et al.: National news National News Uni Xavier College suspension The entire Year 12 class from Melbourne’s cational institution we are deeply concerned rankings Xavier College was suspended for the last about the impact of this type of behaviour. Most Australian universities lost ground three days of classes in October before Like many schools, we have been trying, in the 2008 Times Higher Education-QS exams following ‘reckless’ behaviour and and continue to try, to understand the ori- World University Rankings. While 21 are alleged damage to property at their end-of- gins and management of this behaviour. still ranked in the world’s top 400, most year muck-up day. Some of the suspended ‘Clearly the school must urgently review were ranked lower than last year, although students allegedly damaged property in Kew, why we have not been able to manage this seven still made the top 100. where the school’s senior campus is located. situation better, as other schools have.’ The Australian National University held Writing in Melbourne’s Herald Sun, The parent of a Xavier College student told steady in 16th place, while the University Xavier College principal Chris McCabe ABC Television Lateline reporter Liz Kefford, of Sydney dropped from 31 to 37, the acknowledged that ‘the...poor behaviour ‘Well I don’t know how the school can even University of Melbourne dropped from exhibited by a number of (Xavier College) control that sort of stuff outside the school.... 27 to 38, the University of Queensland students within the community deserves the The parents have got to...know where their dropped from 33 to 43, the University of criticism it is receiving. It is unacceptable for boys are, what the boys are doing.’ New South Wales dropped marginally any young adult to be exhibiting this type of In a letter to parents, McCabe wrote, from 44 to 45, Monash University dropped behaviour under any circumstance. ‘We in no way condone the behaviour.... from 43 to 47, the University of Western ‘Beyond the widespread media and pub- We regret that others that behaved appro- Australia dropped from 64 to 83, the lic scrutiny aimed at the college, as an edu- priately...had their fi nal days spoilt.’ University of Adelaide dropped from 62 to 106, Macquarie University dropped from 168 to 182, RMIT University dropped from How young people are faring 200 to 206, the University of Wollongong dropped from 199 to 207, Queensland One in fi ve young Australians are not The report raises doubts as to whether University of Technology dropped from 195 engaged in either full-time earning or the Commonwealth government will be able to 212, Curtin University of Technology learning, according to the 10th annual to achieve its target of a 90 per cent Year 12 jumped from 235 to 232, the University How Young People are Faring report, com- completion rate by 2020. of Technology, Sydney, jumped from 259 missioned by the Foundation for Young According to Foundation for Young to 234, La Trobe University dropped from Australians. The report reveals that 10 per Australians chief executive Adam Smith, equal 205 to equal 242, Flinders University cent of 15- to 19-year olds and 20 per cent the report suggests there has been insuf- jumped from 351 to 273, the University of 20- to 24-year olds are not engaged in fi cient full-time job growth in the youth of Newcastle dropped from 215 to 286, either full-time earning or learning. labour market. This is based on the fi nding the University of Tasmania dropped from The report also shows that early school that full-time job opportunities for young equal 264 to 291, the University of South leavers are still most likely to be from low people have not kept pace with full-time Australia dropped from 291 to 303, Griffi th socio economic backgrounds and from job growth for older Australians, despite University dropped from equal 309 to equal regional and remote areas, and are at economic growth. 325, and Deakin University dropped from greater and ongoing risk of labour force ‘The bottom line is young people who 374 to equal 396. marginalisation. stay in school have chances later in life,’ said This year’s top 10 were all either The report also shows that: Dr Lucas Walsh, Director of Research for American or British: Harvard University ❙ teenagers living in areas of high socioeco- the Foundation for Young Australians. ‘The ranked fi rst, Yale second, Cambridge nomic status are twice as likely to be in report tells us very clearly that we need to University third, Oxford University fourth, full-time education compared with those be paying more attention to areas such as California Institute of Technology fi fth, living in areas of social disadvantage; and the needs of young people who are living in Imperial College London sixth, University ❙ almost every second 19-year old who remote areas, who come from low socioeco- College London seventh, the University of lives in a major city is engaged in full- nomic backgrounds and who are fi nishing Chicago eighth, Massachusetts Institute of time education, compared with fewer school early. We also need to rethink how Technology ninth and Columbia University than one in fi ve in regional areas and we provide opportunities to young women, 10th. barely one in 20 in remote areas. particularly in areas such as training.’ 28 TEACHER DECEMBER 2008 Produced by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), 2010 1 Teacher journal archive (2008-2011), Vol. 2008 [2010], No. 197, Art. 2 In brief Identify student non-swimmers New South Wales deputy state coroner National curriculum Carl Milovanovich has called for a sys- tem of coloured wristbands to identify Judging by publicly-reported reactions to our own society; its history, literature, lan- students on school swimming excur- the National Curriculum Board’s initial guage and scientific foundations.’ ‘Young sions as swimmers or non-swimmers. advice papers on the curriculum for Eng- people are a little low on cultural literacy He made the recommendations at lish, Mathematics, Science and History, these days as our pedagogues force feed the inquest in October into the death released in October for feedback, English, vocational courses. Homer, Plato, the Bible, of Amarni Dirani, who was an eight- and History are, as they say, contestable, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dickens, Trollope year-old student at Cambridge Gardens while Mathematics and Science appear to and maybe even Flaubert are examples of Public School in Sydney’s west when be pretty much agreed upon. writers’ – notwithstanding the fact that the she drowned at the Glenbrook Swim According to Tony Abbott, the Federal Bible is not a writer – ‘who have moulded our Centre in December, 2006. Cambridge Shadow Minister for Families, Community civilisation. We need to know about them.’ Gardens and Glenbrook had provided Services and Indigenous Affairs, the cur- Media reports on the initial advice paper staff at a ratio that complied with NSW riculum should include more British his- for English highlighted a predictable back- Department of Education and Royal tory. ‘People have got to know where we to-basics angle. According to the paper, ‘A Life Saving Society guidelines, but came from, they’ve got to know about the focus on grammar, spelling and conventions Milovanovich found that the school had ideas that shaped the modern world, and in of punctuation will be necessary across all failed to identify the eight-year old as a a very significant sense, the modern world stages of schooling. non-swimmer and had not adequately has been made in England,’ Abbott said. ‘Students need to know how to correctly supervised students, while the swim- Former Coalition Foreign Minister construct a sentence. Many students in their ming centre had not provided a dedi- Alexander Downer followed up in an opinion early experiences of books may need sys- cated lifeguard to supervise an inflatable piece with the claim that, ‘To be culturally tematic attention to phonological awareness device on which students were playing. literate (is) to have an adequate knowledge of and sound-letter correspondences.’ ATOM winners Winning students in this year’s EnhanceTV ATOM Awards were: mid- Hard times for ABC Learning dle school multimedia, Sarah Lang, The Commonwealth government is spend- she didn’t want to ‘raise any alarm’ about St Catherine’s School, Melbourne, ing $22 million to keep ABC Learning cen- the matter because the company was con- for Beast; middle school video, Alyce tres open until the end of this month after tinuing to operate as normal. ‘I’m hoping Burnett, Immanuel Lutheran College the company was placed in receivership last those contingencies will never be needed,’ Buderim, Queensland, for Dropped In; month. As former ABC Learning chief exec- she said. primary video, Nera Skripic-Vuckovic, utive Eddy Groves explained at an Ipswich Also in October, ABC Learning with- Mayfield State School, Brisbane, for Chamber of Commerce and Industry lunch drew from a deal to buy 123 Careers, which Remote; primary multimedia, Isabella in October, ‘Sometimes you...believe you’re had a 10-year exclusive agreement to supply Horrigan, Methodist Ladies College, well prepared going in, but other things hap- recruitment services. ABC Learning advised Melbourne, for My Life As A Rain pen that you weren’t prepared for.’ Groves the ASX it would employ 123 Careers staff Drop; secondary animation, Mei-Lynn left the company with a $1.1 million payout directly and ensure all staff are paid. Wilkinson, Narrabundah College, following shareholder pressure at the end of Shares remain suspended, pending the Canberra, for Culture Shock; secondary September. release of the 2008-09 accounts.