Page 944 - Week 03 - Thursday, 19 March 2015
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provides an opportunity for other jurisdictions to engage in the work of the ACT and share in the results of this important project.
In leading the first conversations at a national level, I am committed to sharing the ACT focus on parental engagement. We will continue to engage nationally, through the Education Council, to share best practice and to collaborate with other jurisdictions to maximise the outcomes. I look forward to future opportunities for the national conversations on this important issue.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Dr Bourke.
DR BOURKE: Minister, could you tell us more about these next steps for parental engagement in the ACT?
MS BURCH: I thank Dr Bourke for his interest. The progressing parental engagement in the ACT project has had a terrific beginning. It is the basis from which we can maximise the impact of engagement partnerships between parents and schools in a systematic, integrated and sustained way. The next focus of the project includes the development of resources that will support teachers, schools and parents to implement what is considered best practice.
We will review effective practice and key approaches to improving parental engagement and identify what works and the kinds of strategies and supports that are most likely to be effective across our schools. This will allow the identification of short-term changes in a school’s practice and parental knowledge, attitudes and behaviour.
Later in the year we will develop and test a parental engagement survey for families and teachers. Four primary schools have been selected, as I have said, to pilot the survey—two public schools, a Catholic school and one independent school—because it is critical that we get this right across all our sectors. By piloting the survey we will be able to determine the effectiveness in gathering, measuring and monitoring the levels of parental engagement in schools, and the final approach will allow us to gather baseline data on levels of parental engagement across our schools.
When implementing evidence-based strategies to improve this engagement, it is important to measure and monitor the effects. I am looking forward to working with these four schools as we progress this.
For the information of members, the report, the fact sheets and the information that has been released is available on ETD’s website. That is available for those with an interest in parental engagement, which is something that I think every family is part of. I encourage people to have a look and promote it.
ACT Ambulance Service—alleged bullying
MR SMYTH: My question is to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. Minister, what did O2C determine to be the management problems within the ACT Ambulance Service?
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