This discussion paper has been written to get people talking more about schools and education.  What would you like to see happen in Queensland schools?  Are schools 'working'?

 Download: What are Schools for 282.31 Kb

To ask if Queensland schools are ‘working’, we have to be clear what our schools are for in the first place.  Schools serve a wide range of needs in Queensland.

The Friendly Schools and Families Program addresses bullying at the individual, group, family and school community levels, and helps services to design, develop, implement, disseminate and evaluate a social skill-building and comprehensive anti-bullying program that is an evidence-based, whole-school approach to reducing bullying.

For details see: http://www.friendlyschools.com.au.

The prospect of their child becoming a victim of bullying is now the top fear among Australian parents, new research released today says.

The results of an independent and comprehensive review into all relevant issues involved in drug detection and screening in schools are presented in this report.  Overall, the body of evidence examined indicates a strong case to be made against drug detection and screening strategies being utilized in the school setting.

By Ruth McCausland.
First Posted Monday, 30 June 2008 at On Line Opinion.

On the first anniversary of the Northern Territory intervention, Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin announced a $17.6 million trial aimed at improving school attendance by making parents' welfare payments conditional on their children's adequate school attendance. Starting next year, parents in Hermannsburg, Katherine, the Katherine town camps, Wallace Rockhole, Wadeye and the Tiwi Islands whose children are not enrolled in or do not regularly attend school may have their welfare payments suspended until they do so.

From Richard Lenn's blog at http://www.anewstory.com/

Every weekday during about 40 weeks of every year, children and young people across the country go to a place called school. It’s an ok place, but often it lacks a sense of excitement, flexibility and cohesion of it’s greater purpose.

But out there, somewhere, is a dream. It’s not completely unlike school, but it has a different feel to it.

The June 2007 edition of the 'Boys in Schools Bulletin' (v.10, n.2, 26-28) contains two articles from the 2006 Department of Education, Science and Training report, 'Motivation and engagement of boys: Evidence-based teaching practices'. The report, written and researched by a group of academics from the University of Western Sydney in 2004-2005, examined the evidence-based teaching practices that were effective in improving the motivation, engagement and academic and social outcomes of boys, "particularly those at risk of disengaging from school-based learning activities".

The Code of School Behaviour for Queensland's State Schools defines the responsibilities that all members of the school community are expected to uphold and recognises the significance of appropriate and meaningful relationships. It outlines a consistent standard of behaviour for all inclusive of students, staff and parents.

The code can be  downloaded as a PDF from Education QLD's website.

The Council for the Australian Federation comprises the Premiers and Chief Ministers of all States and Territories. This report includes a new statement on the future of schooling in Australia, and a twelve-point action plan to which all states and territories have agreed.

This 2003 study from The UK's National Foundation for Educational Research evaluates the effectiveness of six Alternative Education Initiatives (AEIs).  Effectiveness was measured by success in returning pupils to mainstream education, educational attainment, post-16 outcomes and reducing anti-social behaviour, including offending.

According to Rodney Croome, writing in Online Opinion, the facts are in on schools anti-homophobia programs.

“Breaking the Spell of Silence”, a study by the University of Tasmania’s Dr Doug Bridge has shown that one such program, Pride and Prejudice, significantly reduces the prejudices of school students towards gay men and lesbians.

Read more at Online Opinion.

In this opinion piece on Online Opinion , Alan Matheson asks: "as Christians and their schools scramble for what they see to be their “entitlement” two questions need answers. Do Christian schools threaten the future of inclusive, publicly funded government schools; and are Christian schools, by their very nature, a denial of the Gospel they preach?"

Read the full article at Online Opinion .