New publications

This report draws on data from the NZCER National Survey of Secondary Schools 2009. The final version of the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) was released in late 2007 and the survey carried out in 2009, so the findings are a snapshot of the thinking and changes in practices that had occurred to that time. The report focuses on secondary teachers and their views of curriculum change. It explores their professional learning and how they have changed or plan to change their teaching as they come to understand the intent of NZC. Adapted from the publisher's description.

This is the second of two evaluation reports on the Linking Schools and Early Years Project (LSEY), which is being led by the Centre for Community Child Health (CCCH), Murdoch Children’s Research Institute at the Royal Children’s Hospital. The aim of LSEY is to ensure that all children enter the formal education system ready to engage and be successful in school. The project also aims to ensure that schools are prepared for children of all abilities and backgrounds when they first attend, and that families, services and communities are ready to support the development of children. The methodology for the first evaluation was the use of questionnaires completed by parents, schools, early childhood education and care services, and child and family services. For this report, qualitative data was collected to enhance the process component of the evaluation. Adapted from the report, which is available online.

The National Education Research Futures Summit was a joint venture of the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) and the Australian Council of Deans of Education (ACDE). It was held in February 2010, hosted by the Centre for Research in Learning and Change at the University of Technology Sydney. The purpose of the summit was to contribute to rethinking the current boundaries, limits, constraints, possibilities and responsibilities for education research in Australia, and thereby help build a national research agenda that will shape strategic planning for the field. This report summarises the key outcomes of the summit process and stands as a resource for further stages of planning and development by the AARE, ACDE, deans of faculties and research leaders in universities, and the education research and professional communities more broadly. Adapted from the report, which is available online.

The Australian Government released the Building the Education Revolution Implementation Taskforce’s Interim Report on 6 August, accepting all 14 of its interim recommendations. Significant progress has since been made on their implementation, including agreement by the education authorities to publish actual costs against a common reporting structure. This first full report builds on the initial analysis, observations and recommendations contained in the Interim Report. Adapted from the report, which is available online.

A study in the USA has examined high school graduates in 2009, evaluating the types of classes they undertook and their academic results. Information on the relationships between high school records and performance in mathematics and science on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is also included. From publisher's description. The full report is available online. See also Reuters article 13 April 2011.

This book incorporates research findings and insights from the author's own experience. It uses a Pathways to Re-Engagement model in addressing how to move underachieving boys from a position of weakness to one of strength. Chapters include 'Framing the Issue of Underachievement' and 'The Invisible Background: Cultural Expectations for Masculine Identity Building'. Adapted from the publisher's description.