tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/academic-results-11972/articlesAcademic results – The Conversation2023-08-25T12:26:55Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2117202023-08-25T12:26:55Z2023-08-25T12:26:55ZHow educational research could play a greater role in K-12 school improvement<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544629/original/file-20230824-17-yoegke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=44%2C35%2C5832%2C3882&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Billions of dollars are being spent on education research. Is it working?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/students-work-together-in-a-classroom-setting-royalty-free-image/1209763734?phrase=elementary%2Bschool%2Btest">Fly View Productions/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For the past 20 years, I have taught <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=q0iwOrMAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">research methods in education</a> to students here in the U.S. and in other countries. While the purpose of the course is to show students how to do effective research, the ultimate goal of the research is to get better academic results for the nation’s K-12 students and schools.</p>
<p>Vast resources are already being spent on this goal. Between 2019 and 2022, the <a href="https://ies.ed.gov">Institute of Educational Sciences</a>, the research and evaluation arm of the U.S. Education Department, distributed <a href="https://ies.ed.gov/pdf/IESBR2019_2020.pdf">US$473 million</a> in 255 grants to improve educational outcomes.</p>
<p>In 2021, colleges and universities spent approximately <a href="https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf23303">$1.6 billion on educational research</a>.</p>
<p>The research is not hard to find. The Educational Research Information Center, a federally run repository, <a href="https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/projects/eric.asp">houses 1.6 million educational research sources</a> in over 1,000 scholarly journals.</p>
<p>And there are plenty of opportunities for educational researchers to network and collaborate. Each year, for instance, <a href="https://www.aera.net/Portals/38/docs/About_AERA/RulesandPolicies/AM%20Site%20Selection%20Procedures.pdf?ver=2016-06-16-110502-963">more than 15,000 educators and researchers</a> gather to present or discuss educational research findings at the annual meeting of the <a href="http://www.aera.net">American Educational Research Association</a>.</p>
<p>Yet, for all the time, money and effort that have been spent on producing research in the field of education, the nation seems to have little to show for it in terms of improvements in academic achievement.</p>
<h2>Growing gaps</h2>
<p>Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, test scores were beginning to decline. <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/studies/statemapping/2021036.aspx">Results from the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress,</a>, or NAEP – the most representative assessment of what elementary and middle school students know across specific subjects – show a widening gap between the highest and lowest achievement levels on the NAEP for fourth grade mathematics and eighth grade reading between 2017-19. During the same period, NAEP outcomes show stagnated growth in reading achievement among fourth graders. By eighth grade, there is a greater gap in reading achievement between the highest- and lowest-achieving students.</p>
<p>Some education experts have even suggested that the chances for progress get dimmer for students as they get older. For instance, in a <a href="https://ies.ed.gov/pdf/IESBR2019_2020.pdf">2019-2020 report to Congress</a>, Mark Schneider, the Institute of Educational Sciences director, wrote: “for science and math, the longer students stay in school, the more likely they are to fail to meet even NAEP’s basic performance level.”</p>
<p>Scores on the <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/national_results.asp">International Assessment of Adult Competencies</a>, a measure of literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills, suggest a similar pattern of achievement. Achievement levels on the assessment show a slight decline in literacy and numeracy between 2012-14 and 2017. Fewer Americans are scoring at the highest levels of proficiency in literacy and numeracy. </p>
<p>As an <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=q0iwOrMAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">educational researcher who focuses on academic outcomes for low-income students and students of color</a>, I believe these troubling results raise serious questions about whether educational research is being put to use.</p>
<p>Are school leaders and policymakers actually reading any of the vast amount of educational research that exists? Or does it go largely unnoticed in voluminous virtual vaults? What, if anything, can be done to make sure that educational research findings and recommendations are actually being tried?</p>
<p>Here are four things I believe can be done in order to make sure that educational research is actually being applied. </p>
<h2>1. Build better relationships with school leaders</h2>
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<img alt="A man in a blue suit accompanies an elementary school-aged boy as they walk down a school hallway." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544653/original/file-20230824-29-8rlhm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544653/original/file-20230824-29-8rlhm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544653/original/file-20230824-29-8rlhm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544653/original/file-20230824-29-8rlhm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544653/original/file-20230824-29-8rlhm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544653/original/file-20230824-29-8rlhm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544653/original/file-20230824-29-8rlhm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">School principals can help shape educational research.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/elementary-student-walking-with-teacher-in-school-royalty-free-image/1423165500?phrase=black+high+school+principal&adppopup=true">Kali9/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>Educational researchers can reach out to school leaders before doing their research in order to design <a href="https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2018/05/higher-education-and-k-12-form-partnerships-help-educators-and-learners">research based on the needs of schools</a> and schoolchildren. If school leaders can see how educational research can specifically benefit their school community, they may be more likely to implement findings and recommendations from the research.</p>
<h2>2. Make policy and practice part of the research process</h2>
<p>By implementing new policies and practices based on research findings, researchers can work with school leaders to do further research to see if the new policies and practices actually work. </p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/innovation-early-learning/investing-in-innovation-i3/">The Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund</a> was established by the <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/PLAW-111publ5">American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009</a> to fund the implementation and evaluation of education interventions with a record of improving student achievement. Through the fund, <a href="https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20184013/pdf/20184013.pdf">$679 million was distributed through 67 grants</a> – and 12 of those 67 funded projects improved student outcomes. The key to success? Having a <a href="https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/innovation-grants-yield-some-clear-winners-lessons-to-learn/2018/06">“tight implementation”</a> plan, which was shown to produce at least one positive student outcome.</p>
<h2>3. Rethink how research impact is measured</h2>
<p>As part of the <a href="https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-education-schools/edu-rankings">national rankings for colleges of education</a> – that is, the schools that prepare schoolteachers for their careers – engagement with public schools could be made a factor in the rankings. The rankings could also include measurable educational impact.</p>
<h2>4. Rethink and redefine how research is distributed</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.teachhub.com/teaching-strategies/2021/07/what-is-evidence-based-instruction/">Evidence-based</a> instruction can <a href="https://lincs.ed.gov/publications/te/ebi.pdf#:%7E:text=This%20brief%20provides%20an%20overview%20of%20evidence-based%20instruction%2C,instruction%20as%20part%20of%20the%20teacher%20induction%20process.">improve student outcomes</a>. However, public school teachers often <a href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-research-improve-teaching">can’t afford</a> to access the evidence or the time to make sense of it. Research findings written in everyday language could be distributed at conferences frequented by public school teachers and in the periodicals that they read. </p>
<p>If research findings are to make a difference, I believe there has to be a stronger focus on using research to bring about real-world change in public schools.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211720/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Detris Honora Adelabu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A veteran education researcher raises questions about whether educational research is actually being put to use.Detris Honora Adelabu, Clinical Professor of Applied Human Development, Boston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1756382022-02-20T19:16:16Z2022-02-20T19:16:16ZGoing to private school won’t make a difference to your kid’s academic scores<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446869/original/file-20220216-20-10jaa1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-teenage-students-uniform-walking-between-779645437">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In Australia, around 30% of primary and 40% of secondary school children <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13384-019-00365-9">attend a private</a>, or independent, school. School fees vary widely, depending on the type of private school and the different sectors that govern them. Catholic schools generally cost less than independent schools <a href="https://edstart.com.au/report">where families can pay</a> fees of more than $40,000 per year.</p>
<p>Despite the term “independent school”, all <a href="https://research.acer.edu.au/aer/14/">schools in Australia receive</a> government funding. On average, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ajs4.38">Catholic schools receive</a> around 75% and independent schools around 45% of their funding from state and federal governments.</p>
<p>Research shows <a href="https://research.acer.edu.au/resdev/vol12/iss12/3/">parents believe</a> private schools will provide a better education for their children, and better set them up for <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF03216894">success in life</a>. But the evidence on whether this perception is correct is not conclusive.</p>
<h2>What does the research say about academic scores?</h2>
<p>Our <a href="https://rdcu.be/cEgNE">recent study</a> showed NAPLAN scores of children who attended private schools were no different to those in public schools, after accounting for socioeconomic background. </p>
<p>These findings are in line with other research, both in <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15582159.2015.1028827">Australia</a> and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/00028312043004651">internationally</a>, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41539-018-0019-8">which shows</a> family background is related both to the likelihood of attending a private school and to academic achievement. </p>
<p>While there may appear to be differences in the academic achievement of students in private schools, these tend to disappear once socioeconomic background is taken into account. </p>
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<p><a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/ca768d40-en/1/3/8/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/ca768d40-en&_csp_=97f4e8557fdfd3bad9e5a695f9d14967&itemIGO=oecd&itemContentType=book#abstract-d1e7">An analysis</a> of 68 education systems (mainly countries, but some countries only include regions which are known as “education systems”) participating in the 2018 Programme for International Assessment (PISA) tests showed attendance at private schools was not consistently related to higher test performance. </p>
<p>The OECD <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/ca768d40-en/1/3/8/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/ca768d40-en&_csp_=97f4e8557fdfd3bad9e5a695f9d14967&itemIGO=oecd&itemContentType=book#fig-V.7.4">report says</a>:</p>
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<p>On average across OECD countries and in 40 education systems, students in private schools […] scored higher in reading than students in public schools ([…] before accounting for socio-economic profile)[…] However, after accounting for students’ and schools’ socio-economic profile, reading scores were higher in public schools than in private schools […]</p>
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<h2>Do private schools improve student achievement over time?</h2>
<p>Another argument used to support Australia’s growing private school sector is the idea <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/000494410905300103">private schools actually add</a> value to a child’s education. This means attending a private school should boost students’ learning trajectories over and above what they might have achieved in a public school. </p>
<p>Our research is the first to examine whether students differ in learning trajectories across the four NAPLAN test years (3, 5, 7 and 9) depending on the school type they attended.</p>
<p>We compared the NAPLAN scores of students who attended a public school, a private school and those who attended a public school in years 3 and 5 and then a private school in years 7 and 9. The students in the latter group scored highest in reading and numeracy tests in each of the four NAPLAN test years.</p>
<p>This group outperformed students who attended private schools at all years, and students who attended public schools at all years. But there was no evidence that making the switch to a private school added to students’ learning growth. </p>
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<p>These high-performing students were already achieving the highest results in public school before they left for private school in year 7. </p>
<p>This suggests private schools may be be enrolling the highest achievers from public primary schools. </p>
<p>Other analyses in our paper showed that once socioeconomic background of these students was taken into account, apparent achievement differences between school sectors were no longer present.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/public-schools-actually-outperform-private-schools-and-with-less-money-113914">Public schools actually outperform private schools, and with less money</a>
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<p>The other interesting point is that there were no differences in achievement trajectories between the groups. So, making the switch to private schools in year 7 did not affect the gains students were making in NAPLAN over time. Students in public schools made just as much progress as their peers who attended private schools.</p>
<p>This undermines claims private schools add value to students’ academic growth.</p>
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<h2>What about other private school benefits?</h2>
<p>Some Australian research has shown students who attend private schools are more likely to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/000494410905300103">complete school and attend university</a>, and tend to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0004944115586658">attain higher rankings in university entrance exams</a>. Indeed, the recent announcements of <a href="https://www.matrix.edu.au/high-school-rankings/2021-high-school-rankings/">NSW students’ HSC results</a> showed almost three-quarters of the 150 top-ranked schools were independent. </p>
<p>The concentration of higher-achieving students in private schools could also magnify any peer effects on students’ decisions about future career paths or attending university. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-money-for-private-schools-wont-make-australias-education-fairer-no-matter-how-you-split-it-132769">More money for private schools won't make Australia's education fairer, no matter how you split it</a>
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<p>Nonetheless the <a href="https://rse.anu.edu.au/researchpapers/CEPR/DP479.pdf">research</a> on these questions is not definitive: it is very difficult to separate out the effects of background characteristics of students and the effects of the school sector given that more advantaged students tend to concentrate in private schools. </p>
<p>Some <a href="https://www.diw.de/documents/dokumentenarchiv/17/diw_01.c.465961.de/ryan_ams_jun2014_full-paper.pdf">Australian research has shown</a> the characteristics of students before they enter private schools have a larger effect on their aspirations, behaviour and attitudes than the school.</p>
<h2>Rethinking the system?</h2>
<p>While the capacity for parents to choose a school that best suits their child is often <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-20/catholic-independent-schools-new-parental-income-funding-model/10285554">seen as an advantage</a>, many disadvantaged families are a lot more constrained in their <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02680939.2016.1263363">ability to choose</a>, and pay for, private schools.</p>
<p>Students attending private schools may have access to other non-academic benefits, such as more opportunities for sports, excursions and other extracurricular activities. </p>
<p>But in terms of academic advantage, we know, from our research and other studies that explored similar questions, there is little evidence to show independent schools offer any. It is likely children will do equally well in any school sector.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/schools-have-been-ideological-battlegrounds-in-the-past-in-the-coronavirus-crisis-they-are-again-137250">Schools have been ideological battlegrounds in the past. In the coronavirus crisis, they are again</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175638/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sally Larsen receives PhD research funding from the Australian Government Research Training Program. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexander Forbes receives PhD research funding from the Australian Government Research Training Program.</span></em></p>There is endless debate about whether private schools add value to students’ academic results. But research consistently shows when socioeconomic factors are taken into account, this is not the case.Sally Larsen, PhD candidate, Education & Psychology, University of New EnglandAlexander Forbes, PhD Candidate in Psychology, University of New EnglandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1726012022-01-26T19:07:08Z2022-01-26T19:07:08ZChildren whose parents smoke have lower test scores and more behavioural issues than kids of non-smokers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442140/original/file-20220124-21-r64eya.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cigarettes-pack-yellow-filter-harm-health-1386901214">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Children whose parents smoke have lower academic test scores and more behavioural issues than children of non-smokers. </p>
<p>These are the findings of our research published in the journal of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1570677X21000022?via%3Dihub">Economics and Human Biology</a>. Smoking is prevalent in lower socio-economic groups whose characteristics (such as lower IQ and poorer motivation on average) <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29058397/">are correlated with</a> lower academic scores and more behavioural issues in children. This can bias the results as the sample of children whose scores are lower is no longer random.</p>
<p>After addressing such concerns, our broad finding remained the same. Because of the model we used, this means there is a causal – rather than merely correlational – relationship between parental smoking and children’s academic scores and behavioural outcomes. </p>
<h2>How we did our study</h2>
<p>We used data from the <a href="https://growingupinaustralia.gov.au/">Longitudinal Study of Australian Children</a> (LSAC), which tracks children from birth to monitor their development and well-being. It also surveys them and their parents on a range of cognitive (such as academic) and non-cognitive (such as behavioural) performance measures, and records other data such as their NAPLAN test results.</p>
<p>We wanted to find the effects of parental smoking on children’s cognitive and non-cognitive skills in early life – from 4-14 years old.</p>
<p>We measured children’s cognitive skills using the given NAPLAN literacy and numeracy test scores in grades 3, 5, 7 and 9. We also used the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), which is designed to measure a child’s knowledge of the meaning of spoken words and his or her receptive vocabulary. The test is carried out as part of the LSAC survey when the children are 4-9 years old.</p>
<p>Non-cognitive skills include social behaviour, hyperactivity or inattention, and peer problems. We took the measures of these as reported by parents. </p>
<h2>What we found</h2>
<p>We found, across all measures of cognitive skills, children living with non-smoker parents had a higher average score than children living with at least one smoker parent. We found smoking can reduce academic scores by up to 3%.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442417/original/file-20220125-13-t7tqwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Girl writing test at desk." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442417/original/file-20220125-13-t7tqwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442417/original/file-20220125-13-t7tqwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442417/original/file-20220125-13-t7tqwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442417/original/file-20220125-13-t7tqwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442417/original/file-20220125-13-t7tqwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442417/original/file-20220125-13-t7tqwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442417/original/file-20220125-13-t7tqwa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Kids’ test scores were lower if their parents were smokers than those of non-smoking parents.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/school-students-taking-exam-writing-answer-536624842">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Likewise, we found children with at least one parent who smokes are likely to experience more behavioural issues. We found smoking can reduce behavioural scores by up to 9%.</p>
<p>Our findings are consistent even when we look at mums’ and dads’ smoking behaviour separately. But the effect is stronger for mothers, as expected. Maternal smoking in pregnancy has <a href="https://jhu.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/low-birthweight-preterm-births-and-intrauterine-growth-retardatio-3">direct effects</a> on the child’s brain development and birth weight. Pre-natal ill-health and sickness in early childhood may affect cognitive, social and emotional outcomes through poorer mental well-being.</p>
<p>Second-hand smoke exposure at home can <a href="https://actbr.org.br/uploads/arquivo/659_Pesquisa_fumo_passivo_OMS_2010.pdf">also cause numerous health problems</a> in infants and children, such as asthma and ear infections. This could lead <a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/128/4/650/30703/School-Absenteeism-Among-Children-Living-With?redirectedFrom=fulltext">them to take more time out of school</a>.</p>
<p>We used information on the number of school days missed because of health reasons and children’s physical health assessments in the LSAC survey to test whether parental smoking and absenteeism due to health were related. </p>
<p>We found children from households with at least one smoker were more likely to have lower school attendance and poorer physical health, both of which have adverse consequences on their cognitive and non-cognitive development.</p>
<p>Our findings did not change across various measures, such as the frequency or number of cigarettes parents smoked per day. </p>
<p>But we did find parental smoking had a stronger influence on boys than girls. This is consistent with <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-015-0509-6?email.event.1.SEM.ArticleAuthorContributingOnlineFirst&error=cookies_not_supported&error=cookies_not_supported&code=8484cb89-b3f1-41ff-b1ce-6d9916f9aa2a&code=70985a21-e7c8-490e-b579-58a8a7e6f6d7">growing evidence</a> that girls are more resilient to environmental pressures than boys.</p>
<h2>How parental smoking affects kids’ skills: the three pathways</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442419/original/file-20220125-27-1iaivrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Top of shopping trolley with woman's hand on it." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442419/original/file-20220125-27-1iaivrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442419/original/file-20220125-27-1iaivrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=567&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442419/original/file-20220125-27-1iaivrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=567&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442419/original/file-20220125-27-1iaivrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=567&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442419/original/file-20220125-27-1iaivrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=713&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442419/original/file-20220125-27-1iaivrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=713&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442419/original/file-20220125-27-1iaivrz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=713&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Spending on tobacco can leave less money for food.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-female-shopper-trolley-supermarket-92894512">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There are three pathways through which parental smoking has an effect on children’s academic, social and emotional skills.</p>
<p>The first is that the child’s health may already have been affected before birth if the mother was a smoker. And some other negative effects of ill health come from exposure to second-hand smoke, as described above.</p>
<p>The second pathway for parental smoking affecting a child’s acquisition of cognitive and non-cognitive skills is through a reduction in household income. Tobacco spending can <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00148365-200403040-00009">displace spending on food, education and health care</a>. </p>
<p>The third pathway is that children’s ability to develop skills <a href="https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/63853/1/321132386.pdf">depends on their parents’</a> cognitive and non-cognitive skills, which are determined by their own health and education. Parental smoking can <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53017/">affect their own well-being</a>, such as through impacting their respiratory health. This, in turn, <a href="https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/63853/1/321132386.pdf">can influence the way they parent</a>.</p>
<p>Our findings highlight the role of the family environment in early childhood development, which sets the foundation for long-term health, as well as social and economic success. Campaigns, programs and policies aimed at reducing tobacco use should emphasise the inadvertent harm smoking habits can have on children’s present and future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172601/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Preety Pratima Srivastava does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There are three pathways through which parental smoking has an effect on children’s academic, social and emotional skills. They include health effects of second-hand smoke, and family income.Preety Pratima Srivastava, Senior Lecturer, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1318972020-08-26T01:55:21Z2020-08-26T01:55:21ZKids spend nearly three-quarters of their school day sitting. Here’s how to get them moving — during lessons<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353340/original/file-20200818-20-2200g5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/successful-teacher-students-jump-front-blackboard-179513771">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Regular physical activity is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27182986">linked to improvements</a> in physical and mental health <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0134804">including anxiety and depression</a>. It can also improve cognitive functioning such as attention and memory, and academic achievement in children. </p>
<p>But only <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/article/38/3/526/2239809">14% of Australian children</a> get the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day and they spend <a href="https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-015-0274-5">70% of the school day sitting</a>. Primary school students spend over half of the school week in English and maths lessons, and the majority of these lessons are traditionally sedentary — <a href="https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12966-019-0866-6">up to 76% of their time</a> is spent sitting during maths.</p>
<p>Australian students’ are scoring lower <a href="https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/PISA2018_CN_AUS.pdf">in international tests</a> than before while sedentary behaviour and mental-health issues are on the rise. One way to improve academic outcomes and health is to add more movement to classes.</p>
<h2>Mixing learning with movement</h2>
<p>Theories of cognition — the mental processes in acquiring knowledge — hold that we <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ssm.12279">learn through physical actions</a> in our environment, as well as through physical senses and perceptions. So, engaging in physical activity can help students <a href="https://cognitiveresearchjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41235-016-0040-5">better understand</a> concepts and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17560971/">retain the experience</a> in a meaningful way. </p>
<p>But for this to occur, the students’ actions must directly correspond to the learning concept. For example, in maths, kids can stretch their arms diagonally to represent the function y=x, “crocodile” arms can show acute angles, and crossing forearms can create perpendicular lines.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354487/original/file-20200825-24-1um5153.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A boy in while shirt crossing his arms in front of him into an x shape." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354487/original/file-20200825-24-1um5153.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354487/original/file-20200825-24-1um5153.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=681&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354487/original/file-20200825-24-1um5153.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=681&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354487/original/file-20200825-24-1um5153.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=681&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354487/original/file-20200825-24-1um5153.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=855&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354487/original/file-20200825-24-1um5153.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=855&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354487/original/file-20200825-24-1um5153.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=855&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students can cross their forearms to create perpendicular lines.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/serious-boy-making-x-sign-him-670212946">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In groups, they can link arms to form a triangle, and stretch and shrink without changing the angle measurements. </p>
<p>Recent <a href="https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12966-019-0866-6">research suggests</a> integrating physical activity in maths lessons enhances <a href="https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12966-019-0866-6">student enjoyment</a>, <a href="https://www.ejmste.com/article/movement-based-mathematics-enjoyment-and-engagement-without-compromising-learning-through-the-easy-473">engagement and attitude</a>, and improves maths performance. </p>
<p>In English lessons, <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-6635-2">research shows</a> physical activity can improve students’ engagement with, and enjoyment of, tasks and lead to better spelling and reading. </p>
<p>Learning and movement doesn’t only have to happen in school. At home, parents can encourage children to move and learn at the same time. </p>
<p>This might involve talking about the numbers on letterboxes while walking to school, as a way to learn about odd and even numbers, or skip counting. When playing soccer in the park, parents can make scoring more challenging with each goal being a fraction (¼) or decimal (1.5) . </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/move-it-move-it-how-physical-activity-at-school-helps-the-mind-as-well-as-the-body-100175">Move it, move it: how physical activity at school helps the mind (as well as the body)</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>At various times during reading, you could ask your child to stand up and act out a scene to represent what they have just read.</p>
<h2>What teachers can do to help kids move more</h2>
<p>We have developed an evidence-based program called <a href="https://transformus.com.au/">Transform-Us!</a>. This provides primary school teachers with professional learning and resources to help them adopt teaching strategies that get students moving more and sitting less across the school day. </p>
<p>We also conducted a <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jpah/7/s3/article-pS299.xml">randomised controlled trial</a> to test the program among seven–to–nine-year-old children in 20 Victorian primary schools. Results showed significant increases in physical activity, time spent on tasks and enjoyment of lessons. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353567/original/file-20200819-24671-g58pnp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A family (dad, mum, son and daughter) playing soccer in a field." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353567/original/file-20200819-24671-g58pnp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353567/original/file-20200819-24671-g58pnp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353567/original/file-20200819-24671-g58pnp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353567/original/file-20200819-24671-g58pnp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353567/original/file-20200819-24671-g58pnp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353567/original/file-20200819-24671-g58pnp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353567/original/file-20200819-24671-g58pnp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One goal could be 1.5 instead of 1, to teach kids maths.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/active-family-play-soccer-their-leisure-1013869084">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>All teachers can <a href="https://pilotfeasibilitystudies.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40814-019-0507-5">use some of the below strategies</a> to engage students in moving as they learn, which is particularly important in the online learning environment. </p>
<p><strong>Get kids to move during a lesson to help them learn concepts</strong> </p>
<p>This could include using arms or bodies to create shapes, or using arms to learn time on a clock. When learning online, a teacher could ask students to</p>
<blockquote>
<p>stand up and move safely away from the computer. Get ready for an active lesson to energise your body and activate your brain.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Get students to take two minute active breaks for every 20 minutes of sitting</strong></p>
<p>During these breaks, students engage in short bouts of activity such as a maths activity called “Friends of 10” where one student stands up and faces a partner and puts up a hand with a certain number of fingers (say seven). The other student responds with the number that would take it to ten (three). </p>
<p>In online learning, a teacher could instruct students to stand up and clap or stomp patterns in time together before returning to their work.</p>
<p><strong>Create a classroom environment that supports movement</strong> </p>
<p>This could include having standing desks, roving group work or pushing desks to the side to leave open space in the middle of the class for movement. Teachers could also use the playgrounds, outdoor spaces or ground-line markings as learning spaces.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/let-them-play-kids-need-freedom-from-play-restrictions-to-develop-117586">Let them play! Kids need freedom from play restrictions to develop</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Remotely, this can happen by setting children tasks that require them to work away from the screen. A shape treasure hunt is one example. Here, students walk around their house or backyard looking for specific shapes found on a worksheet, and then draw a map indicating where each shape was. </p>
<p><strong>Engage families through physically active homework</strong> </p>
<p>This could include asking children to explore the backyard or home and select ten items, predict their measurement and record predictions, measure the items and record measurements, and record accuracy of predictions.</p>
<p>And of course, encourage students to move at recess and lunchtime. </p>
<p>While most of the research on movement during lessons has been done in primary schools (which is where our resources are for), we have started research to see how such strategies would work in secondary schools. </p>
<p>Ideally, all children in the future will have the opportunity to move while they learn through their school years.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/131897/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jo Salmon receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Australian Research Council. She is President of the Australasian Society for Physical Activity. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Natalie Lander does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Getting students to move while learning a concept helps them understand it better. And it gets them off their seats.Natalie Lander, Senior Research Fellow, Deakin UniversityJo Salmon, Alfred Deakin Professor, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1249272019-11-27T14:35:41Z2019-11-27T14:35:41ZMid-high school certificate is a game changer for South Africa<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303495/original/file-20191125-74576-1mvqriv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Every year, <a href="https://www.iol.co.za/saturday-star/news/matricresults-drop-out-crisis-in-sa-schools-18693946">more than 300,000 pupils drop out</a> of South African schools after Grade 9. The average age at this level of schooling is 15 years old. Some of them aren’t academically prepared to progress to the next grade; some leave because of financial difficulties. Many of the pupils who leave school at that stage remain unemployed for years. Around <a href="https://sajems.org/index.php/sajems/article/view/515/470">half</a> of the population under 25 years old is unemployed, in an economy that’s <a href="http://www.hsrc.ac.za/uploads/pageContent/7429/LMIP_SkillsSupplyandDemand_Sept2016">barely growing and lacks skilled workers</a>. </p>
<p>The South African government has <a href="https://www.education.gov.za/Newsroom/Speeches/tabid/950/ctl/Details/mid/8127/ItemID/7624/Default.aspx">proposed</a> a new certificate for school leavers at Grade 9, which is the second year of high school. It’s aimed at giving them some indication of competence in the job market. Currently, the only school leaving certificate is issued at the end of Grade 12, the final year of high school.</p>
<p>Some critics argue that the new certificate may encourage more pupils to drop out of school. But we argue that the additional testing for the certificate is a positive move. This is because of its potential to improve the <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/the-purpose-of-tests-7688">quality and structure of education</a> in ways that support youth employment and the economy. </p>
<p>The General Education Certificate will be a formal qualification that school leavers can use to enrol at technical and vocational education and training colleges or to look for work. </p>
<h2>Post-school pathways</h2>
<p>As things stand, after Grade 9 pupils can enter into the academic stream from Grade 10 to Grade 12 in schools. Or they can enter technical or occupational streams at colleges. This latter route is not popular. In a 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science <a href="https://www.hsrcpress.ac.za/books/timms-2015-grade-9-national-report">Study</a>, more than 70% of Grade 9 pupils said they wanted a tertiary qualification in the form of a certificate, diploma or university degree. </p>
<p>In the same survey, only 4% intended to apply at Further Education and Training colleges after Grade 9. Reasons for this include a lack of awareness about other training options. This overwhelming preference for the academic pathway is a problem in a country ranked among the <a href="http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/media-briefs/education-and-skills-development/timss-study-results">lowest</a> in academic tests.</p>
<p>The South African education environment is structured in a way that hasn’t allowed young people to be realistic about their potential and the availability of options other than finishing high school to gain a university entrance.</p>
<p>To change this, the minimum competencies required to obtain the new mid-level high school certificate must be made explicit. The subjects that will be chosen for assessment must be valued by society. Examples are English for business communication and mathematics for numeracy. These subjects should signal the readiness of learners to succeed in technical vocational and occupational programmes or the labour market. </p>
<p>One of the positive side effects of putting in place an assessment tool for a high quality and economically relevant qualification is that the quality of education offered at lower grades in the schooling system will improve. The assessment would, for example, force schools and teachers to spend more resources and effort at lower grades to prepare pupils better for the Grade 9 certificate exams. They currently make this kind of effort for the Grade 12 certificate. </p>
<p>When vocational and training colleges are expected to play a more important role in the education system, they will have more opportunities to offer relevant training in areas such as agriculture, business, tourism, information and communications technology. This can happen if colleges receive more public and private funding. </p>
<p>If the mid-high school certificate becomes a generally accepted qualification for admission into <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/18146627.2017.1352452">technical and vocational education and training colleges</a>, fewer learners will wait until completing Grade 12 before applying to those colleges. </p>
<p>Most technical and vocational college qualifications are ranked lower than or similar to a Grade 12 certificate. It’s therefore a waste of time for pupils to complete Grade 12 before entering a college programme at a lower qualification level. </p>
<h2>Concerns</h2>
<p>Critics point out that many of the country’s vocational training institutions aren’t <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/18146627.2017.1352452">equipped</a> to cope with a possible influx of learners who have the new certificate. Although this argument has merit, it can also be argued that with the new certificate in place, there would be an incentive to improve the curriculum and management of those institutions. </p>
<p>With more public and private sector focus on these colleges they would be forced to respond to job market needs better than they do now. The Grade 9 certificate would contribute to improving the colleges’ responsiveness to market demands. </p>
<p>Another concern is that the certificate would encourage higher drop-out rates from the schooling system. This may be true for pupils who want to enter the job market but currently stay in school because they don’t have alternatives. The certificate would give them something to show the job market. </p>
<p>With more options made more explicit, leaving the academic route to follow more vocational technical and occupational streams couldn’t be classified as dropping out of the schooling system altogether. </p>
<h2>Going forward</h2>
<p>The quality of the mid-level high school certificate should provide a choice of different types of technical and vocational programmes. These should include short term occupational and trade qualifications through private colleges, not only the three year technical programmes normally offered at public colleges. </p>
<p>This means that all vocational and training college programmes must have high economic currencies that are responsive to the practical demands of the labour market. </p>
<p>For the education system to work better as a whole, there needs to be more alignment of vision, policy and implementation between the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Higher Education and Training. Both government departments must find strategies for working with the private sector to ensure that education and training is always relevant to economic needs. </p>
<p>With a meaningful mid-level high school certificate and the above mentioned programmes in place, the prevailing negative mindsets of learners and employers around vocational technical and occupational routes are also likely to disappear.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124927/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nhlanhla Mbatha receives funding from the School of Business Leadership at University of South Africa. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vijay Reddy receives funding from Department of Basic Education and the Dependent of Science and Innovation.</span></em></p>Some critics argue that the new certificate may encourage more pupils to drop out of school. But we argue that it is a positive move.Cyril Nhlanhla Mbatha, Professor of Economics, School of Business Leadership (Unisa), University of South AfricaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/515692015-12-15T19:32:51Z2015-12-15T19:32:51ZMy ATAR is too low, what do I do now?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/105721/original/image-20151214-1645-m1zhix.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Waiting for the bleep ... how did your results go?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>You hear the alert of the text message. Your heart races as you realise that the number in the message could change the direction of your life. </p>
<p>With sweaty hands, you swipe into the message, your eyes blurring momentarily, as the number hits your vision. It dawns on you: <em>Too low, too low</em> … what now? Anticipation is replaced by the cold hand of dread, disappointment, even fear.</p>
<h2>What to do if your ATAR is too low</h2>
<p>Does this scenario sound familiar?</p>
<p>First off, don’t panic – you still have many options available to you. Your ATAR <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/news-events/news/atars-a-weak-predictor-of-student-performance">does not determine</a> your future grades beyond school.</p>
<p>Each state in Australia usually has a central processing unit for the handling and management of student scores. For example:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.vtac.edu.au/">Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre</a> in Victoria</li>
<li><a href="http://www.uac.edu.au/">University Admissions Centre</a> in New South Wales </li>
<li><a href="http://www.qtac.edu.au/">Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre</a> in Queensland</li>
<li><a href="http://www.satac.edu.au/">South Australia Tertiary Admissions Centre</a> in South Australia and Northern Territory</li>
<li><a href="http://www.utas.edu.au/apply">University of Tasmania</a> in Tasmania</li>
<li><a href="https://www.tisc.edu.au/static/home.tisc">Tertiary Institutions Admissions Centre</a> in Western Australia.</li>
</ul>
<p>These centres process the scores of students wanting to go on to further education. They also work with universities and Technical and Further Education institutions (TAFEs). </p>
<p>Each centre will have links on its website that may help guide students in the right direction – it’s worth taking a look at these sites for information.</p>
<h2>Go back to the admissions booklet</h2>
<p>The first step is to return to the admissions booklet provided by your state’s admissions centre. </p>
<p>The booklet (whether online or in hard copy) provides you with a list of courses and the ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) required for entrance into that course. </p>
<p>A search on the web may bring up other courses on offer in the same area, but at a different university that requires lower ATARs.</p>
<p>Courses run at smaller institutions or in regional centres often have lower ATARs. </p>
<p>Some students may dismiss regional centres or smaller universities on account of these not having the same rigorous standards as larger universities. However, this is not necessarily the case. Smaller universities may offer a more personable experience overall. </p>
<p>Once you begin on your career path, it may not matter that you did not acquire your entry qualifications through a particular institution. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/tertiary-education/top-10-things-employers-look-for-in-university-graduates-20150112-12mb73.html">Reports reveal</a> that employers are not really interested in the institution you went to. Instead, they want to know about other aspects such as working within a team, possessing diverse abilities, work readiness and overall grades. </p>
<h2>Look at other education providers</h2>
<p>University isn’t always the best option. Sometimes you can study the course you want to at a TAFE or private college. </p>
<p>These institutions will offer varying entry grades and tend not to place all the emphasis on an ATAR. </p>
<p>Entrance into some TAFE courses is managed through the tertiary admissions centres. However, many courses are managed by individual institutions. Cut-off dates usually do not apply until January of the following year. </p>
<p>Find out who is the careers advisor at the place you want to study and speak to them about your options. This will help you understand if the course you’ve chosen matches your preferred career path.</p>
<h2>Consider bridging or pathway programs</h2>
<p>Many universities offer bridging or pathways programs. This is where you study for a year, often enrolling for units that will create a path into your desired degree. </p>
<p>Numbers for these pathways programs are sometimes small, as universities offer a more personalised experience to students requiring support with post-school study. Important skills such as researching and academic writing are built into these courses. </p>
<p>Pathways programs may also be navigated through alternative study. You may opt for a similar study program at another university, requiring a lower ATAR, then apply in your second year to the institution of your choice. You just need to maintain a good academic average. </p>
<h2>See if you’re eligible for Special Entry Access Scheme</h2>
<p>If you qualify for it, the Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS) may add vital points to your ATAR, which may get you closer to your desired course of study. </p>
<p>Difficult circumstances, disadvantaged financial backgrounds, Indigenous heritage or a medical condition all act as moderating factors that may allow students to gain additional points for their ATAR scores. </p>
<p>The added extra for some students qualifying for SEAS may open up other options, such as applications for scholarships. If you are applying for SEAS, it may be wise to check first whether the institution you are applying to recognises SEAS. </p>
<h2>Check if a university course has uncapped places</h2>
<p>Many universities now have uncapped places for certain courses. This means universities are <a href="https://theconversation.com/year-12-results-day-does-the-atar-actually-matter-that-much-48890">placing a lower importance on the ATAR</a> and are considering other factors too, such as work folios for arts degrees, scores obtained on external tests, and student interviews. </p>
<p>Scoring below the required ATAR may not necessarily push you out of the running.</p>
<p>The route you take may involve a deviation or a side-step, but you are still going to reach your destination – so don’t panic!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/51569/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pearl Subban is affiliated with Monash University.</span></em></p>Don’t panic if you didn’t get the school results you wanted – here’s what to do.Pearl Subban, Lecturer, Faculty of Education, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/488902015-12-13T19:26:09Z2015-12-13T19:26:09ZYear 12 results day: does the ATAR actually matter that much?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/104817/original/image-20151208-3122-q5sjdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How much emphasis should we place on ATAR scores? </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>This morning, thousands of young people will be glued to their mobile phones for good reason. </p>
<p>It’s the first day that Australian Tertiary Admissions Rankings (ATARs) are released to students. </p>
<p>It’s these results that put a full stop on 13 years of schooling and open a new chapter. </p>
<p>And it’s also the day that <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/west/vce-results-2014-anxious-wait-over-for-students-as-atar-scores-released/news-story/8eea0e02d76679f3c7573854c7ded66a">media outlets</a> across the country crunch the numbers to parade out the big winners – the handful of young people who obtain <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/life-after-a-9995-score-what-becomes-of-the-perfect-vce-students-20141212-1265hv.html">perfect scores</a> of 99.95. </p>
<p>Over the coming days, we will hear how important the ATAR is for determining “<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/top-atar-hsc-performances-the-result-of-years-of-achievement-20141210-12442a.html">the rest of your life</a>”. </p>
<p>We will see the school league tables of winners and losers: the usual cast of schools in the usual handful of locations across the country that take top honours.</p>
<p>What we will not hear about is how <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/educational-opportunity-in-australia-2015-who-succeeds-and-who-misses-out/">a quarter of young</a> people are <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/quarter-of-australian-students-drop-out-new-report-reveals-20151025-gkhtpo.html">not completing year 12</a> or its equivalent. Or about the schools that help disadvantaged children improve their ATARs, but do not make the top grades.</p>
<p>In part, this is because high-performing students from disadvantaged areas often <a href="https://griffithreview.com/articles/condemned-to-innovate/">drift toward higher-performing schools</a>. The schools serving the most marginalised populations are tasked with providing the most support for those for whom university pathways are not the priority.</p>
<p>There are some <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/cese-report-most-overachieving-nsw-public-schools-revealed-20151110-gkv82u.html">success stories</a>, but these are the exceptions to the norm in mainstream media. <em>If only other disadvantaged schools would just pay attention to what these success stories do with their students!</em></p>
<p>What we won’t hear about is the crippling anxiety and other mental health issues that many students face in completing year 12. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.missionaustralia.com.au/what-we-do/research-evaluation/youth-survey">recent report</a> shows that over one-third of young people aged between 15 and 19 are “highly stressed” about school. Over half of the 19,000 surveyed felt that academic barriers would impact on their further study and work goals. </p>
<p>Year 12 is often positioned as the defining moment, and many students falsely believe that exam failure means <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/what-if-i-fail-year-123f/6861662">absolute disaster</a> for their future. </p>
<p>So does the ATAR actually matter that much? </p>
<p>Well that depends on who you are asking, and what you think matters. </p>
<p>For university placements, the ATAR is being used <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/more-and-more-the-atar-means-less-and-less-20141214-126v18.html">less and less</a> as the sole measure that universities employ in selecting students. </p>
<p>There is an overwhelming focus on those courses that are “easy” or “hard” to get into, with little regard for what students will do post-study. Within this, the ATAR is becoming less effective as a predictor of future success.</p>
<p>There is <a href="https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/opinion-gen-y-s-long-road-to-security">strong evidence</a> to suggest that even those who do well in education are having a harder time of navigating their post-school lives. </p>
<p>Those who complete year 12 still tend to enjoy better <a href="http://www.lsay.edu.au/publications/2761.html">job and life conditions than those who don’t</a>. </p>
<p>However, other measures of disadvantage around socio-economic status, language background, Indigenous status and gender tend to act as stronger predictors of poor outcomes. </p>
<p>Far from meritocratic, poor ATARs tend to accumulate around particular postcodes where <a href="http://www.dote.org.au/">educational disadvantage is concentrated</a>.</p>
<p>In a market where schools in wealthy suburbs — whether public or private — post billboards around their suburb reporting on student ATARs and university offers for their year 12 cohorts, is it surprising that students are overwhelmingly oriented toward university pathways over TAFE? </p>
<p>Is it surprising that students feel that their schools are being <a href="http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/school-life/private-school-captains-shocking-speech-goes-viral/news-story/7935b58be62f3563e891419bce147fb0">run as businesses</a> with a focus on improving numbers, publicity and being competitive in the education marketplace?</p>
<p>The focus on ATARs in the mainstream media unfairly conflates school leaving with university offers. </p>
<p>In a country where <a href="http://theconversation.com/careers-education-must-be-for-all-not-just-those-going-to-university-49217">only half of young people finishing school take up university places</a>, and almost a quarter of those students do not finish their <a href="https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/australias-universities/key-facts-and-data#.VmYuU98rJTY">bachelor degrees</a>, this focus provides a false representation of where young people go after school. </p>
<p>It also masks a much deeper story about who is missing out on educational and work opportunities. </p>
<p>Today is the day that we celebrate those at the top of the curve. However, today should be the day that we interrogate the value of the ATAR and of targets for improving the proportion of young people attaining year 12 or equivalent. </p>
<p>We must question the premium on year 12 as the measure for a successful transition. As a country, it is time we had a serious discussion about the emphasis we place on year 12.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/48890/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shane Duggan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The ATAR is being used less and less as the sole measure that universities use to select students. It’s time to question its value and the pressure it puts on students in year 12.Shane Duggan, Lecturer in Youth Studies and Teacher Education, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/432662015-06-17T13:14:25Z2015-06-17T13:14:25ZCheating with essay mills: an extension of students asking each other for help?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85203/original/image-20150616-5835-4za08u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Maybe I could pay somebody else to do it.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Essay writing via Geo Martinez/www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Given the sophisticated detection tools to stop cheating, it’s unsurprising that the Channel 4 <a href="http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/">Dispatches documentary</a> turned its attention to the migration from copy-and-paste internet plagiarism to cash-for-drafts “essay mills”. Universities seem relatively blind to this “<a href="https://www.brookes.ac.uk/aske/documents/Plagiarism09_LancasterClarke.pdf">contract cheating</a>” in which students pay somebody else to do their assignment, but the scale of the business is sobering.</p>
<p>Having felt that I have been the occasional victim of professionally-authored student assignments, I recently explored the market as a mystery shopper. Others have <a href="http://www.shambles.net/pages/students/papermills/">documented a range of available services</a>, but just an hour of searching found me 25 websites that were suitable suppliers for a postgraduate essay I had just set. There is even a <a href="http://www.paperhelp.org/mobile-application.html">phone app</a> for the mobile plagiarist.</p>
<p>Sceptics have suggested that these sites are volatile, fraudulent, or different faces of the same organisation, but that was not my impression. Their online chat and telephone advice was distinctive, articulate and patient. Their follow-up contact was vigorous. Moreover, their service is engaging: <a href="http://www.essayempire.com/">front pages</a> feature fresh (usually female) students clutching books or folders (never computers) and often dressed for graduation. </p>
<h2>Slick approach</h2>
<p>The <a href="http://chroniclecareers.com/article/Video-Journey-to-the-Center/48413/">business processes</a> are impressive. Typically you specify your needs, the package is listed internally and contract writers bid for it (regular customers can request favoured authors). For a 4,000-word, merit level, education masters essay in 48 hours, a typical offer was £440. I could commission a 12,000-word masters dissertation (including fieldwork) in 30 days for £860. Authors are <a href="http://www.essay-writers.info/">carefully recruited</a>, perhaps postgraduates or <a href="http://unemployedprofessors.com/">unemployed faculty</a>. Sometimes they <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/comment/opinion/why-i-write-for-an-essay-mill/2006074.article">justify their work</a> by referencing disillusionment with a broken and unsupportive education system.</p>
<p>But is their work any good? Evidence is largely circumstantial. Glimpses of job tickets suggest customers return, and sample texts are of respectable quality. The qualifications regulator Ofqual did fund research consultants to <a href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20141031163546/http:/ofqual.gov.uk/documents/mystery-shopping-exercise-support-services-students/">solicit A Level English and history essays</a>, which were then marked by experienced assessors who concluded that some fell significantly short of the grade As requested. However, the assessors were told that these were contract-commissioned essays and it is hard to believe that this knowledge did not influence their grading. Such findings are therefore less reassuring than the education community believes. </p>
<p>Students who have used these services are, understandably, reluctant to share their motives. Staff and student experiences around more conventional plagiarism have pointed to a number of <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/05/24/cheating">important themes driving this</a>. However, innocently misunderstanding the nature of authorship or the conventions of citation can hardly apply to the extreme case of submitting someone else’s writing for your own assessment. </p>
<h2>What goes through a student’s mind</h2>
<p>Although there must be awareness of personal misdemeanour in these cases, that should not imply that the student is not thinking things through. Consider the following diagram.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85278/original/image-20150616-5825-5ha0pf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85278/original/image-20150616-5825-5ha0pf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/85278/original/image-20150616-5825-5ha0pf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85278/original/image-20150616-5825-5ha0pf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85278/original/image-20150616-5825-5ha0pf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85278/original/image-20150616-5825-5ha0pf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85278/original/image-20150616-5825-5ha0pf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/85278/original/image-20150616-5825-5ha0pf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Framing cheating in the culture of educational practice.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The starting point is a student’s engagement with study – the vertical axis on the diagram above. This will vary across different continua. For example, from more to less understanding of the studied material. At the same time, lifestyle choices may place a student anywhere on this axis between freewheeling with lots of time for study, to a lifestyle full of commitments that constrain study time.</p>
<p>The essay-writing websites present this pressure against study as blameless inevitability, casting assignments as irritating demands that compete with learning purposes, rather than actually being part of those purposes themselves. “Today academic writing takes a serious toll on students. There are so many assignments to cope with and so many tasks,” <a href="http://essaywriter.org/">said one</a> website. </p>
<p>The horizontal axis represents the theory that cognition (remembering, reasoning, learning) is “<a href="https://mindmaps.wikispaces.com/Distributed+Cognition+and+Learning">distributed</a>” – not just trapped between our ears, but embedded into all our interactions with those around us – and so student learning becomes thinking that is <a href="http://eet.sdsu.edu/eetwiki/index.php/Social_constructivism_and_distributed_cognition:_Communities_making_meaning_and_achieving_intelligence">coupled into the social environment</a> around them. But this social integration is a continuum: one that runs from <a href="https://metranet.londonmet.ac.uk/celt/learning-teaching-assessment/peer-support.cfm">peer support</a> to <a href="http://www.tutorhunt.com/">personal tuition</a>, <a href="http://transtutors.com">contract tuition</a>, <a href="http://studentproofreading.co.uk">proof reading</a>, <a href="http://www.proofeditme.com/editing/copyediting/copy-editing-for-students-and-academics">copy editing</a> and onwards to contract writing. Students, but also staff, may struggle with where on this continuum activity starts to violate the expectations of assessment. </p>
<p>In the diagram, the diagonal “axis of rationality” maps how the student weighs up this encouragement to collaborate with the challenges of how they manage their understanding of the subject and their time. The more you don’t understand or the more life events impede you, the more you turn to others for help. But as the shading in the diagram is meant to imply, there may be genuine uncertainty about when dishonesty starts and when cheating becomes a real option. </p>
<p>Yet there must come a point when a student may overcome his or her doubts enough to go through with cheating and money changes hands. But any degree of unease at this point may be reduced by an academic climate in which learning is celebrated for being <a href="http://www.earli.org/special_interest_groups/social_interaction">grounded in social interaction</a>, whereby students learn through their relationships with those around them. Students may also be influenced by encouragement to cultivate an <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/245880">entrepreneurial mindset</a>. Perhaps, finally, universities are increasingly being drawn towards presenting education as a <a href="http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415584470/">commodity</a>. Thereby, we may all be playing our small parts in this corrosive growth of intellectual dishonesty.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/43266/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Charles Crook does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The contract cheating business is booming. What tips students over the edge to pay somebody else to do their work?Charles Crook, Professor of Education, University of NottinghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/306042014-08-25T03:55:02Z2014-08-25T03:55:02ZHow schools across the country are helping themselves<p>I’m over it. The endless binary debates that fuel the great education wars. Public vs private, phonics vs whole language, autonomy vs command and control. So yesterday as my young friends would say. </p>
<p>It can be different. The good news is that plenty of Australian schools are ignoring what Professor John Hattie (<a href="http://visible-learning.org/hattie-ranking-influences-effect-sizes-learning-achievement/">Visible Learning</a>) calls “the politics of distraction” and getting on with their very own, dare I say it, education revolution. </p>
<p>It’s not yet evident in international data, which in recent years has been producing some understandable anguish. A gap between our highest and lowest achievers that is greater than the OECD average, along with a worrying downward trend among our top students, means that Australia has lost bragging rights in being able to claim status among the high-performing education systems. But there’s reason for optimism. There are class acts all across the country, and in some unlikely places. </p>
<p>Schools, many of them low SES, are taking note of the mountain of research that exists around whole school improvement. Schools that are transforming typically follow the broad outline of what Harvard Professor Richard Elmore <a href="http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/leadership/leadership001a.html">cites</a> as the key elements of change – improving the knowledge and skills of teachers, increasing the intellectual rigour of content for students, and getting students to the stage where they are more responsible for their own learning. </p>
<h2>How “class act” schools are self-improving</h2>
<p>Over the past two years I’ve spent a lot of time in schools and observed some remarkable changes. Places that in the past have tolerated mediocrity are now commanding attention as lively institutions where student engagement and learning has lifted, and where effective teaching practice is a matter for regular collegial discussion and review. </p>
<p>At Charles la Trobe, in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, teachers are addressing one of the big divides in Australian education – the way that subject choice, or the lack of it, is a barrier to a rich set of life choices. The school has moved away from what it calls “the dumbed-down electives” and adopted a challenging academic curriculum. Philosophy has been introduced for Year 9s and students fire on all cylinders as they wrestle with the finer points of Socratic dialogue.</p>
<p>Principal Maria Karvouni says the school has come a long way from the dispirited place it was when she started there - a place where the kids spent more time in PE than in English classes. When Karvouni challenged this priority she was told “it suits the kids”. It didn’t suit Karvouni, especially when she looked at the data, which showed huge literacy deficits among both primary and secondary students.</p>
<p>It’s a work in progress but a central focus on language, with help from skilled linguists, and a ferocity about students developing good homework patterns is helping to lift performance. As Karvouni says: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>It’s about sustained effort, and that’s what many of our kids lack because it has never been reinforced. So much of learning is habit. You do it and the bar lifts.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In a very different jurisdiction, that of NSW, which is slowly moving away from a highly centralised approach, change has been embraced by Toronto High. Six years ago the regional high school just south of Newcastle had a dismal record. Not one of its students made the transition to post-secondary education. It wasn’t something that new principal Mark McConville thought was remotely tolerable. But where to start? </p>
<p>Attendance was poor, family and community engagement non-existent and student behaviour was such that the local police were among the school’s most regular visitors. It’s this cocktail of problems that can overwhelm many school leaders in tough suburbs. </p>
<p>McConville is a bloke with an easy manner and a natural authority. It was a big help that his expertise on the footy field helped him in otherwise difficult conversations with some of the local families, many of whom had developed a deep level of distrust with a school that was so obviously failing their children. </p>
<p>But the key to Toronto’s turnaround (where close to 50% of students now participate in either university or TAFE) has been in the systematic and professional way that McConville has approached the task. Students aren’t told how to behave. They act it out. Everything. From how to line up and order lunch at the canteen, to how to have a conversation that is free of profanities. This kind of basic work allowed for the next stage. As McConville says: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>you have to have an orderly learning environment in order for learning to occur. You have to draw the line and hold the line. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Perhaps the biggest change has been in teaching practice, something of an idee fixe for McConville. Drawing on the ideas of Canadian scholar <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Fullan">Michael Fullan</a>, McConville introduced the “4Cs” model of co-planning, co-teaching, co-debriefing and co-reflexion. As a result the right questions were asked. Were the students engaged by the lesson? What was absorbed? What was missed? What’s the impact?</p>
<p>It’s working a treat. At Toronto they now talk about a “buzz around learning” and staffroom stories are more likely to be about good pedagogy than who nicked the basketball.</p>
<h2>How do we replicate these success stories?</h2>
<p>While we can point to numerous class act stories, our biggest national challenge remains how we learn from the best and replicate success across a fragmented system. Our poorest schools can’t do that without extra help and David Gonski’s <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/review-of-funding-for-schooling-final-report-dec-2011.pdf">Review of School Funding</a> sets out a compelling case for the adoption of needs-based funding. </p>
<p>It’s within our grasp to make a different set of choices. Right now there is nothing to stop the states copying what NSW is already doing – applying the Gonski formula and directing resources to areas of greatest need. </p>
<p>Encouragingly Australians place a high priority on investment in education with post-budget polling giving a big thumbs down to Canberra’s attempts to shift to a more user-pays approach and to require the states to do more. </p>
<p>Top-performing countries arrive at a policy position on what constitutes an equitable, quality education system and work like crazy to get the implementation right. Something similar in Australia is no guarantee of a class act for all. But the happiness and academic confidence of a whole generation demand that we at least try. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>Maxine McKew’s new book Class Act will be available soon through Melbourne University Publishing.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/30604/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Maxine McKew is member of the ALP and consults to the not for profit Social Ventures Australia.</span></em></p>I’m over it. The endless binary debates that fuel the great education wars. Public vs private, phonics vs whole language, autonomy vs command and control. So yesterday as my young friends would say. It…Maxine McKew, Vice-Chancellor's Fellow, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.