This Initiative grew out of ideas and
insights generated in forums in Sydney on 17th August 2009 and Melbourne on 18th
August 2009.
It is a comprehensive approach to breaking the stalemate in education reform
in Australia. It begins with parents and teachers, and seeks political and
policy support for measures which empower grassroots people and drive
innovation towards a Real Education Revolution.
Your participation is warmly invited. There
are many ways to become involved, and there is no cost.
To register your participation, complete this
online registration form.
Our goal is to have a parent contact in every
school in Australia, and a teacher contact in every school.
There are three components to Transforming
Our Schools:
Partners in
Learning is a parent-school partnership model, directed to
schools, and oriented to school-based innovation;
The Parent Teacher
Guarantee is directed to governments and MPs, and is
oriented to political campaigning;
Charter for
a Real Education Revolution is a longer term vision and
policy direction statement.
Partners in Learning
This is a parent-school partnership model,
oriented to school-based innovation and partnership with parents which is
applicable to every school in Australia. It is oriented to parents at the
school level who want to partner with their school in shaping and governing
the design and culture of what their school can offer to students and their
parents.
The model based on four key features:
1. Groups of parents participating in
Partners in Learning determine an
educational philosophy, culture and pedagogy that fits what they want for
their child, and this philosophy, culture and pedagogy are subject to a
process of negotiation and agreement with their school (there may be one or
more parent groups in each school);
2. Schools which embrace the
Partners in Learning model undertake
to form a partnership with the participating parent group(s) to implement
their preferred approaches to learning;
3. Parents, teachers and administrators in
Partners in Learning schools undertake
to manage the partnership in a collaborative manner, with reciprocal rights
and responsibilities;
4. Parents and teachers combine to select and
appoint a non-parent, non-teacher mentor for each child as an
additional partner in each child's learning.
Partners in Learning has a uniform 5
step process based on the experience of parents and teachers at Winters Flat
Primary School in Victoria:
The Parent Teacher Guarantee
The
Parent-Teacher Guarantee
is directed to governments, MPs, and political players, and is oriented to
campaigning by parents and teachers. It is a campaign to get MPs, parties
and governments to sign the guarantee.
Text of
The Guarantee:
"In
public office, I/We will support the introduction of the following measures
to guarantee a quantum leap in the quality of our schools:
1.Every
child and student is entitled to a portable Individual
Learning Plan that will be accepted by schools, teachers and
specialist practitioners as a foundation document and ongoing tool for the design and
management of each student's learning.
2.
Every parent is
entitled to negotiate with and enter into partnerships with schools and
other education providers to shape and govern the educational philosophy,
culture and pedagogy that best fits their child.
3. Every parent is entitled to a
student-centred funding entitlement for their child and young person with a weighting
for educational and socio-economic disadvantage, rural and remote location,
and disability or developmental challenges, to give parents greater leverage
in selecting an appropriate school for their unique child and in negotiating
with and forming partnerships with schools and other education providers.
4. Every parent is entitled
to an annual financial report from their school on how their student-centred
funding entitlement is spent.
5. Every parent and student
is entitled to at least four certificate options to mark the completion of
their child's school education that a choice of an appropriate certificate is available to meet the
needs of a diverse range of students.
6. Every conscientious and
talented teacher is entitled to ongoing public investment in their skills,
professional development and remuneration to retain quality teachers in the
profession and to attract the best and brightest of each generation into the
teaching profession.
7. Every teacher who is not
suited to teaching is entitled to active support from schools, education
departments, and career and training agencies in exiting the teaching
profession without industrial relations agendas inhibiting their rapid
movement out of the teaching profession.
8. Every parent and teacher
is entitled to adequate resourcing, both financial and human, in building
partnerships that enhance the quality of learning for each child.
9. Every student on reaching
the age of 18 is entitled to a Lifelong Learning Account, in which
post-school education, training and further education, and community
education funds may be held and retained for lifelong use as the student
chooses."
Charter for a Real Education
Revolution
The Charter is a longer term
vision and policy direction statement. It is not intended for immediate
campaign use, but for the development of a more sophisticated and strategic
public debate about school and education reform.
Text of the Charter:
Refurbishing school halls and
gymnasia are the least important priorities for parents and educators in
improving our schools and education systems. Renovating our school cultures
by tailoring education to individual student needs and parent expectations
is far more important. The inability of federal and state governments to
look beyond bricks and mortar in thinking about education is a bi-partisan
political tradition in Australia which serves our children and young people
poorly.
We want
education in Australia to be marked by the following:
1.
Teacher education is transformed to ensure all teachers have a master's
degree or extensive learning and teaching experience in non-school settings,
and remain at the forefront of knowledge and skill through continuous
professional development.
2. Principal positions
and school leadership are opened up to talented individuals who have
exercised creative leadership in non-school settings.
3.
Twenty per cent of public schools have their educational leadership and
management outsourced to foundations, non-government organisations, and
parent associations as publicly funded no-fee "independent public schools"
or "charter schools", with a licence to employ diverse educational and
management strategies to provide a greater range of options for parents and
students.
4.
School ownership ceases to be a factor in determining the amount of public
resources a school may attract.
5. A
ceiling of $10,000 in annual fees is set for fee-charging schools who wish
to receive public resources, so that public resources do not drive social
exclusion through inaccessible school fees. Fee-charging schools may choose
to set fees within the ceiling and receive public resources, or exceed the
ceiling and forfeit public resourcing.
6.
National uniformity in school curriculum is not an important social or
educational goal, except in core literacy and numeracy. The Commonwealth's
national curriculum authority accredits diverse curricula from a range of
education providers.
Participate
To register your participation,
complete this
online registration form.
Send us
your comments
Please
forward your comments and suggestions to:
Vern Hughes
Secretary
National Federation of Parents,
Families and Carers
vern@civilsociety.org.au
PO Box 159 Yarraville Vic 3013
Tel: 0425 722 890
