New publications

Papers are presented from the conference Closing the Gap in Education? held in Johannesburg in 2009. The book examines the education of marginalised peoples and communities and aima to increase understanding of the nature and challenges of marginalisation in southern world societies. The book also looks at possible directions for change that might improve the social participation of young people. Its four sections are titled The scope and substance of marginalisation in education; The structure and entrenchment of disadvantage; The challenges facing Indigenous education; and Enhancing social justice and equity. The full text is available online.

This paper provides a number of recommendations to ensure that NAPLAN results are used in a positive manner that is beneficial to students, and that any potential negative consequences related to high-stakes testing are avoided. The recommendations include the need to make balanced and informed judgements based on a range of evidence; the need to recognise the complexity of factors influencing learning outcomes; the need for the ethical use of sanctions and rewards; the need to allow schools to challenge results or interpretations they feel to be incorrect or inappropriate; and ensuring that NAPLAN results are transparent, and that effects on schools are examined. The full report is available online.

The report summaries the results of inspections of 45 secondary schools in Britain to examine the ways in which students were being guided towards studying science in the senior years. The inspections found that most of the students were being appropriately directed to particular classes, with only a few students feeling that they had been guided towards the wrong type of study. Students often chose science subjects due to their relevance to particular career aspirations, but also because they enjoyed and were interested in science. Good quality science teachers were also key to students' subject selections. The full report is available online.

Research is presented from the CIAO study, which collected information about almost 200 children and young people receiving placement and support services from Anglicare Victoria and Wesley Mission Victoria. The study identified three groups of children: a ‘damaged’ younger group of children with high rates of cognitive, emotional and physical disorders and extremely poor school achievement, a ‘disengaging’ group showing very poor engagement and attachment to school, and a third group, labelled ‘doing well’, who appeared to be functioning on par with children and young people in the community generally. The report makes 11 recommendations to improve the outcomes for these young people, including: improving support within and outside the school system; implementing systems to monitor the progress of children in care; and improving the provision of alternative education approaches. The full report is available online.

This document reports on the results of a longitudinal survey examining the link between happiness and educational attainment over a ten year period. The respondents were surveyed from the time they were 17. The results indicated that during the initial years of the survey, happiness was strongly correlated with levels of educational attainment, however by the time the respondents had reached the age of 25, there was no difference in the levels of happiness reported between respondents with differing levels of educational achievement. University graduates were found to experience lower levels of happiness after finishing their course. Other factors were also found to influence happiness, including family arrangements during the school years, whether the respondents married or entered a long-term relationship, and career success. The full report is available online (requires free registration).

This literature review offers an overview of the 'talent management' practices used in the USA to attract and retain effective staff, with a view to applying these processes to the education profession. The review indicates that multiple practices are used to draw staff, and particularly Gen Y staff, to the profession. In the private sector, businesses are identifying the needs of staff, and then attempting to meet them in order to increase their attractiveness to potential applicants. However, the education sector tends to lag behind in this area. The full report is available online.