What's newFrench overtakes Asian languages in NSW HSCIn the New South Wales Higher School Certificate this year, French has overtaken Chinese and Japanese to become the most widely studied language other than English. See article in the Sydney Morning Herald, 19 October 2006. New science curriculum in BritainThe science curriculum in England and Wales has been revised for students taking the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), which covers students in Years 10 and 11. The new curriculum integrates the teaching of chemistry, physics and biology, and addresses current issues such as global warming. It has been challenged by some scientists as lacking depth. See article in the Education Guardian, 11 October 2006. Public–private partnershipsA report in Futureminds, 19 October 2006, reviews current debates in Australia and Britain regarding the value of public–private partnerships for funding the construction and maintenance of school buildings. New centres for regional education in QueenslandThe Queensland Government is to establish nine Rural and Remote Centres of Excellence as part of a new blueprint to strengthen educational opportunities in regional areas of the State. Minister for Education and Training, Rod Welford, has said the centres are part of a three-year plan to improve support for students and teachers in rural and remote communities. This new strategy, The Rural and Remote Education Framework for Action 2006–2008, builds on work already done and responds to the social, technological and economic issues that impact on educational opportunities in regional National curriculum debateThe ABC's Radio National program has hosted a debate among education experts on the merits of moves towards a national curriculum. The participants are Professor Alan Reid, School of Education, University of South Australia; Professor Geoff Masters, CEO of the Australian Council for Educational Research; John Roskam, Executive Director of the Institute of Public Affairs; and Darcel Russell, National Deputy Secretary of the Australian Education Union. The Radio National website provides access to audio recordings of the discussions, held on 9 October and 13 October 2006. Safety fears a barrier to walkingA survey of the opinions of 150 international walking experts has found that significantly fewer women and children walk in School community development funding in QueenslandEach of |