AVAILABLE from Curriculum Corporation, 141 Rathdowne Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053 Australia

DOCUMENT RESUME ED 369 666 SO 022 990 TITLE National Report on Schooling in Australia, 1991. INSTITUTION Australian Education Council, Melbourne.; Curriculum Corp., Carlton (Australia). REPORT NO ISSN-1036-0972 PUB DATE 92 NOTE 185p. AVAILABLE FROM Curriculum Corporation, 141 Rathdowne Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053 Australia. PUB TYPE Reports Research/Technical (143) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC08 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Annual Reports; *Educational Assessment; Educational Objectives; *Educational Quality; Elementary Secondary Education; Foreign Countries; *Government School Relationship; *Institutional Characteristics; Outcomes of Education; School Funds; School Responsibility; School Role; Vocational Education IDENTIFIERS *Australia ABSTRACT This report provides information about the schooling of over three million students in approximately 10,000 schools in Australia's eight states and territories during 1991. Chapter 1 describes the Australian Education Council and offers a national overview of schooling in Australia including the structure of schooling and how to achieve and support national goals. The chapter ends with 10 common and agreed national goals for schoolingin Australia. The remaining eight chapters present comprehensive accounts of schooling in each state and territory:(1) New South Wales;(2) Victoria;(3) Queensland;(4) South Australia;(5) Western Australia;(6) Tasmania;(7) Northern Territory; and (8) Australian Capital Territory. The Commonwealth plays a key role in order to address national priorities for Australian schools and tofacilitate cooperative efforts among Australian educational authorities. The final chapter describes the Commonwealth's involvement in schooling, major developments during 1991, social justice initiatives, Commonwealth programs for schools, and income support for students. (CK) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. **************************AAAA;,A*************************************** U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Thm document has been reproduced as eived from the person or organization originating a P Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this docu ment do not necessarily represent official OER1 position or pohcy 0 "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY ej-AV-eVneD ; TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)" 6 C 2 NATIONAL REPORT ON SCHOOLINGIN- AUSTRALIA 1 9 9 1 © Australian Education Council and Curriculum Corporation, 1992. Published by the Curriculum Corporation (A.C.N. 007 342 421) for the Australian Education Council St Nicholas Place 141 Rathdowne St Carlton 3053 Australia National Report on Schooling in Australia 1991 ISSN 1036-0972 Design by Marketing Partners, West Melbourne Edited by Writers Reign Printed in Australia by Work and Turner 4 PREFACE In April 1989 the State, Territory and CommonwealthMinisters responsible for education, meeting as the Australian Education Council, made a historic decision in relation to theprovision of information on the expenditure of public money on education. Previously, States andTerritories had reported individually to the CommonwealthGovernment through a plethora of resource agreements. In April 1989 it wasagreed that such accountability requirements would be met better by an annual national report. This reportwould provide, in an accessible and readable form, a comprehensive account of schooling to the nation. A singleaudit certificate would suffice to meet specific Commonwealthfinancial accountability requirements. This reporting arrangement was conditional upon thedevelopment of an agreed national framework. The framework, as it has evolved through the pilot reportfor 1989 and the 1990 report, has placed particular emphasis on progresstowards the achievement of the Common and Agreed NationalGoals for Schooling in Australia, with reporting on selected priority areas. State and Territory participation in nationalsample studies of key schooling initiatives is also an important contribution to the national reporting exercise. The developmentof national statistical data is a key feature of national reporting and a statistical annex constitutes a second volume tothe report. Initially, reporting by the non-government sector wasnegotiated by the Commonwealth, with the expectation that ultimately such schools would meet educational accountabilityrequirements through thc national report on schooling. Hence, for 1991, Catholic schools have reported incooperation with their State systems, according to the agreed framework. Most non-Catholic schools ha..reported through the Commonwealth, with the exception ofnon-Catholic schools in South Australia, which reported through the Statedepartment. This practice is expected to develop in other States in the coming years. This third annual national report provides commentary onthe operation of school systems, priority objectives, the participation of students in schooling including equityinitiatives, areas of student learning, student outcomes, teaching and learning and the application of financial resources toschools.Important new national, State, Territory and Commonwealth initiatives in schooling ar!:, highlighted. A majoraim of the report is to raise public awareness of schooling in Australia by providing a comprehensive andauthoritative source of information. At the same time, the contents of the report and the statistical annexprovide an avenue for satisfying the legal requirements for theFederal Government to account for the expenditure of Commonwealthfunds on schooling. State and Territory and Commonwealth Ministers withresponsibilities for schooling: As at June 1991 As at June 1992 New South Wales The Hon Virginia Chadwick MP The Hon Virginia Chadwick MP Victoria The Hon Barry Pullen MP The Hon Neil Pope MP Queensland The Hon Paul Braddy MLA The Hon Paul Braddy MLA South Australia The Hon Greg Crafter MP The Hon Greg Crafter MP Western Australia The Hon Kay Hallahan MLA The Hon Kay Hallahan MLA Tasmania The Hon Michael Aird MHA The Hon John Beswick MHA Northern Territory The Hon Shane Stone MLA The Hon Shane Stone MLA ACT Mr Bill Wood MLA Mr Bill Wood MLA Commonwealth The Hon John Dawkins MP The Hon Kim Beazley MP The Chair of the Australian Education Council in 1991 was theHon Greg Crafter MP, SA Minister for Education; and until October 1992, the Hon Neil Pope MP, VictorianMinister of School Education. In October 1992 the Hon Don Hayward MLA, Victorian Minister of Education, becameChair. TABLE OF CONTENTS Hi PREFACE NATIONAL OVERVIEW 1 Introduction 1 Responsibility for schooling in Australia 1 The Australian Education Council: national cooperationin schooling 2 The structure of schooling in Australia 3 4 Achieving the national goals Supporting the national goals 12 Resourcing the national goals 15 Common and Agreed National Goals for Schoolingin Australia 17 NEW SOUTH WALES 19 19 Introduction Priority objectives for 1991 19 20 Excellence and equity 22 Equity initiatives 27 General and vocational education 28 Areas of student learning 32 Student outcomes 33 Teaching and learning 34 Resourcing schc )ls 35 Other initiatives 37 VICTORIA 37 Introduction 37 Priority objectives for 1991 38 Excellence and equity 41 Equity initiatives 44 General and vocational education 45 Areas of student learning 50 Student outcomes Teaching and learning 51 53 Resourcing schools 53 Other State initiatives 55 Priorities for 1992 QUEENSLAND 57 Priority objectives for 1991 57 Excellence and equity in schooling 58 General and vocational education 66 Areas of student learning 68 Teaching and learning 76 Resourcing Queensland's schools 78 SOUTH AUSTRALIA 31 Priority objectives 81 Excellence and equity 82 Effective schools 82 Equity initiatives 83 General and vocational education 87 Areas of student learning 88 Teaching and learning 93 Resourcing schools 94 WESTERN AUSTRALIA 97 Objectives and priorities for schooling 97 Excellence and equity 98 General and vocational education 103 Areas of learning 105 Teaching and learning 109 Resourcing Western Australian schools 112 TASMANIA 115 Priority objectives for 1991 115 Excellence and equity 116 General and vocational education 121 Areas of student learning 122 Teaching and learning 127 Resourcing schools 128 NORTHERN TERRITORY 129 Structure and operation of school system 131 Priority objectives for 1991 132 Excellence and equity 136 General and vocational education 141 Areas of student learning 142 Teaching and learning 145 Resourcing Territory schools 147 Specific purpose programs 148 7 vi NATIONAL REPORT ON SCHOOLING IN AUSTRALIA: 1991 AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY 149 149 Ind-oduction Mission statements 150 Priority objectives Ebr 1991 150 Guiding principles 150 152 Accountability Excellence and equity 153 General and vocadonal education 158 Areas of student learning 159 Teaching and learning 163 Resourcing ACT schools 164 Other areas/initiatives 165 COMMONWEALTH 167 Commonwealth involvement in schooling 167 Major developments during 1991 167 Social justice initiatives 168 Commonwealth programs for schools 169 Income support for students 181 8 vii NATIONAL OVERVIEW Introduction the six States, the Northern Territory, the Australian Capi- tal Territory and the Commonwealth. The purpose of the National Report on Schooling 1991is State ministers of education have constitutional responsi- to inform the Australian people aboutthe schooling that

Load more