Fix this text
EDUCATION
Fix this textJOURNAL OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEACHERS FEDERATION
Fix this textAgreement No. PP255003 00104
Fix this textVol. 82 No.lo September 17. 2001
Fix this textConvention moves campaign along
Fix this textby Dennis Long
Fix this textThe Public Education Convention
Fix this texton September 8 has progressed the
Fix this textPublic Education campaign in this
Fix this textfederal election year.
Fix this textAn enthusiastic but smaller than
Fix this textexpected crowd celebrated the values
Fix this textof public education, put four repre-
Fix this textsentatives of political parties on the
Fix this textspot, were entertained by an array of
Fix this textstudents and saw a CD launched.
Fix this textOpposition Leader Kim Beazley
Fix this textcommitted a Labor Government to
Fix this textreversing the trend towards “a greater
Fix this textand greater proportion of Common-
Fix this textwealth schools funding going to
Fix this textprivate schools” under the Howard
Fix this textGovernment.
Fix this textMr Beazley announced plans for
Fix this texta “National Public Education Alli-
Fix this textance”, meant to commit all Com-
Fix this textmonwealth, state and territory Labor
Fix this textgovernments to increase investment
Fix this textin public schools in real terms over
Fix this textthe next decade.
Fix this textMr Beazley declared that spending
Fix this texton health and education had to have
Fix this textpriority over tax cuts, saying this was
Fix this texta “fundamental disagreement” he had
Fix this textwith John Howard.
Fix this text“I believe that we need to ele-
Fix this textvate the status of teachers to where it
Fix this textought to be the chief of all profes-
Fix this textsions.”
Fix this textAt one point, an inteijector said,
Fix this text“We know all this.”
Fix this text“I know you know this,” Mr Beazley
Fix this textdeparted from his script to retort, “but I
Fix this textneed to demonstrate that I know it.”
Fix this textMr Beazley spoke of the values
Fix this textand ethos of public education.
Fix this text“Along with our universities and
Fix this textTAFE colleges, these schools have
Fix this textbeen the great nation-building institu-
Fix this texttions of post-war Australia.
Fix this text“To the extent that Australia is an
Fix this textegalitarian, multicultural and toler-
Fix this textant society, we can largely thank our
Fix this textpublic schools.”
Fix this textGreens Leader Senator Bob Brown
Fix this textidentified with the audience who
Fix this textwere “rallying for a better educated
Fix this textAustralia; a more socially just Aus-
Fix this texttralia; for the egalitarian, big hearted,
Fix this textinformed society that the rest of the
Fix this textworld used to admire us for being and
Fix this textwhich we will be again”.
Fix this textSenator Brown described this as
Fix this text“not a utopian dream” but as “in large
Fix this textpart what we used to enjoy in this
Fix this textcountry”.
Fix this textSenator Brown asserted that “Aus-
Fix this texttralian public spending on education is
Fix this textthe equal fourth lowest in the OECD”
Fix this textbut that the “much touted...GST war
Fix this textchest” would be enough to bring up
Fix this textto the OECD average.
Fix this textHe compared Howard Govern-
Fix this textment policies to those of the Hawke/
Fix this textKeating years, saying current Federal
Fix this texteducation Minister Dr David Kemp
Fix this text“stayed on the same track and put his
Fix this textfoot on the accelerator”.
Fix this textHe quoted Tasmanian writer Rich-
Fix this textard Flanagan’s description of the run-
Fix this textning down of our public schools
Fix this textduring the Hawke, Keating and
Fix this textHoward years as a “robbery so slow,
Fix this textso carefully and artfully contrived, and
Fix this textso utterly audacious that we cannot
Fix this textfully comprehend the contours of its
Fix this textvast criminal achievement”.
Fix this textDistiguished educationist Lyndsay
Fix this textConnors, speaking for lobby group
Fix this textPriority Public, said she came “to
Fix this textspeak of the need to bury the educa-
Fix this texttion policies of the Commonwealth
Fix this textand all that they stand for”.
Fix this textHowever, she praised Dr Kemp for
Fix this textthe “rapid spread in understanding”
Fix this textof school funding issues.
Fix this text“It was a mystery to me why there
Fix this textwas so little public understanding, so
Fix this textlittle public outcry about the derelic-
Fix this texttion of duty to public schooling by
Fix this textsuccessive Commonwealth Govern-
Fix this textments,” she said.
Fix this text“But Dr Kemp changed all that!
Fix this textHis Enrolment Benchmark Adjust-
Fix this textment proved to be the tipping
Fix this textpoint.”
Fix this textPriority Public called for the repeal
Fix this textof the States Grants Act and an
Fix this textopen and independent national review
Fix this textof funding arrangements for public
Fix this textschools.
Fix this textAustralian Democrat Senator Lyn
Fix this textAllison called for a “proper, independ-
Fix this textent review of the funding of public
Fix this textand private schools” to “address the
Fix this textinequities that now characterise the
Fix this textsystem”.
Fix this textSenator Allison assailed the seven
Fix this textyear decline in Australia’s retention
Fix this textrates.
Fix this textTeachers and parents travelled from many parts of the state to show their concern for the future of
Fix this textpublic education, including people from Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Lake Munmorah, Muswellbrook
Fix this textand Dungog (pictured).
Fix this text“There can be no better indicator
Fix this textof the health of our education system,”
Fix this textshe said.'
Fix this textThe Democrat spokesperson iden-
Fix this texttified school closures as a major
Fix this textissue.
Fix this text“Schoolsare being closed without
Fix this textmuch consideration for the commu-
Fix this textnity that built them. In Victoria many
Fix this textof these schools, closed in the 90s
Fix this textbecause they were too small, have
Fix this textreopened as small private schools.”
Fix this textSenator Allison emphasised her
Fix this textparty’s consistent opposition last year
Fix this textto the States Grants Bill.
Fix this textThe day began with a welcome
Fix this textto country by Colin Gale, represent-
Fix this texting the Darug people, a performance
Fix this textby vocalists from five public high
Fix this textschools and one TAFE college of
Fix this text“Let’s Get Loud” and “Teach your
Fix this textChildren Well” (the singers are co-
Fix this textordinated by the DET Performing
Fix this textArts Unit).
Fix this textFurther introduction came from a
Fix this textdance, drama and didgeridoo perform-
Fix this textance by students from La Perouse and
Fix this textMalabar Public Schools and the open-
Fix this texting address by Federation President
Fix this textSue Simpson.
Fix this textThe heads of several organisations got together to promote the
Fix this textPublic Education Convention to the media on September 6. Pic-
Fix this texttured (1 to r) Secondary Principals Council acting president Chris
Fix this textBonner, NSW Primary Principals Association president John McMil-
Fix this textlan, Federation president Sue Simpson, Education and Training
Fix this textDirector-General Dr Ken Boston, Federation of Parents and Citizens
Fix this textAssociations president Bev Baker, Federation of School and Com-
Fix this textmunity Organisations president Julie Collins and Public Schools
Fix this textPrincipals Forum chairperson Brian Chudleigh.
Fix this textClass sizes do matter and must be reduced
Fix this textEvidence supports Fed-
Fix this texteration's claims that
Fix this textsmaller class sizes have
Fix this textlasting benefits for stu-
Fix this textdents, writes
Fix this textJENNIFER
Fix this textLEETE.
Fix this textFederation’s Annual Conference
Fix this textdetermined that in the lead up to
Fix this textthe next state election, Federation
Fix this textwould seek commitments from the
Fix this textmajor political parties to reduce
Fix this textclass sizes in kindergarten, year 1
Fix this textand year 2 to an absolute maximum
Fix this textof 20 students.
Fix this textThe next government in this state
Fix this textshould do what has now been done
Fix this textin many states in the USA and in
Fix this textsome Australian states: to recognise
Fix this textthat the case for smaller class sizes
Fix this textis not just based on the good sense
Fix this textand instincts of parents and teachers
Fix this textbut is now supported unequivocally
Fix this textthrough a sizeable body of academic
Fix this textresearch.
Fix this textDr Pat Thomson, an associate
Fix this textprofessor from the University of
Fix this textSouth Australia, presented Annual
Fix this textConference with an overview of the
Fix this textresearch. Pat began by explaining
Fix this textthe clear difference between class
Fix this textsize and pupikteacher ratio. Many
Fix this textearlier studies of class sizes from
Fix this textthe USA and UK produced no clear
Fix this textevidence that smaller class sizes
Fix this texthave any beneficial effect. It is now
Fix this textunderstood that the great majority
Fix this textof those studies made the funda-
Fix this textmental error of using pupikteacher
Fix this textratio data rather than real class size.
Fix this textAustralia statistical collections in
Fix this textthe past have been very limited but
Fix this texthave also focused on pupikteacher
Fix this textratio, not class size.
Fix this textThe key studies conducted in the
Fix this textUSA which did focus on real class
Fix this textsize and are now world recognised
Fix this textas providing the solid research base
Fix this textwe need are:
Fix this text• the Tennessee STAR project which
Fix this textcommenced in 1985
Fix this text• the Burke County Carolina project
Fix this textwhich commenced in 1990
Fix this text• the California class size reduction
Fix this textproject 1996
Fix this text• Michigan class size reduction project
Fix this text1994
Fix this text• project SAGE Wisconsin 1996.
Fix this textThe largest and most significant
Fix this textof these projects is the Tennessee
Fix this textSTAR project. It began in 1985 as
Fix this texta huge project involving 12,000
Fix this textstudents over four years. The great
Fix this textadvantage has turned out to be that
Fix this textthere is now a huge database avail-
Fix this textable of the long-term beneficial
Fix this texteffects of reduced class sizes in the
Fix this textearly years of schooling. The STAR
Fix this textproject focused on kindergarten
Fix this textthrough to and including grade 3.
Fix this textPupils entering kindergarten in 1985
Fix this textwere allocated at random to a small
Fix this textclass (13-17 students), a regular
Fix this textclass (22-26 students) or a regular
Fix this textclass with a full-time teacher’s aide,
Fix this textwithin each participating school.
Fix this textTeachers were then allocated at
Fix this textrandom to the classes. The class
Fix this textarrangement was maintained all day,
Fix this textall year long. There was no other
Fix this textintervention, for example, no special
Fix this texttraining and development and no
Fix this textdifferentiation in the curriculum or
Fix this textteaching materials. Pupils were kept
Fix this textin the same class grouping for up to
Fix this textT continued on page 3
Fix this textIt's easy and takes two shakes of a lamb's tail!
With your Trove account you can:
http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680978562
N.S.W. Teachers' Federation & New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation. (1919). Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation Retrieved August 6, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680978562
N.S.W. Teachers' Federation and New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation. Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation Sydney: The Federation, 1919. Web. 6 August 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680978562>
N.S.W. Teachers' Federation & New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation. 1919, Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation The Federation, Sydney viewed 6 August 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680978562
{{Citation
| author1=N.S.W. Teachers' Federation.
| author2=New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation.
| title=Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation.
| year=1919
| section=volumes.
| issn=0013-1156
| issue=Vol. 82 No. 10 (17 Sep 2001)
| location=Sydney
| publisher=The Federation
| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-680978562
| id=nla.obj-680978562
| access-date=6 August 2025
| via=Trove
}}
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