New publications

The 2010 edition provides indicators showing who participates in education, how much is spent on it and how education systems operate. The indicators also illustrate a wide range of educational outcomes, comparing, for example, student performance in key subject areas and the impact of education on earnings and on adults' chances of employment. New topics in this edition include school choice and the parent voice in education, the long-term economic impact of improved learning outcomes, and labour costs by educational levels across OECD countries. A further indicator compares salaries of teachers to earnings of other workers with tertiary education. Adapted from OECD description. See also article in The Sydney Morning Herald 9 September 2010 which compares the pattern of school funding by sector in Australia to the pattern found in other countries, based on information from 'Education at a Glance 2010'.

This paper draws on data from the Growing Up in Australia longitudintal study to examine children's perceptions of the quality and characteristics of the time they spend with their parents. It examines the types of activity undertaken with parents, and whether particular activities are undertaken with a particular parent. The results also examine whether factors such as parental employment were associated with the nature or frequency of parent–child time. Children were at all times more likely to be with their mother than their father, and were more likely to be with their parents on weekends than on weekdays. Parents were most likely to be present during mealtimes. Time spent with children was affected by the duration of parents' work hours. The full report is available online.

Australian employers' views about their employees' literacy and numercy skills are presented in this report, based on evidence obtained as part of the National Workforce Literacy Project. The majority of employers reflected that their business was affected by poor levels of literacy and numeracy; this was particularly an issue in manual labour and process industries.While employers saw that they had a role in improving literacy outcomes, they also saw a role for government and education bodies in doing so. The full report is available online.

While children in remote Australia have been engaged, to various degrees, in education and schooling their achievement is being affected by underlying western cultural assumptions. Although some Indigenous youth are succeeding in the mainstream trajectory, there is an 'engagement gap', particularly in the post-school years and among school leavers. In addition to mainstream models of achievement and employment, educators need to take creative approaches such as community-based learning environments to improve the engagement and outcomes of Indigenous youth. The full report is available online.

This report draws on information obtained from a meeting examining the future of teaching, particularly in relation to technological developments, and what implications this has for initial teacher education and continuing professional development. It examines the challenges that may arise when learning increasingly shifts to more flexible arrangements such as distance and online learning, and looks at ways of developing open flexible networks between different institutions. It also examines ways to develop a workforce that engages in teaching and mentoring, and that also engages the wider school community. The full report is available online.

Evidence from the Teachers' Network Survey is used to examine what is needed to develop, support and retain good quality teachers. The report notes that teachers whose students achieve at high levels tend to have extensive experience and expertise; collaboration and collective approaches to teaching are linked with high achievement; accomplished teachers who have opportunities to share their knowledge are more likely to remain in the profession; and teachers need to be supported by key individuals such as principals, as well as by appropriate resources and policies. Adapted from the executive summary. The full report is available online.