Submissions can be made via email at aflyingstart@deta.qld.gov.au.

Survey evidence about the current state of school libraries in Australia is presented. The report covers library collections, resource levels, budgets and personnel. Almost half of school libraries were over 20 years old, with few reporting refurbishments. Independent sector libraries were more likely to be newer. The majority of schools had less than the recommended amount of seating as well as less space for ICT than recommended. Nearly one-third of schools had a library budget under $5,000. The 8% of libraries with a budget over $50,000 were usually based at independent schools and subscriptions to electronic resources were also more common in the independent sector. Independent schools reported higher levels of professional staff than government schools. A second stage of the project will use these data to examine the impact of school library facilities on student literacy outcomes. The full report is available online.

Teaching Boys aims to provide a practical framework for teachers to improve boys' education in ways that are both sustainable and appropriate for their school context. The authors avoid working with negative images of boys, and have been concerned with some of the ways in which the boys' debate has constructed boys as the 'new victims' in schools. They argue against the deficit-based approaches of treating boys as victims, and of blaming teachers, schools and parents for a 'boy problem'. They point instead to complex factors that produce and celebrate particular forms of harmful masculinity. Adapted from publisher's description and promotional material for the authors' forthcoming seminar series.

In Great Britain, there is growing concern over whether the demand for employees with STEM skills can be met. In 2007, only 8% of students studied Biology, Chemistry or Physics at senior years level; the vast majority of students take instead the '21st Century Science' class, which focuses on scientific literacy and issues. Growth in science enrolments at university is largely due to the broadening of which subjects are considered science. The report recommends that all schools provide students with opportunities to study Biology, Chemistry and Physics at senior years levels, as students who study these subjects at senior level will be more likely to continue their studies at tertiary level. The academic underpinnings of STEM subjects should be restored; more should be done to attract science specialists into teaching. The full report is available online.

Schooldays magazine is a publication for parents who are interested in education. Written by education specialists, the magazine features articles on topics such as child development, back-to-school tips, personal development, learning difficulties, professional learning, and time management for families. It also includes reviews and information about new resources and products, as well as interviews, special features and profiles. In coming editions, Schooldays will be looking at a range of issues including learning styles, and gifted and talented education.

This report draws on data collected from schools in Great Britain over 2008–2009. Over Years 1–13, about 50% of students participated in more than three hours of in-class or extracurricular sport each week. Participation peaks at Year 6, then drops, with only 19% of senior years students participating in at least three hours of sport. The majority of students participated in intra-school sports competitions; not quite half participated in inter-school competitions. Schools offer an average of almost 20 sports from a predefined list; and had links to an average of almost nine clubs. Increases in sports volunteering and leadership have been recorded at all year levels, but particularly at Years 5, 6 and 10. The full report is available online.