The second instalment of the Gonksi education reforms were announced yesterday to mixed reviews. Among many suggestions provided in the report, some of the key findings are as follows:
Australia must aspire to have a schooling system that is among the best in the world for its quality and equity, and must prioritise support for its lowest performing students.
Every child should have access to the best possible education, regardless of where they live, the income of their family, or the school they attend.
No student in Australia should leave school without the basic skills and competencies needed to participate in the workforce and lead successful and productive lives.
The unfortunate fact is that Australian academic standards are slipping. In fifteen years, Australia has decreased from 4th to 16th place internationally in reading, from 7th to 25th place in maths and from 4th to 14th place in science.
When Second Step is implemented school-wide, there are improvements in academics as kids are taught the skills for learning and important self-regulation skills. Being a universal program, it is suitable for all students and the lessons are only around 20 minutes each in length. All training is online as well as streaming lesson media and implementation plans. There are no ongoing fees once the program is purchased so it's an affordable program both financially and in terms of teacher's time.
If Second Step was implemented in school's across Australia, it would help to address the findings in the Gonski report by giving students the tools to be life-long learners and lead successful and productive lives.