Page 51 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 9 February 2010
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partnership. This is further proof that the old public versus private debate in education is over.
Under this partnership, government and Catholic schools have identified the count me in too and first steps programs as system-based teaching initiatives. Count me in too is a school-based model where facilitators work with teams of teachers in their schools. School facilitators are supported through training and follow-up meetings with specialist literacy and numeracy officers. Professional learning focuses on understanding how students learn about numbers and maths and using assessment to guide future practice.
First steps delivers specialist training in teaching either reading or writing to all specialist literacy and numeracy officers. These facilitators will train teachers in identified schools in the implementation of first steps. It provides teachers with a comprehensive map of development to help them to assess and monitor student needs. First steps includes detailed support material that will help teachers to build effective literacy classrooms. Under the national partnership, five Indigenous literacy and numeracy officers will work with Indigenous students in kindergarten up to year 4.
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Hargreaves?
MR HARGREAVES: Thanks very much, Mr Speaker. Could the minister provide details of other national education partnerships with the federal Labor government?
MR BARR: We are investing $8 million under the teacher quality national partnership. This will see us establish the ACT teacher quality institute and school-based centres of teacher education excellence. The institute will have initial responsibilities for pre-service teacher accreditation, teacher registration and certification of teachers against the national standards. It will also see the establishment of a teacher education committee. This committee will formalise our strategic partnerships with the University of Canberra, the Australian Catholic University, the Catholic Education Office, independent schools, principals and education unions. Under this partnership, the ACT will implement nationally agreed teacher standards and certification processes in line with the national teacher professional standards framework.
We will enhance strategies to support whole-of-career continual improvement for classroom teachers in public and Catholic schools. We will increase school-based decision making in staffing processes. Principals and senior staff will have greater responsibility in staffing and recruitment. This will include increased involvement in teacher transfer and exchange and increased flexibility to determine the school’s staffing mix.
In all aspects of education, nothing is more important than the quality of the teaching. This is one area where the government is especially pleased to be working in a national partnership with the commonwealth. But we are also investing $3 million under the low socioeconomic status national partnership. That is because a student’s SES status also has a major impact on his or her success in education. This partnership will see extra help for four ACT schools—Kingsford Smith, Florey, Charnwood-Dunlop and Richardson. Under this partnership, we will develop
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