Julia Gillard - Education Update - 28 April 2010

Click here to download the complete update document in PDF format. You can also view it online by clicking here.

In this update, Julia Gillard writes about:

• School funding review.
• Improving teacher quality.
• Australia’s first national curriculum. 

The text of the document reads:

School Funding Review

The Australian Government has announced a review of the way all our schools are funded. The review will be open and transparent, it will be carried out by eminent Australians with a range of expertise and capacity. It will be thorough and wide-ranging and will be informed by data and evidence.

It will not be about taking money from any school.

As a first step, the Australian Government will consult with the sector on the terms of reference for the review which are intended to be ready for release to coincide with a discussion paper on school funding.

Further information on the consultations and how you can participate in the review will be published in the coming weeks. A discussion paper and draft terms of reference will be available on the DEEWR website by the end of April.

Improving Teacher Quality

All our reforms - literacy and numeracy, tackling disadvantage, utilising digital technology, have the quality of teachers and leaders at their heart.

The Teacher Quality National Partnership sets out a reform agenda to improve the quality of teachers and school leaders and includes a new national framework for professional standards.

The standards spell out what we expect of graduate teachers, of competent teachers, of highly accomplished teachers and of school leaders.

Negotiated and agreed between jurisdictions, the draft standards are now open for scrutiny and further development through a nationwide consultation process. The draft standards pdf can be viewed at the MCEECDYA website.

Submissions in response to the draft can be made online at the MCEECDYA website until 21 May 2010.

Consultations will also be conducted by the states and territories with teachers and school leaders and by the Australian Government with national organisations.

Australia’s First National Curriculum

All Australians should also have their say on the country’s first draft national curriculum.

The draft Australian Curriculum for English, mathematics, science and history (K-10) has been available for consultation since 1 March 2010 and is available online through the Australian Curriculum Consultation Portal.

The consultation website will be available for everyone to read, review, download or print the draft K-10 curriculum. It will also be the place where individuals and groups can provide feedback and where the online feedback survey can be completed.

The K-10 consultation process will be open until 23 May 2010.