New publications

The paper 'revisits the relationship between single-sex education and science engagement, using recent data from the first three waves of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), which collected information on the educational experiences from young people who turned 15 years of age in 2009.' It concludes that 'single-sex schooling moderately benefits girls by fostering higher rates of engagement in physical science courses in Year 11. However, while girls study physical science more frequently in these schools, they are no more likely than girls elsewhere to aspire to careers related to these subjects. Conversely, for boys in LSAY09 the attendance of single-sex schools made no difference in the uptake of life and physical science courses, but these boys were more likely than boys in coeducational schools to plan life science careers.' The paper is available free of charge online from the publisher (registration required) or via Australian Policy Online.

Whole Novels is 'a guide to implementing a student-centered literature program that promotes critical thinking and literary understanding through the study of novels with middle school students. Rather than using novels simply to teach basic literacy skills and comprehension strategies, Whole Novels approaches literature as art.'  The book 'offers tips for implementing whole novels in various contexts, including suggestions for teachers interested in trying out small steps in their classrooms first.' Whole Novels is also available as an ebook, and includes videos of the author during her own classroom lessons. Adapted from publisher's description. See also blog post 1 November 2012 on the Centre for Teaching Quality website. 

Experts propose ways in which a commitment to social justice and equity can be grounded in core subject areas (literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, music, early childhood, special education, English language learners, world languages, and physical education). See publisher's description.

This book suggests ways in which role play and discussion can build meaningful language experiences for students. It explores issues around storytelling, silent speech, writing and imagination, showing teachers how to be effective observers and how to highlight the deeper meaning that emerges while working with text. From distributor's description.

'Measures of student achievement are regularly used in the development and evaluation of education policy. This can include the relative achievement of sub-groups in the community (such as the Closing the Gap targets for Indigenous students), an assessment of demand (such as university entrance scores) and for international comparisons. This guide provides a brief overview of the major national and international measures of school student achievement that are conducted and used in Australia.' From Introduction. The full guide is available online.

'This survey collects information about employers' use and views of the vocational education and training (VET) system and the various ways employers use the VET system to meet their skill needs. Information collected is designed to measure employers' engagement and satisfaction with the VET system.' From publisher's description, linked to the full text online (free, registration required).