"An alarming trend that I have noticed as I visit schools or drive past schools is the emphasis on NAPLAN. Brag boards are announcing NAPLAN, and the number of Year 7 and Year 9 cohorts undergoing "NAPLAN training" disturbs me. Classes are workshopping old tests and then doing mock NAPLAN tests. Considerable work is being done on the persuasive writing task.

"My, how a national test changes the curriculum and the pedagogy!"

If you have a similar concern, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

2 May: Asia Education Foundation - Korea Video Competition - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea is holding a video contest "I love Korea, because...". Have your students or class make a 3-minute-long video clip on diverse Korean attractions, including Korean traditional culture, K-POP, landscape, economic development or your personal experiences related to Korea. The Grand Prize winner will win a car and and an all expenses paid trip to Korea. To find out more and enter, go to http://koreanculture.org.au/cultural-learning/i-love-korea-contest

1 May: Nominations are now open for the NEiTA 2012 ASG Inspirational Teaching Awards – Australia’s only independent teaching awards program that gives Australian parents, secondary school students, early childhood and school communities the opportunity to formally thank their hard-working, inspirational teachers, principals and directors. Supported by the not-for-profit organisation, the Australian Scholarships Group (ASG), the National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA) program has been running for nearly two decades and continues to recognise and acknowledge stand-out teachers across the country. For further information about the awards and how to nominate, visit www.neita.com.

30 April: Schools interested in applying for a NAB Schools First Impact or Seed Funding Award are encouraged to start their applications soon as they close at 5.00pm (AEST) on Friday, 29 June 2012. All schools involved in a school-community partnership can apply to share in $3 million of awards funding. This year there are 55 Impact Awards and 65 Seed Funding Awards. Start your applications today. Click here for more information.

The NAB Schools First Student Award was developed to reward great ideas for school-community partnerships that have been initiated by students. There are 10 Student Awards available in 2012 with award winners receiving $5,000 to implement their school-community partnership idea as well as support from the NAB Schools First team. Each award winning student will also receive an Apple iPad. If you know a student who has a great idea for a school-community partnership, encourage them to apply now. Apply here for a Student Award

27 April: Talking school funding with Oxley principals, teachers and community - Minister for School Education Peter Garrett and Member for Oxley, Bernie Ripoll, today joined local school principals, teachers and parents at Centenary State High School in Jindalee to discuss school funding and the future of Australian schooling. Mr Garrett said the Gillard Government is holding a grassroots, nation-wide discussion with principals, teachers, parents and the community as part of its response to the recently released school funding report.

"The Gonski review of school funding has made a number of far-reaching recommendations on how we can develop a new, more effective way of funding every school in Australia," he said. "We're working with the education community to test and refine the proposed new model, known as a Schooling Resource Standard (SRS). The new model would include a base amount per student plus additional funding for students and schools who need extra support." Click here for the complete report on his address.

27 April: Australian Teacher Performance and Development Framework - Peter Garrett: "... we have announced today ... that we want to have a yearly performance assessment nationally and we're launching the draft consultation for it today which has been developed by the Institute of School Leadership." Click here for the complete transcript.

27 April: AITSL - Certification and Teacher Performance and Development Released! From AITSL: "I am pleased to write to you following the endorsement of the Certification of Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers: Principles and processes. The proposal was endorsed by Education Ministers on 20 April 2012 at the meeting of the Standing Council for School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC). This is another pivotal achievement in Australian education and is a step forward in our teacher quality strategy. Certification at the higher career stages, underpinned by the National Professional Standards for Teachers, enhances the professionalism of teachers, enabling them to gain recognition for the quality of their teaching while remaining in the classroom.

The development of the certification principles and processes involved an extensive national process drawing on research, national and international expert advisors, analysis of existing practices across Australia, and consultation with teacher employers, regulatory authorities, national, state and territory peak bodies, and practicing teachers and school leaders

Another significant step in the teacher quality agenda is the release of the draft Australian Teacher Performance and Development Framework for national consultation.  The Framework will ensure that every teacher, every year, in every school receives regular, appropriate and constructive feedback on their performance, opportunities to identify areas for development, as well as effective and ongoing support to further improve their practice. The draft Framework has been developed based on research, national mapping and analysis of existing practices, and advice from national and international experts.  Following further national consultation and refinement the Framework will be presented to Ministers for endorsement at the Standing Council on 3 August 2012. Support and training materials will be developed in collaboration and consultation with education stakeholders during 2012 and be available to support national implementation in 2013.

The final version of the agreed documentation is attached here. More information can be found at www.aitsl.edu.au.

26 April: Project Results: Leadership and Governance in Schools - project by the European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE) - "the results of our project Leadership and Governance in schools as instruments for improving student results and preparing them for Lifelong Learning have been published." The objectives of the EFEE project included providing a platform for the exchange of views and knowledge on leadership and governance, based on a comparative survey of EFEE member organisations. Another objective was to provide a springboard for future work in this area, including active participation in the work of the European Policy Network on School Leadership. An extensive news report and all project results are available at our website.

23 April: The Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC) met on Friday 20 April 2012 in Perth. This was the first full face-to-face meeting of SCSEEC, following the meeting of school education ministers on 5 April in Sydney. The Standing Council welcomed the opportunity to discuss a broad range of school education and early childhood matters. "Ministers discussed concerns over practices such as excessive test preparation and the potential narrowing of the curriculum as a result of the publication of NAPLAN data on My School. Ministers requested that ACARA provide the Standing Council with an assessment of these matters."

20th April: Ministers Agree to National Categories for Disability in Schools - Parliamentary Secretary for School Education, Senator Jacinta Collins, today thanked State and Territory Ministers for accepting new nationally consistent categories for students with disability in schools. At today's Perth Standing Council meeting, Senator Collins said: "For the first time, we have the ability to collect national data on a diverse group with varying needs. Ultimately, data collected under these new categories will tell us the extent of change that schools are making to support students with disability." Click here for her complete statement.

In June 2011, a resource kit entitled Erasing Cyberbullying was sent to all schools in Australia by Kids Helpline. The cover of the kit looks like the picture to the right. Many schools are using the resources in the kit, which are on a USB stick loaded with lesson plans, teacher's notes and youth-focused animation. Feedback from schools and the Australian Federal Police has been excellent.

BUT

It has been reported by some schools that their kit has been directed to the library rather than being made available to teachers directly. The reason? It looks more like a book than a resource kit!

ASPA and Kids Helpline are asking you to check where your kit is. Have your teachers seen it? Do they know what is in it?

The Australian Children’s Music Foundation (ACMF) conducts an annual National Songwriting Competition (NSC) for every Australian Primary and Secondary School, both public and private. The 2012 competition is proudly sponsored by APN News & Media. We at ACMF believe that music is a right - not a privilege – so entry is FREE.

The competition is divided into various categories to provide opportunities for children of all ages, from kindergarten through to Year 12.

The NSC is endorsed by the Hon Peter Garrett AM MP, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth. Ian “Dicko” Dickson is the official NSC Ambassador. Each year involves high-profile songwriters, artists and publishers to endorse and judge the competition (past judges include Peter Northcote, Tim Freedman and Paulini, to name a few).  All prizes awarded are in the form of musical instruments, equipment or tuition for both the winning students and their school.

Entries open on 11th June 2012! Read more and ENTER ONLINE at www.acmf.com.au

Theme: Leadership Advantage

Dates: 6-8 June 2012

Venue: Hilton Hotel, Brisbane

Speakers include Ian Jukes (21st Century Fluency Project, Canada), Paul Pisasale (Leadership to Influence the Future, Queensland), Wesley Enoch (Qld Theatre Company), Tim Costello, (World Vision Australia), and Debra Ferguson (Wellness Consultant).

Click here to download the conference brochure.

Click here to download the registration form.

ASPA welcomes the opportunity to be a member of the Ministerial Schools Funding Reference Group.

It is critical that government secondary schools are represented in all discussions of the future funding model as ‘ there is a disproportional number of students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds attending government schools (p9, Review of Funding for Schooling).’

While we agree with the commentary that funding must ‘ not be seen simply as a financial matter’, we do know that adequate resourcing is critical. It is the starting point and it ensures sustainability but it is what we are able to do with that funding that will make a real difference to the student outcomes. We applauded the Expert panel for their decision to consider all the elements of school improvement and will watch with interest as these recommendations impact upon national partnerships and determine future directions.

As the review panel acknowledged: "there is still much work to be done", and for ASPA members it is about how the recommendations are translated into policy.

Every school community wants to know what it is going to mean for them.

The ASPA Executive will work to keep you informed and share your views on the most important issues for your school community. The Executive is undertaking analysis to compare the recommendations of the Review of Funding for Schooling to the ASPA submissions and responses. Members will receive an alert once this analysis has been completed.

ASPA Looks forward to with other education stakeholders and the Hon Peter Garrett, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth.

From Virginia O'Mahony, ICP President: "I am taking the very unusual step of writing to you directly because our organisation the International Confederation of Principals (ICP) has embarked on an unusual and exciting project.

It has long been our aim to organise an international conference on Girls’ Education. However the costs of suitable venues meant that it would be very difficult to include all our members. Finally we believe that we now have a project that will work.

At our biennial Convention in Toronto in August 2011 Stephen Lewis set the tone for the event in his opening address. He was truly inspirational, and in particular his passionate words concerning the 5th Millennium Goal – the struggle for gender equality - really touched the hearts of all those present and served to increase our determination to ensure that our dream of a conference became a reality.

Given that the ICP is determined to be a support to all our member associations, particularly those in the less developed parts of the world, we were particularly pleased that Stephen has agreed to support our conference which will take place from 9th to 12th August 2012 at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in Johannesburg, South Africa. The theme of the conference is “The Struggle for Gender Equality” and we plan to have 200 participants, 100 school leaders from Africa and 100 from elsewhere.