Association of Independent Schools of Victoria Inc

Association of Independent Schools of Victoria Inc. A0009210H A.B.N 44 711 074 857

20 Garden Street 17 March 2008 South Yarra Vic 3141

PO Box 2138 Prahran Vic 3181

T: 03 9825 7200 Ms Karen Ellingford F: 03 9826 6066 Executive Officer W: ais.vic.edu.au Education and Training Committee Parliament House Spring Street EAST MELBOURNE VIC 3002

Dear Ms Ellingford

We appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the Education and Training Committee’s Parliamentary Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victoria Students Participate in Higher Education.

Please find attached our submission, which responds to Terms of Reference a, b, d and g.

Yours sincerely

Michelle Green Chief Executive

SUBMISSION TO THE PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY INTO GEOGRAPHICAL DIFFERENCES IN THE RATE IN WHICH VICTORIAN STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN HIGHER EDUCATION

18 MARCH 2008

AISV Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education 1 PART 1 - INTRODUCTION

Association of Independent Schools of Victoria Incorporated The Association was established in 1949 to represent, to promote the interests of and to provide services to, Victorian independent schools. More than 97 per cent of all independent schools in Victoria are members of the Association and Member Schools enrol more than 99 per cent of all independent school students in Victoria.

As such, 210 schools educating almost 122,000 students are members of the Association. As Member Schools are individual legal entities, the Association is not a system authority but is a non-profit service organisation to its membership. As part of this role, the Association represents the interests of its Member Schools to government and the community on a wide range of issues.

Background to the Submission 128 independent schools provided education for 11,028 Year 12 students in 2007. Of these schools, 92 were located in metropolitan Melbourne, 33 were in regional Victoria and 3 offered Year 12 education at both metropolitan and regional campuses. The schools deemed to be outside the Melbourne metropolitan area for the purposes of this submission are listed, with their locations, in Appendix A. A total of 2,244 Year 12 students attended independent school campuses in regional Victoria, representing 20.3% of all Victorian Year 12 independent students.

9 campuses of 8 independent schools that offered Year 12 in 2007 were located in towns that both were located more than 100km from Melbourne and had populations of less than 10,000. These schools offered Year 12 education to 238 students in 2007 and were located in Cobram, Hamilton, Leongatha, Maryborough, Nathalia, Newhaven, Portland and Swan Hill.

Given the small number of independent schools located outside both metropolitan Melbourne and Victoria’s regional centres, this submission will focus on differences between regional and metropolitan students, and will not focus on rural school students.

Guiding Principles Choice (for parents and students), access, equity, diversity

Format of the Submission The Association has provided responses to specific questions in the Terms of Reference that are relevant to the Association. These are questions a, b, d and g.

AISV Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education 2 Summary of Recommendations

Recommendation 1: State government support to establish VET clusters in regional areas. VET clusters would enable more students to access VET. Clusters of schools could be set up cross-sectorally within an area. This would reduce staffing and administration costs. Identify employer needs within the local area of the cluster and focus VET offerings accordingly.

Recommendation 2: State support for equitable high speed internet access for all schools in all Victorian regional and rural areas. The current metropolitan-regional divide is exacerbating the digital divide within and between communities.

Recommendation 3: State encouragement for the development of regional and rural hubs with schools, TAFEs and universities, to allow greater shared access to resources.

Recommendation 4: State provided incentives for high-achieving graduates to enter teaching programmes and for teachers to work in regional, rural and remote areas. A number of models are currently being explored. The State government needs to look at the most effective incentive programmes and implement them in partnership with all secondary and tertiary sectors.

AISV Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education 3 PART 2 – SUBMISSION

Terms of Reference a) Variations in the number and type of university applications, offers, acceptances and completions in different metropolitan, rural and regional areas.

Applications and offers

Destination data provided by the On Track project (DEECD, 2007) are most recently available for students who completed Year 12 in 2006. The number of independent school students making university applications differed only slightly by area, with 95.1 per cent from metropolitan schools applying, and 90.3 per cent from regional schools. Independent school student applications to university are significantly higher than the average across all On Track schools in the 2007 data, as detailed in Box 1.

Box 1: Year 12 independent school students – offers On Track data 2007 (2006 Year 12 leavers)

Proportion of Year 12 students with tertiary applications: Metro independent schools 95.08% Regional independent schools 90.37% All On Track schools 82.14%

Proportion of applying students receiving university offers: Metro independent schools 82.47% Regional independent schools 82.11% All On Track schools 66.07%

Proportion of applying students receiving TAFE/VET offers: Metro independent schools 16.95% Regional independent schools 16.45% All On Track schools 28.09%

Proportion of applying students receiving tertiary offers: Metro independent schools 95.82% Regional independent schools 94.05% All On Track schools 90.99%

The data also show little difference between independent schools in metropolitan and regional schools in offers from university and TAFE (82.5% and 17.0% for metro, 82.1% and 16.5% for regional). Independent school students have a significantly higher percentage of university offers in comparison to the average, and a correspondingly low percentage of TAFE offers. Overall, independent school students in metropolitan areas had a 95.8 per cent rate of tertiary offers compared to 94.1 percent for students in regional areas, significantly higher than students from the government and Catholic sectors.

AISV Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education 4 Acceptance of offers

Independent school student acceptance of offers does show some variation. From metropolitan schools, 69.8 per cent enrolled and 8.8 per cent deferred, as shown in Box 2. From regional schools just 51.3 per cent enrolled while 19.5 per cent deferred. The number of regional students from independent schools remaining in education after Year 12 (88.7%) is only slightly lower than their metropolitan counterparts (93.8%) when deferrals are included (as an intent to continue education). If deferrals are not included the gap widens (85.1% metro to 69.2% regional). In this latter case, regional independent school student rates of continued education are significantly lower than government and Catholic sector students in metropolitan areas, while still significantly higher their counterparts in regional areas.

Box 2: Year 12 independent school students – circumstances On Track data 2007 (2006 Year 12 leavers)

Proportion of Year 12 students: In Uni In TAFE Apprenticeship Metro independent schools 69.75% 12.21% 3.10% Regional independent schools 51.33% 19.10% 6.99% All On Track schools 47.20% 10.88% 8.15%

In Education Employed Looking Metro independent schools 85.06% 5.29% 0.90% Regional independent schools 69.19% 9.80% 1.51% All On Track schools 74.45% 13.62% 2.93%

Deferred Metro independent schools 8.75% Regional independent schools 19.49% All On Track schools 9.00%

The difference in take up of university places does suggest likely financial hardship for students in regional areas (James, 2007) due to increased university fees, travel and metropolitan accommodation expenses, an issue that has been highlighted recently in the Australian (Rout, 2008) and the Herald Sun (Metlikovec, 2008). Other possible issues are discussed in response to question d.

Completion rates by sector

Recent research by Marks (2007), based on the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), looks at completion of university courses by 2004 of students who were in Year 9 in 1995. Without adjusting for any background variables, the study finds that university students who went to Catholic schools were most likely to complete a course with a completion rate of 87.7 per cent. Independent school students were next on 81.4 per cent, followed by government school students on 78.5 per cent. Marks goes on to note that ‘overall, after controlling for background characteristics and ENTER scores, school sector had no impact on expected completion rates’ (2007, p. 20). That is, once students get into university, their school background is not a significant indicator of whether they will finish their university course.

AISV Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education 5 Completion rates by geographic location

Previous LSAY research has found that students from urban areas tend to show higher completion rates than students from non-urban areas. However, these differences are minor: the completion rate for rural students was 63 per cent compared to 65 per cent for urban students (Martin et al. 2001, in Marks, 2007, p. 3). Regional differences were more marked among women, and it was students classified as from ‘isolated’ regions that exhibited the lowest completion rates (Urban et al. 1999, in Marks, 2007, p. 3). McMillan (2005, p. 27) found that attrition was highest among students from large provincial cities but lowest among those from small provincial cities. Such findings reinforce the importance of recognising that non- metropolitan students are not a homogenous group.

Marks concludes that ‘[t]here were no clear metropolitan/nonmetropolitan differences in course completion since there was much variation in course completion among students from non-metropolitan areas’ (2007, p. 27). His findings are similar to earlier LSAY research by Jones (2002), which looked at education participation and outcomes by geographic location. Jones found that ‘after controlling for other characteristics […] home location has no significant effect on whether students, male or female, enter university’ (2002, p. viii), and ‘regional effects on the outcomes considered are generally weak in comparison to those other background characteristics considered, and that regional differences can often be explained by the different characteristics of regional populations’ (2002, p. ix). As such, policy may need to be adapted to take into account different contexts in Victorian regional and rural areas.

Types of tertiary course applications

There is currently no data available on the types of tertiary courses chosen by students from independent schools, or on the possible effects of the range of subjects available to students in Year 12 in different locations. It is important, however, that Year 12 courses are available that allow students from all schools in all regions the opportunity to participate in higher education according to their interests.

AISV Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education 6 Terms of Reference b) Influences on school retention rates, including enrolments and completions for VCE, VCAL and VET in schools on participation in higher education.

Box 3: Highest level of school completed for people no longer at school

2006 Census: Melb Balance Year 12 or equivalent 50.36% 32.85% Year 11 or equivalent 11.85% 16.90% Year 10 or equivalent 13.34% 20.53% Year 9 or equivalent 5.41% 9.57% Year 8 or below 7.85% 10.16% Did not go to school 1.38% 0.51% Highest year of school not stated 9.82% 9.48%

2001 Census: Melb Balance Year 12 or equivalent 44.84% 28.79% Year 11 or equivalent 13.47% 17.38% Year 10 or equivalent 14.93% 21.08% Year 9 or equivalent 6.74% 10.87% Year 8 or below 10.24% 13.26% Did not go to school 1.57% 0.55% Highest year of school not stated 8.21% 8.06%

Participation in Year 12 – social and school influences

Fullarton, Walker, Ainley and Hillman (2003) and Khoo and Ainley (2005) used LSAY data to consider patterns of participation in Year 12 (and see Box 3 for census data). Fullarton also considered factors affecting student engagement with school (2002). Fullarton et al. found that girls were slightly more likely to participate in Year 12 than boys, and students from non-English speaking backgrounds had substantially higher levels of Year 12 participation (2003, p. 16-17).

Fullarton et al. measured socioeconomic background by parental occupation and education. They found that students with parents in professional occupations had higher rates of Year 12 participation than those with parents in manual occupations, although within the last 20-30 years the gap has declined, suggesting a reduction in social inequality. Similarly, students whose mothers had a higher education qualification were more likely to participate in Year 12 than those who did not, though again, the trends suggest the gap closed somewhat and reached a plateau in the mid-1990s (2003, p. 16-17).

Year 12 participation among students in independent schools has not changed significantly, remaining consistently high throughout the LSAY data from 1980 to 2001. Catholic and government schools have increased substantially over the same period and are currently a few percentage points behind independent schools.

Achievement in numeracy and literacy at an earlier age is ‘probably the strongest correlate of Year 12 participation’ (Fullarton et al., 2003, p. 19), just as ENTER scores are a strong correlate of university attendance and course completion (Marks, 2007).

AISV Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education 7 Fullarton et al. also note that ‘[t]here is a difference in rates of participation in Year 12 between those from metropolitan areas and those from non-metropolitan areas and that the trend is ‘flat’ (there is little evidence of change). The adjusted odds ratios for statistically significant regional effect vary only between 1.3 and 1.6.’ (2003, p. 22). Jones finds that after adjusting for factors such as gender, non-English speaking background, and academic attainment, LSAY data showed ‘only relatively weak effects of home location on early school leaving, the main difference being that students from the large Metropolitan areas appear a little less likely to leave school early than students from Provincial and, perhaps, Remote areas’ (2002, p. viii).

Khoo and Ainley also found that earlier attitudes and intentions related strongly to eventual Year 12 participation – that is, 87 per cent of students in Year 9 who indicated they would go on to Year 12 did so, while 79 per cent of those in Year 9 who planned to leave school before Year 12 did so (2005, p. v). These results could be attributed to a range of factors, but student attitude to their particular school was ‘more strongly related to educational intentions than any aspects of student background included in the analysis, including socioeconomic background’ (Khoo & Ainley, 2005, p. v).

This is an indication that a major influence on school retention rates is student attitude and engagement with their school. As such, programmes that assist youth in Year 9 (for example) to consider their future education pathways may affect future outcomes.

Fullarton found that ‘it does matter which school a student attends’ (2002). Recent OECD PISA results agree, noting that ‘the average socioeconomic background of a school outweighs a student’s own socioeconomic background, and that the impact of schooling is greatest for students from disadvantaged backgrounds’ (Thomson & De Bortoli, 2007a, p. xiii).

Students at schools which have the resources or the commitment to provide a broad range of extracurricular activities and encourage students to participate, generally have higher levels of engagement than those in schools which do not’ (Fullarton, 2002, p. vii; Calnin & Weldon, 2007). Fullarton’s study of student engagement with school found that females, students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, and students who were intrinsically motivated, had higher levels of engagement. ‘Students from independent schools had higher levels of engagement than those in Catholic schools, who in turn were more engaged than those in government schools’ (Fullarton, 2002, p. v). Kelley remarks that ‘Independent schools confer their largest advantages on children from working class families’ (2004, p. 70, 74) particularly in terms of staying in school longer and on the likelihood of going on to university.

Choice in pathways

The availability of choice increases opportunity at both sector level and in pathways at Year 12 level. VET, VCAL and IB are available and are likely to increase retention levels across all sectors. Some of the barriers to this wide range of pathways include a lack of access to TAFE and teaching resources in some regional and rural areas and high set-up costs. Lower numbers and greater distances in regional and rural areas raise issues around economy of scale and the scope of opportunity.

In regional and rural areas, one method of improving opportunities would be providing funding and partnership arrangements between schools and with higher

AISV Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education 8 education bodies, enabling smaller and geographically isolated schools to offer VET and VCAL to their students.

Terms of Reference d) Potential geographic, economic, social, cultural and other influences on university applications, offers, acceptances and completions across Victorian communities.

James argues that ‘the most widespread and persistent source of disadvantage in access to higher education is low social class or low socio-economic status (SES)’ (2007, p. 2). He goes on to note that people living in rural or remote areas and people from low SES backgrounds are ‘highly under-represented’ in higher education ‘despite 15 years of equity policy’ (2007, p. 5-6). Different areas of this argument are considered below.

The influence of student achievement

James argues that senior school completion rates and achievement levels are strongly correlated with socio-economic status (2007, p. 9). Recent international OECD research disagrees with this view. The 2006 PISA results show that the relationship between socioeconomic background and performance in Australia is relatively low (Thomson & De Bortoli, 2007a, p. xiii). Indeed, ‘[t]he strength of the relationship between socioeconomic background and scientific literacy was found to be significantly weaker for Australia than for the OECD on average’ (Thomson & De Bortoli, 2007b, p. 14). As such, it can be argued that if people from low SES backgrounds are under-represented at university, it is not because their performance is lower than their higher SES counterparts. As noted in answer to question a., it seems more likely that the cost of university education, coupled with travel and accommodation fees, is the biggest barrier to students from low SES backgrounds entering university.

PISA also found that there was little difference between achievement levels for students in regional (provincial) and metropolitan areas. Students in remote (isolated) areas did, however, have significantly lower average scores (Thomson & De Bortoli, 2007b, p. 13).

Family influences

As noted in the discussion on question b. above, school engagement, student achievement and parental occupation and education also play a role in Year 12 retention and therefore, at least in part, in student decisions to enter higher education. A recent report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (Trewin, 2006)

AISV Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education 9 indicates that children from all SES levels are well represented at independent schools, ‘with the poor and middle classes being equally likely to send their children to Independent school, and the prosperous – those in the top quintile of income – being only two percentage points more likely than people on lower income to do so, net of other factors’ (Kelley & Evans, 2004, p. 39). Indeed, school culture and community, as perceived by parents, is significantly more related to the choice of independent schooling than class or family income (Kelley & Evans, 2004).

That said, research has shown that the perceived relevance of school is positively related to family SES (James, 2002), notwithstanding the findings of Fullarton (2002) and Khoo and Ainley (2005) above. James argues that encouragement from parents is not related to location, but levels of perceived encouragement and discussion of school work rise according to family SES, therefore there is a positive correlation between parents’ attitudes to education and school work. That is, the higher the SES score, the higher the perceived level of interest of parents (James, 2002, p. 22-24).

Geographic and socio-economic influences

James’ research shows that students from low SES backgrounds with parents with a low educational attainment are the most likely group to report that they are waiting for work opportunities to emerge. Students with a low SES score who are in rural or isolated areas have a decreased interest in pursuing education and an increased risk of education disadvantage. Low SES students are less likely to agree that university will assist them in their job and career. Students in rural locations were found to have a lower appreciation for the benefits of university (James, 2002, p. 28). As noted in question b. above, however, the school a student attends is also important, and levels of achievement are not shown to be strongly related to levels of SES (in contrast to James’ position).

Students living in urban areas place more emphasis on having high-status careers and on making high incomes. They are also more concerned about meeting the expectations of their parents and families (James, 2002, p. 19).

There is a statistically significant difference between high and low SES scores regarding parental attitudes towards university. More than two-thirds (67.7%) of parents in high SES locations would like their child to attend university, while less than half (43.6%) of parents in low SES locations would like their child to attend university (James, 2002).

Rural and low SES students strongly identified with a belief that higher education is less relevant for their future, as well as a worry about cost. On the other hand, rural students are more likely to see university as a means of gaining independence, and the absence of local employment also acts as encouragement to attend higher education (James, 2002). This is supported by ABS data, which show that regional Victoria loses young people to Melbourne, although in return there is a net increase in families with children moving out of the city.

Other demographic issues that may affect university applications include the growth and centralisation of populations in regional areas, the growing appeal of some areas based on lifestyle and amenities, the increasing influence of the Melbourne periphery and the Victorian Government’s demographic policies.

AISV Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education 10 Terms of Reference g) Strategies to address any barriers contributing to geographic differences in participation in higher education.

Technology and high speed internet access

The advent of personal computers, the internet, and fast connections has begun to change the way higher education can be delivered. Many universities offer off- campus and part time study at both undergraduate and graduate level. Broadband connections enable students to participate visually and aurally, either at home or in remote classrooms. Podcasts or video of lectures, study notes, papers and online library access have all contributed to a richer study experience away from metropolitan campuses.

The digital divide initially referred to those who had computer technology and internet access, and those who did not. There continues to be a divide in the availability and use of computers amongst low SES families (Ainley & Searle, 2005). It was often seen as a generational phenomenon; however, the current divide in education is better defined as differences in the quality of access (such as broadband to rural areas), and effective professional development for teachers to enable them adequately to make use of the technology in the classroom (Ainley & Searle, 2005; Calnin, 2006).

Regional and rural students will not necessarily benefit from equitable infrastructure if they are not given the same opportunities to develop information literacies. In Victoria, regional and rural schools are particularly disadvantaged in the following four areas:

1. Access to high speed internet connection 2. Obsolete technologies and computers, plus a lower ratio of computers to students than in metropolitan schools 3. Fewer professional learning opportunities for teachers for the effective integration of ICT into the curriculum 4. Low levels of internet access in the family home (Calnin, 2006, p. 10).

The federal government has begun to address points 1 and 2 (see e.g. Rudd, Smith, & Conroy, 2007), and the results of greater, quality broadband access in regional and rural areas will begin to impact point 4.

Computers and high speed access in schools will not, by themselves, improve student outcomes. Effective teacher use of the technology may require changes to the attitudes and understanding of school leaders as well as teachers, and changes at the curriculum level as well as greater use within classrooms.

Greater links and partnerships between schools, TAFEs and universities in both metropolitan and regional areas may be facilitated by improved access to quality high speed internet, particularly in regional and rural areas. Links to other educational institutions, such as museums and libraries, and access to video conferencing with experts in, for example, university science laboratories, all have potential to instigate new interest in the opportunities provided by higher education.

Teachers

Research shows that teachers are the most influential factor on student achievement. Given their weighty role in the nation’s future, it is difficult to fathom the continuing

AISV Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education 11 lack of regard for the teaching profession, the relatively low salaries of teachers and the dwindling interest in pursuing tertiary teacher training. If we are to improve the standing of teachers in the community and improve upon student experience and educational outcomes, enabling greater opportunities in higher education, then a renewed commitment to teachers and the teaching profession is crucial.

Reduced enrolments in Australian tertiary teaching courses are projected to lead to acute staffing distress in all education sectors. Skill shortages in key education areas such as the sciences, maths and LOTE are already evident, as are staffing shortages in high growth corridors, rural and isolated areas. It is reported that Victoria is presently losing teachers to interstate schools, and that Victoria is failing to attract adequate numbers to teacher education courses to meet workforce demand. ‘New teaching staff requirements in Victorian schools are forecast to average 3,220 teachers each year over the next five years with secondary teachers in greater demand’ (Teacher Supply and Demand Reference Group, 2006). Anecdotal and media evidence in all Australian states have already demonstrated that any teacher shortages are experienced firstly and most significantly in rural and regional areas.

The ageing profile of the teaching population in Australia has led to speculation that current teacher shortages will become more severe. In the current climate of shortage, teachers are asked to take courses outside their area of expertise. Subject areas being taught by out-of-field teachers include Technology studies, Maths, LOTE, IT, Science, PE, English, and Music. Out-of-field teaching has a negative impact on the quality of teaching, and places undue stress on teachers and students. To manage staff shortages, schools are reducing the subject choices available to students and increasing class sizes (McKenzie, Kos, Walker, & Hong, 2008). As noted in AISV’s response to question a., this reduction in student choice could adversely effect students’ progression to further education.

It is evident that the prestige of the teaching profession needs to be raised. School leavers with high ENTER scores need to be encouraged to consider the teaching profession, as do high-achieving graduates in areas such as science. Incentives should be available to attract teachers to regional, rural and remote areas, as well as growth corridors. One recent method of providing incentives for teachers to teach in remote areas is that of the Director of the Cape York Institute, Noel Pearson. His intent is to target metropolitan teachers and high achieving graduates who are not necessarily teachers to teach in disadvantaged areas. Pearson’s approach follows a successful initiative in the United States, ‘Teach for America’ (Kruger, 2008).

Recommendation 3: State encouragement for the development of regional and rural hubs with schools, TAFEs and universities, to allow greater shared access to resources.

AISV Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education 12 References

Ainley, J & Searle, D (2005), Students in a digital age: Some implications of ICT for teaching and learning, MCEETYA ICT in Schools Taskforce, Melbourne

Calnin, G (2006), Are we there yet? ICT and the promises for student learning, Association of Independent Schools of Victoria, Melbourne

Calnin, G & Weldon, PR (2007), Making active connections: Community service in independent schools, Association of Independent Schools of Victoria, Melbourne

DEECD (2007, 9 January 2008). On track: Keeping young people's future on track - a project of the office of learning & teaching. Retrieved 13 March, 2008, from http://www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/voced/ontrack/data.htm

Fullarton, S (2002), Student engagement with school: individual and school-level influences (LSAY27), Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Melbourne, Retrieved 11 November 2007, from http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/LSAY_lsay27.pdf

Fullarton, S, Walker, M, Ainley, J & Hillman, K (2003), Patterns of Participation in Year 12 (LSAY33), Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Melbourne, Retrieved 10 October 2007, from http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/LSAY_lsay33.pdf

James, R (2002), Socioeconomic background and higher education participation: An analysis of school students' aspirations and expectations, Department of Education, Science and Training, Canberra, Retrieved 14 March 2008, from http://www.dest.gov.au/archive/highered/eippubs/eip02_5/eip02_5.pdf

—— (2007), Social equity in a mass, globalised higher education environment: The unresolved issue of widening access to university (Faculty of Education Dean's Lecture Series 2007), University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Retrieved 14 March 2008, from http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/downloads/Richard%20James,%20Dean's% 20Lecture%20Series%20Sept2007.pdf

Jones, RG (2002), Education Participation and Outcomes by Geographic Location (LSAY Research Report No. 26), ACER, Melbourne, Retrieved 14 March 2008, from http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/LSAY_lsay26.pdf

Kelley, J (2004), 'Class, religion and education: who gains most from Catholic and independent schooling? [Revised version of research supported by the Commonwealth Dept of Family and Community Services' SPRC Grant 11 to Melbourne Institute of Applied Social and Economic Research.] ', Australian Social Monitor, vol. 7, no. 3-4, pp. 69-80.

Kelley, J & Evans, MDR (2004), 'Choice between government, catholic, and independent schools: culture and community rather than class', Australian Social Monitor, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 31-42.

AISV Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education 13 Khoo, ST & Ainley, J (2005), Attitudes, intentions and participation (LSAY41), Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Melbourne, Retrieved 2 March 2007, from http://www.acer.edu.au/research/projects/lsay/reports/lsay41.pdf

Kruger, P (2008), 'Bush teachers paid bonuses under Pearson plan'. PM, Radio National, (transcript), 18 January.

Marks, GN (2007), Completing university: Characteristics and outcomes of completing and non-completing students (LSAY51), Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Melbourne, Retrieved 19 April 2007, from http://www.acer.edu.au/research/projects/lsay/documents/LSAY51.pdf#lsay51

McKenzie, P, Kos, J, Walker, M & Hong, J (2008), Staff in Australia's schools 2007: A report to the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), Australian Council for Education Research (ACER), Camberwell, Retrieved 17 March 2008, from http://www.dest.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/1246540B-6D4A-4734-85FB- 0C2C2D6D7F13/19904/SiASsurveydatareport2007.pdf

McMillan, J (2005), Course Change and Attrition from Higher Education (LSAY Research Report No. 39), ACER, Melbourne, Retrieved 13 March 2008, from http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/LSAY_lsay39.pdf

Metlikovec, J (2008), 'A calculated expense: Cost of living double for uni students from the country'. Herald Sun, (Melbourne), 19 March, p. 35.

Rout, M (2008), 'High price of uni freedom'. The Australian, (online), 19 March.

Rudd, K, Smith, S & Conroy, S (2007), A digital education revolution, Australian Labor Party, Canberra, Retrieved 10 December 2007, from http://www.alp.org.au/download/now/labors_digital_education_revolution_cam paign_launch.pdf

Teacher Supply and Demand Reference Group (2006), Teacher supply and demand report, Melbourne, Retrieved 17 March 2008, from http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/hr/recruit/advert/Teacher_Sup ply_and_Demand_in_Victoria_2006.pdf

Thomson, S & De Bortoli, L (2007a), Exploring Scientific Literacy: How Australia measures up. The PISA 2006 survey of students' scientific, reading and mathematical literacy skills, Australian Council for Educational Research, Melbournehttp://www.acer.edu.au/ozpisa/reports.html

—— (2007b), PISA in Brief from Australia's perspective: Highlights from the full Australian Report: Exploring Scientific Literacy: How Australia measures up, Australian Council for Educational Research, Melbournehttp://www.acer.edu.au/ozpisa/reports.html

Trewin, D (2006), Australian social trends (ABS Cat. 4102.0), Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra, Retrieved 29 November 2006, from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/4102.02006?Open Document

AISV Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education 14 Appendix 1: Regional independent schools offering Year 12

School Campus Location Albury Wodonga Community College WODONGA Australian Technical College - Bendigo BENDIGO Australian Technical College - Bairnsdale Campus BAIRNSDALE Gippsland Australian Technical College - Sale Campus FULHAM Gippsland Bacchus Marsh Grammar BACCHUS MARSH Ballarat & Clarendon College Senior Campus BALLARAT Ballarat Christian College SEBASTOPOL Ballarat Grammar School WENDOUREE Bayview College PORTLAND Braemar College WOODEND Chairo Christian School Balfour Campus DROUIN Christ the King Anglican College COBRAM Christian College Institute of Senior HIGHTON Education Covenant College BELL POST HILL Geelong Baptist College LOVELY BANKS Geelong Grammar School Corio Campus CORIO Gippsland Grammar Senior Campus SALE Girton Grammar School BENDIGO Glenvale School Bairnsdale Campus LUCKNOW Glenvale School Ballarat Campus SEBASTOPOL Glenvale School Bendigo Campus KANGAROO FLAT Glenvale School Nathalia Campus NATHALIA Glenvale School Swan Hill Campus SWAN HILL Glenvale School Warrnambool Campus ILLOWA Good Shepherd College Senior Campus HAMILTON Goulburn Valley Grammar School SHEPPARTON Highview Christian Community College MARYBOROUGH Ivanhoe Grammar School Plenty Campus MERNDA Kardinia International College BELL POST HILL King's College WARRNAMBOOL Little Yarra Steiner School YARRA JUNCTION Macedon Grammar School Co-Op Ltd MACEDON Melton Christian College MELTON SOUTH Mowbray College Patterson Campus MELTON Newhaven College Senior Campus NEWHAVEN South Coast Christian College Leongatha Campus LEONGATHA St Paul's Anglican Grammar School Warragul Campus WARRAGUL St Thomas Aquinas College TYNONG The Geelong College Secondary Campus NEWTOWN The Hamilton and Alexandra College Senior Campus HAMILTON The Kilmore International School KILMORE Worawa Aboriginal College HEALESVILLE

AISV Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education 15