The Last Word offers opinion pieces from a series of education experts, who discuss an issue or trend impacting schools, students and the education sector in Australia. They also outline their views, advice and where relevant, offer solutions they believe can help alleviate or prevent a current problem within the primary or secondary education space.
New Director of Education and Evaluation at the National Excellence in School Leadership Institute (NESLI) and lecturer at the University of Melbourne, Dr Anna Dabrowski, discusses the need for schools to place a greater focus on teacher and principal wellbeing.
Australian students should receive a world-class education, tailored to individual learning needs, and relevant to a fast-changing world, writes Minister for Education, the Hon. Dan Tehan MP. Read more
After overseeing the introduction of various national education reforms at the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) over the past 10 years, Robert Randall’s time as CEO comes to a close. As he bids farewell, he reflects on how far the organisation has come, and the impact it has had on teachers and students. Read more
Teaching children appropriate technology use rather than simply taking it away from them is key to preparing children for the digital world of the future, writes Associate Professor of Educational Technology at CQUniversity, Dr Michael A. Cowling. Read more
Federal President at the Australian Education Union (AEU), Correna Haythorpe, discusses the need to focus on our teachers before thinking about reviewing the national school curriculum. Read more
Vice-President at the Catholic Assistant Principal’s Association in WA, Tania James, discusses NAPLAN and the importance of national testing to identify areas for improvement. Read more