A national media frenzy occurred this week regarding Australia’s ‘plunge’ in the global education rankings as measured by the Program for International Assessment (PISA) test.
Apparently, academic achievement is elusive. The Wednesday edition of The Australian noted in its lead article, that our Year 10 students are ‘performing at a significantly lower standard on reading, mathematics and science than they were a decade ago’.
‘Australia’s decline in maths has been equated to the loss of more than a year’s worth of schooling since 2003’.
The PISA data does represent a fall in outcomes. Nationally, our mean (middle score) in reading literacy score was the same as in 2015, but our average had fallen by 25 points compared to the year 2000. Mathematical literacy has fallen by 33 points since 2003. Scientific literacy has fallen 24 points since 2006.
“As citizens we should be very concerned, deeply thoughtful and well informed”
These PISA national figures combine the results of children from all three sectors of the Australian educational system: government, catholic and independent. Student results have declined in all three sectors. How should we process this as Australian citizens and parents with children at Calvin?
As citizens we should be very concerned, deeply thoughtful and well informed.
Our national landscape must support every child having the same opportunity to access an exceptional education. Our efforts to achieve this should be our nation’s number one priority. Social justice, national prosperity and community health are all simultaneously advanced through one policy focus.
As adults we should know that improving the national standard of educational achievement is a complex problem; the educational ‘machine’ is a complex interaction of many ‘moving’ parts. Advocates for interest groups contribute heat without light on many occasions. This was evidenced again this week.
As parents we benefit from recognising that a solution is closer to hand than we may expect. How should you process this data as a parent who chose Calvin for your children’s education?
Firstly, you should have confidence in your choice. Independent schools exist to offer freedom of choice for parents to access value-based and faith-based schools. Calvin is a low fee school. Our founders were committed to families having access to quality education and we continue to offer substantial levels of financial support to families in order to access the education they desire. We are committed to advancing the outcomes of students and actively influencing the educational improvement of Tasmanian education.
Australian independent schools rank highly against top performing countries and economies, and if taken as a country in their own right in the PISA list would place third in reading literacy, and eighth in mathematical literacy. (Source: AHISA briefing paper /12/19)
“You should be confident that the Calvin education your children receive is addressing the core issues around improving student outcomes”
Secondly, you should be confident that the Calvin education that your children receive is addressing the core issues around improving student outcomes.
I consider some of the most important to be the following.
Parents ensuring that school is the number one priority for their children. Schools can never overcome the negative impact created by a parent dismissing the importance of an education. Simple things instil a love of reading and learning. Are you reading books to your young children? Are you limiting their screen time? Do you support the efforts of your school? Are you challenging interests when they erode a focus on learning at school? Undermining the work of teachers to children effectively diminish the educational outcomes of their children. Children do not learn from people they don’t respect.
There exists in society a culture that rejects authority and neglects training a child’s willpower. Our society’s virtual worship of individuality has a national cost that eminates from permissive cultural forces that frame policy, influence parenting and then plead ignorance and shift blame and personal responsibility to others. This shameless peddling of fads of personal ideology over proven methodology captures too much of our community.
Parents need to raise children who are well mannered, self-disciplined and respectful of authority. Schools struggle to deal with the disobedient and rebellious children created by indulgent parents too insecure and confused to raise their children to respect authority when it impinges on their own self-interest. In last Wednesday’s media, there was a report that Australian classrooms are ranked a lowly 70th out of 77 participating nations in a study that compared students' views on the level of discipline in the classroom. The national figures for violence and intimidation against teachers is alarming. The Canberra Times reported on 19 March that, ‘as of March 7, school staff in the ACT had already logged 229 incidents classified as violence on the "Riskman" safety portal, and at least one teacher had sustained an injury requiring time off work’. The good work of schools is best done with students who are capable of disciplining themselves and accepting authority.
It is not all about, or even mainly about, the funding. The exception to this is, of course, ensuring access to education for disabled and disadvantaged students. In almost every sector, the funding isn’t the determining factor in educational outcomes. The data is clear, and without going into details here, spending more has not halted the downward trend in achievement levels.
Children being deliberately taught skills in literacy, science and maths by teachers with specific expertise using proven programs.
As a parent of Calvin, you have these elements abounding in the daily school life of your child. We partner with parents, emphasise the development of self-discipline by working in a safe and secure environment that is faith-centred and value-driven, and where literacy, numeracy and science are a designated focus, delivered by trained specialists using proven methods.
Learning outcomes at Calvin are the opposite to the national trend. Whilst we are a part of the national data set, your children’s outcomes are improving.
Academic achievement is not too elusive at Calvin.
Iain Belôt – Principal