Page 2387 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 12 August 2014
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understand all the activities are available to anyone who has an interest in the subject. I am not aware of any single program that the ACT Council of Parents & Citizens Associations is running, so hopefully parents from government schools might be encouraged to become involved in the cyber savvy week activities. (Second speaking period taken.)
I wish to note the cooperation between the government and non-government sector on this subject of parental engagement. It is a subject APFACTS first brought to my attention a couple of years ago when they were trying to get the attention of government. Now it is a subject that has prominence in a number of forums. Indeed, parental engagement appears as the new magic formula for successful schools, and yet its principles are really quite basic. For many parents and many schools, it is nothing new. It has always been present in successful schools.
A definition I read recently suggests that “parental engagement” is when schools, families and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to be better in school, stay in school longer and like school more. When parents talk to their children about school, expect them to do well, help them plan for post-secondary study and make sure that out-of-school activities are constructive, their children do better in school. When schools engage families in ways that are linked to improving learning, students make greater gains. When schools build partnerships with families that respond to their concerns and honour their contributions, they are successful in sustaining connections aimed at improving student achievement.
All of that is basic common sense, but, nevertheless, it is important that it is being promoted. I applaud APFACTS—the Association of Parents and Friends of ACT Schools—and their public school equivalent—the ACT Council of Parents & Citizens Associations—for the collaborative approach they have taken to advancing this. Parental engagement links well with autonomous schools and effective school boards. However, I suspect that unless there is equal engagement between staff and parents, the results are not always what they should be.
I know during the estimates process questions were raised about NAPLAN. I continue to be concerned that too many schools and too many parents place too much emphasis on this one day of testing. Anecdotal evidence tells us of classes being coached, of parents withdrawing their children from school on NAPLAN testing days because their children are too stressed to sit for the test, of parents of children with a disability being encouraged to keep their children at home, all of which puts too great an importance on NAPLAN. I am sceptical about the reworked school comparisons grading based on socioeconomic elements, and I continue to be concerned about the number of students across a wider range of classes and schools that are below the national average.
I support increases in the number of specialist numeracy and literacy teachers in ACT schools and trust they are having an effect. I think emphasis on improving the quality of teaching is of far more relevance than socioeconomic measures. To that end, more funds directed to appropriate professional development for teachers would always be supported. Casual teachers have expressed concern at the limited choices available to them in this regard. Given the important role they play in our schools, we need to ensure their skills are kept updated.
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