Monday, March 30, 2015

NSWTF: Time for Baird to put Gonski pressure on Abbott

By NSW Teachers Federation 30 March 2015

Premier Mike Baird needs to do more than just talk about Gonski funding, Federation President Maurie Mulheron told the union's Principals' Conference on March 30.

Mr Mulheron called on Mr Baird to pressure the Abbott Government into funding the 5th and 6th years of the needs-based schools funding program.

A workshop at the conference showcased examples of how Gonski funding had improved teaching and learning outcomes. Principals shared ideas on raising community awareness of the need for the implementation of the full 6 years of Gonski funding in the lead up to the next Federal election.

The conference held a range of workshops, including a special education workshop, which reported the outcomes of Sydney University research into the Department of Education and Communities' Every Student, Every School policy. The analysis identified more work needs to be done, including resource allocation, access to specialist regional support, and professional development (particularly for classroom teachers).

Keynote speaker Professor Bob Lingard from Queensland University spoke about edu-businesses positioning themselves to shape education policy, without having a democratic constituency and to the exclusion of teacher voices.

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