Australian schools funding

The discussion around funding for schools continues

/ jenbashford / Leave a comment

Should parent education levels and NAPLAN tests determine school funding?

edu funding

The latest contribution to the discussion around funding for schools comes from Glenn Savage from University of Melbourne, writing for The Conversation, who discusses a new proposal from the Victorian Government to link funding to parent education levels, and NAPLAN results.

An endlessly complicated issue, it’s interesting to consider the ways in which the Victorian government is starting to develop their education policies through, and post, the Gonski years.

Personally I would be concerned about school funding being linked to NAPLAN results as these tests are in themselves controversial. As for parent education levels, as the article states there is plenty of research that has found links between parental education levels and student achievement, but how would this be measured?

Some interesting moves by the Victorian Government, and it will be interesting to see if anything comes of it.

In the discussion following the article it’s also interesting to see some of the opinions and perspectives in response.

I’m sure this discussion will continue – and perhaps is something that never ends?

Give a Gonski?..

/ jenbashford / 1 Comment

“Give a Gonski? Funding myths and politicking derail school debate”
An article from Glenn C. Savage, published on July 9 on The Conversation

gonski pic

A brief breakdown of some of the more nuanced aspects of the schools funding debate. Glenn Savage makes some good points about the way that the core of the debate is getting lost amongst the wrangling between the two major political parties. There is surely no doubt by now that the school funding models in Australia need to be reformed, yet neither Liberal or Labor are stepping up to really address education in a real and meaningful way.