Novels introduce students to reality of war
Kate Nancarrow A fiction series aimed at children in years 5-8 aims to help Australian students understand the experiences of those born into war zones.
Latest education news
Three women and their DIY kinder project
Leanne Eames An absence of preschool places in their suburb prompted three women to embark on an ambitious project to establish a Montessori kindergarten.
The great 'what next?': how parents choose their child's secondary school
Kate Nancarrow An RMIT researcher is looking at the behavioural economics underpinning school choice but it's clear, with children and education, "returns on investment" are hard to ensure.
IS a Western plot, principal tells students
Henrietta Cook, education reporter 2:08 PM The principal of Victoria's largest Islamic school warns students off Islamic State, saying it is a plot by Western countries.
Tafe enrolments plummet
Henrietta Cook, education reporter Tafe enrolments have plummeted in Victoria, with government-subsidised places falling by 33 per cent over the past year.
'Complex' My School website needs a revamp: report
Judith Ireland The controversial My School website will be revamped to make it easier for parents to compare different schools and provide more information about schools' extra-curricular and support services.
Pyne should go: UV vice-chancellor
Emma Macdonald The University of Canberra's vice-chancellor believes a change of minister would be best for the higher-education sector, given the anger over Christopher Pyne's handling of the university-funding deregulation issue.
Upskirting scandal: High school sets up telephone hotline for student
Henrietta Cook A Melbourne school rocked by an upskirting scandal has set up a telephone hotline to support current and former students and their families.
Students struggle with high school transition
Henrietta Cook, education reporter Victorian Auditor-General's report says boys, Aboriginal students and disabled children are among those more likely to have a "poor transition".
Numeracy program scores success
Henrietta Cook, education reporter A new program that helps three to five-year-olds prepare for school has been shown to significantly lift toddlers' maths skills.
Uncertainty over Prahran high school location
Henrietta Cook, education reporter Wesley College is trying to secure land earmarked for the new state school.
Abbott government's uni fee law headed for defeat despite major backdown
Matthew Knott The Abbott government's last-ditch bid to win Senate support for its higher education reforms by abandoning a threat to sack 1700 scientists has failed to convince the Senate crossbench to support the deregulation of university fees.
IBAC sets date for investigation into alleged Victorian Education Department corruption
Richard Baker and Nick McKenzie Victoria's anti-corruption agency will call some of the state's most senior past and present public servants to appear before public hearings into alleged serious corruption within the education department.
Monash revisits its inclusive roots
Geoff Maslen Monash University is Australia's largest, with five campuses and 75,000 students. Its new vice-chancellor ponders its future direction.
Ivanhoe Grammar teacher charged with sex offences
Henrietta Cook A teacher at Ivanhoe Grammar School has stood down after he was charged with sexual offences.
TAFE teachers feel pressure to pass incompetents
Henrietta Cook and Benjamin Preiss Victorian TAFE teachers are feeling pressured to pass incompetent students.
Melbourne University ranked top in Australia
Henrietta Cook The University of Melbourne has the best reputation in Australia, according to a global ranking of the top 100 universities.
Government to ban private college freebies
Matthew Knott Private colleges will be banned from offering free iPad sign-on "sweeteners" and laughably short diploma courses to vulnerable students.
Labor pledges to tackle uni dropout rate if elected
Matthew Knott Labor will focus on addressing the growing number of university students enrolled with low tertiary entrance scores and the oversupply of graduates in fields such as law if it wins office.
Teens doing it tough need flexible learning
Miki Perkins One of the most perplexing problems facing Victoria's education system is how to get "disengaged" students back to school and eventually ready for work.
Vice-chancellors blast 'dumb' decision to axe research funding if uni fee laws don't pass
Matthew Knott The vice-chancellors of Australia's most prestigious universities have taken out advertisements blasting the Abbott government's "dumb" decision to axe funding for world-renowned research facilities if the Senate does not pass fee deregulation.
Victoria will need an extra 448 primary school classes every year
Henrietta Cook, Alana Schetzer Victoria will need an extra 448 new primary school classes every year over the next decade to cope with its booming student population, a report has found.
Opinion
Dumping TAFE writing courses silences the disenfranchised
Three large TAFEs have abandoned their Professional Writing and Editing courses, blocking an avenue to employable skills.
A cat could help children more than homework. Discuss
Endless homework and after-school activities deprive children of the capacity to put their learning into a wider context.
Time to rethink obsession with sport
Sport – after-school, at weekends and with fierce inter-school competition – is one of the cornerstones of a private school education but its value should be questioned.
All those little faces, all that responsibility
The new school year has begun and first year teachers are in charge of their classes.
Australia's great divide: funding education not same as valuing it
Some cultures place a high value on education and learning; add the impetus migration gives and it's clear Australia's educational landscape is changing.
Primary teachers are not mathematical specialists
Building children's numeracy doesn't require specialist maths teachers, it requires teachers who specialise in learning and creating opportunities.
The curse of mediocrity in our public schools
Weeding out low expectations in state schools will mean standing up to private school propaganda.
Normalising occurrence of sexting ignores risks
A recent study concluding that it's the "new normal" seems to ignore several potential negative consequences of teen sexting.
Focus on social activities improving outcomes for young refugees
A youth program that teaches English to young refugees via social and sporting events is having considerable success, research shows.
Curriculum: God-botherers will choke arts
Team Australia's boys want to reduce opportunities for study of the arts in our schools, with a back-to-basics ball game on the agenda.
Students pay for status under uni fee rise
It is not certain Education Minister Christopher Pyne's proposal to deregulate university fees will become a reality, but if it does it will involve harnessing the university status drive to help balance the budget.
Curriculum review fails to address key needs of history studies
An intercultural approach to teaching history encourages that we bear the weight of the past through a balanced and critical lens.
Good schools have high expectations of students
Independent schools have many of the key factors that are now recognised as producing the best opportunities for students to thrive and achieve.
Ultranet's biggest losers
The biggest losers in the expensive and embarrassing Ultranet debacle have been the schools, parents and students who were supposed to benefit most.
Go boldly into a grammatical universe
There are few greater joys than knowing how to communicate well - and at the heart of that skill is grammar. But the rules are also there to be broken.
