What's newLeading maths educator urges more training for teachersA leading mathematics educator has called for more training in maths for secondary teachers required to teach the subject, despite their lack of training in the field. Geoff Prince, the Director of the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) has argued for government-funded short courses to assist these teachers. See article in The Australian 16 August 2010. Call for schools to become delivery points for social servicesTo address social disadvantage effectively schools should become key points for the delivery of social services, according to leading researcher Deborah Cobb-Clark, the Director of the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research and leader of the Youth in Focus research project. See article in The Australian 18 August 2010. Study of students in special classes and schools finds strong gender linkA study by researchers at Macquarie University has found that boys are separated from the mainstream school system for behavioural and emotional disorders about six times as often as girls. The research, based on NSW data, examined the diagnoses of students enrolled in special classes and schools. Findings from the study will be reported next month in the journal Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. See article in The Australian 18 August 2010. Supporting students with intellectual disabilityBest Buddies Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that enhances the lives of people with intellectual disability by providing opportunities for friendship and integrated employment. See article 18 August 2010 in The Sydney Morning Herald, which also comments on provision for school students with disabilities in NSW. Queensland schools showcase tech skills through robotics competitionRobots built by school students will be showcased at the RoboCup Junior Queensland Championship at The University of Queensland on 21–22 August 2010. The National RoboCup Junior Australian Open Championships will be held in Sydney this September. See The University of Queensland media release 19 August 2010. See also archived article in Curriculum Leadership 19 June 2009. Human rights leader urges more support for vulnerable childrenCatherine Branson, the President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, has urged more support for the rights of children, particularly those who are Indigenous, homeless or mentally ill. See the transcript of her speech 11 August 2010. US newspaper to publish teacher rankingsThe Los Angeles Times plans to publish a list of over 6,000 primary school teachers, ranked according to their capacity to improve students' scores on standardised tests. See article in The Sydney Morning Herald 18 August 2010 and Los Angeles Times blog post also 18 August 2010. Research project on industry-school partnershipsA forthcoming research project will examine the changing nature of industry-school partnerships. The Australian Research Council Linkage project involves Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Griffith University, the Queensland Government, government and non-government schools and several industry sectors. See QUT media release 4 August 2010. 'Teen insomniacs' sought for sleep study in SydneyResearchers from the University of Sydney's Woolcock Institute of Medical Research are seeking insomnia sufferers of high school age to participate in a treatment trial. See The University of Sydney media release 16 August 2010. |