Dr. Philip McKenzie

John Keeves and the Australian Council for Educational Research

Rebecca Leech et al. — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:18:22 PST

This book has been produced as a tribute to the work and contributions of ACER's 3rd chief executive. Professor John Keeves on the occasion of his 85th birthday. Professor Keeves has made substantial contributions to key research studies, especially in mathematics and science education. His work laid the foundations for large scale assessments of student learning that are common place today and for better understanding the complex relationships between students home background, school factors and achievement.

Australian Apprentice Retention Pilot Project: Report to MEGT

Justin Brown et al. — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:34:32 PDT

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) was engaged in February 2010 by MEGT to conduct research on the retention of first-year apprentices participating in the MEGT mentoring and social networking program. Sponsored by DEEWR, the Australian Apprentice Retention Pilot Project aims to improve the retention of apprentices in skills shortage trades. The project involves the provision of mentors to support apprentices at three sites: in Queensland (Logan/Ipswich); New South Wales (Western Sydney); and Victoria (Southeast Melbourne). The role of the mentors is to visit the apprentice and maintain ongoing contact through social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter. MEGT engaged ACER to conduct an independent study and assist with the effective transfer of the lessons from these pilots into other possible settings. This report presents the findings of the research project.

The On Track Survey 2010 : The Destinations of School Leavers in Victoria : statewide report

Sheldon Rothman et al. — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:34:30 PDT

Findings presented in this report are based on the On Track telephone survey of 36,179 Year 12 or equivalent completers and 4,094 early leavers from the 2009 school year in Victoria. The survey was conducted in April-May 2010. Year 12 or equivalent completers are defined as those who completed a Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), International Baccalaureate (IB) or Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL, Senior or Intermediate). The sample includes those who completed such qualifications in schools (98.3%), or in TAFE institutions or adult and community education providers (1.7%). Early leavers are defined for the survey’s purposes as those students who had registered their details with the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) by enrolling in a VCE or VCAL unit, and who left school before completing any one of the qualifications mentioned in the previous paragraph. School leavers who had earlier given consent to be surveyed were contacted in April–May 2010 and destination data were collected from them on two dimensions: education and training, and employment and occupation. In addition, respondents were asked about the reasons for their choices and their views on aspects of their schooling. The first On Track survey was in 2003 and this is the eighth annual report in the series. The project is designed to provide a database and tool for guiding policy and practice at government, school, regional and local levels. On Track also collects background information on students so that the destinations of particular sub-groups can be considered, for example, those from different socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds and those of Indigenous origins. Transition differences between regions in Victoria are also documented in this report. An important feature of On Track is that it also offers a referral service for school leavers who appear to be experiencing difficulties in the transition process. The 2010 data were collected by the Social Research Centre (SRC) and analysed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). This report was prepared by ACER for the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD). Summary data on the main destinations of Year 12 or equivalent completers for individual schools was published in the Victorian print media in June 2010 and detailed reports provided to schools, LLENs and TAFE institutions in August. Participants in the On Track survey are guaranteed confidentiality and it is not possible to identify individual leavers in any reporting.

Assessment of current process for targeting of schools funding to disadvantaged students: A report prepared for the Review of Funding for Schooling Panel

Adam Rorris et al. — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:22:18 PDT

The key research questions considered in this report are: How do existing programs seeking to address educational disadvantage in schools work? Are existing programs effective in reducing the impact of disadvantage on educational outcomes? What alternative funding approaches should be considered? To answer these questions, the report aimed to:

map the current processes at Commonwealth, state and territory and system levels for targeting funding towards disadvantaged students with the highest level of educational need. This mapping included describing how educational needs are defined, identified and measured.
assess the effectiveness of the funding and other processes in use. Part of this assessment included an examination of the extent to which student selection and exclusion affects access for all students to quality schooling and contributes to the emergence of residualised and disadvantaged schools.
identify alternative funding approaches that could better meet the needs of disadvantaged students.

A combination of three data collection methods was used: a questionnaire; face-to-face interviews; and a literature search and review. The groups of educationally disadvantaged students identified for this study were (i) students with disabilities, (ii) Indigenous students, (iii) students with limited English language proficiency, (iv) Low SES background students, and (v) students in regional, rural and remote areas. Existing programs seeking to address educational disadvantage worked with a minimum national aggregate funding of about $4.4 billion during 2009-10. Nearly $2.8 billion of this total was allocated for students with disabilities. Identified funding for Low SES students was next highest at about $585 million. The other three disadvantaged groups received considerably less identified targeted funding (Indigenous $436 million, English Language $333 million, Regional/Rural/Remote $337 million). There were insufficient data available to establish to what extent existing programs are effective in reducing the impact of disadvantage on educational outcomes because few have been evaluated, and fewer still have been evaluated with student outcomes as a focus. Despite this lack of information, anecdotal survey evidence for this report suggests that there appears to be a consensus among the jurisdictions that ESL programs, on the whole, are effective in delivering positive educational outcomes to students. Similarly, remote and rural programs were typically seen to be successful. There were also some positive comments about programs for students with disabilities, however, this was in contrast to the National Disability Strategy, which argued that educational systems were still largely failing these students, and more resourcing, support for teachers and further teacher education was required. The study was unable to discern the extent to which specific Indigenous and Low SES programs were effective. The study has identified alternative specific funding mechanisms to deal with the current weaknesses in funding for (i) students with disabilities, and (ii) students from Low SES backgrounds. For students with disabilities, the report has proposed the establishment of a standard disabilities entitlement to frame a minimum funding standard for students with disabilities. The entitlement could apply across the Catholic and independent sectors in all states and territories. Financing the standard disabilities entitlement needs to be considered from the angles of equity, effectiveness and efficiency. In terms of equity, the financing should not deplete existing funding for government schools to further subsidise the operations within non-government schools. The financing of a large pooled fund at the sectoral level is one mechanism that can meet the conditions of equity, effectiveness and efficiency in offering the standard entitlement. The report finds numerous ways of financing a pooled fund, including additional annual allocations from government or the re-allocation of a part of existing recurrent funds, or both. For students from Low SES backgrounds, the study has proposed a front-loaded alternative funding mechanism that can support a targeted investment strategy to schools experiencing residualisation effects on their enrolment base. By delivering significant investment funding for a period of up to ten years (above and beyond recurrent funding) schools will be given the latitude to invest as appropriate in areas such as quality teaching practices, materials, school leadership and facilities.

Australian Apprentice Retention Pilot Project: Report to MEGT

Justin Brown et al. — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:22:16 PDT

The On Track Survey 2010 : The Destinations of School Leavers in Victoria : statewide report

Sheldon Rothman et al. — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:22:14 PDT

On Track Survey 2009 : The Destinations of School Leavers in Victoria

Sheldon Rothman et al. — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:08:55 PDT

Economics of quality schooling

Gerald Burke et al. — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:06:02 PST

The case for public expenditure on education is based on its contribution to the good of society over and above the benefits received by the individual educated. These benefits can be economic, the benefits of a larger pool of educated labour that allow for rapid economic development, and social, including the benefits of more committed law abiding citizens and the relief of poverty.

Some of the issues are considered in this paper:

1. The level of public expenditure on education and its distribution in relation to need

2. Where expenditure can yield most benefits

3. The incentives and system level organisation and guidelines to ensure that expenditures are used effectively

Harnessing Educational Cooperation in the East Asia Summit (EAS) for Regional Competitiveness and Community Building

Phil McKenzie et al. — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:55:42 PST

At the Second East Asia Summit (EAS) held in 2007, the EAS leaders agreed to strengthen educational cooperation between their 16 countries. On behalf of the EAS, the ASEAN Secretariat commissioned this project to develop strategies for EAS participants to enhance regional economic competitiveness and strengthen community building in a balanced and sustainable manner through cooperation in education. Its scope encompasses regional cooperation in Basic Education (Primary and Secondary Education), Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and Higher Education. The report draws on a literature review of the experience with regional educational cooperation, analysis of published data, consultations with education and labour market authorities in each EAS country, a regional workshop, and inputs from organisations and individuals within the EAS region engaged in cooperative activities in education (Chapter 2). NOTE: REPSF II Project No. 07/006.

Mapping Qualifications Frameworks across APEC Economies

Gerald Burke et al. — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:53:55 PST

This report on qualification frameworks was undertaken for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG) Education Network Subgroup (EDNET). The project aimed to facilitate increased transparency and reliability of information about qualification frameworks across the APEC region, share knowledge and skills and identify future areas of collaboration. A qualifications framework is an instrument for classifying qualifications according to a set of criteria for levels of learning outcomes. Considerable benefits are expected of national qualification frameworks (NQFs). If backed by a good system of quality assurance, they can support the development of workers’ skills, facilitate educational and labour market mobility, and help improve the access of individuals to higher and different levels of education and training over their lives. Education and training providers and authorities are able to design more consistent and linked qualifications when descriptors of qualifications are developed within NQFs. Employers benefit in their recruitment and training of staff when they can understand and have confidence in qualifications. The international recognition of an economy’s qualifications can be enhanced by the transparency of qualifications to which an NQF can contribute. This report is based on desktop analysis of qualification frameworks, contacts made by members of the project team and on a survey of APEC member economies carried out in the project.

Policy verification case studies: School level capture of teacher certification and teacher development investments – Cycle 1/Final report.

Julie Kos et al. — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:58:33 PST

Submitted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to Contractor Strategic Advisory Services (CSAS).

The On Track Survey 2008: The Destinations of School Leavers in Victoria

Sheldon Rothman et al. — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:39:52 PST

Data presented in this report is based on the On Track telephone survey of 33,250 Year 12 or equivalent completers and 4740 early leavers from the 2007 school year in Victoria. Year 12 or equivalent completers are defined as those who completed a Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), International Baccalaureate (IB) or Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL, Senior or Intermediate). The sample includes those who completed these qualifications in schools (the large majority), Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes, or adult and community learning organisations. Early leavers are defined as those students in Years 10, 11 and 12 who had registered their details with the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) by enrolling in a VCE or VCAL unit and who left school before completing Year 10, 11 or 12. Leavers were contacted in April–May 2008 and destination data was collected from them on two dimensions: education and training, and employment and occupation. In addition, respondents were asked about the reasons for their choices. The first large-scale On Track survey was in 2003 and this is the sixth annual report in the series. The project is designed to provide a valuable database and tool for guiding policy and practice at government, school, regional and local levels. The program enables schools and other education providers to monitor how their students fare in a context of rapid labour market change and complex educational pathways. On Track also collects background information on students so that the destinations of particular sub-groups can be considered, for example, those from different socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds and those of Indigenous origins. Transition differences between regions in Victoria are also documented in this report. This information is valuable not only for schools but also for the Local Learning and Employment Networks (LLENs), regions and vocational education and training (VET) providers. An important feature of On Track is that it also offers a referral service for school leavers who appear to be experiencing difficulties in the transition process. The 2008 data was collected by the Social Research Centre (SRC) and analysed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).

Staff in Australia's schools : teacher workforce data and planning processes in Australia.

Susanne Owen, et al. — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:39:51 PST

This report forms part of the Australian School Teacher and Leader project which was commissioned by the former Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) in June 2006. The purpose of the project is to provide a detailed picture of the Australian teacher workforce and to gather information to assist future planning on teacher supply. This particular report focuses on longer-term approaches to workforce data and processes. The project also included the Staff in Australia's Schools survey, a national data collection involving all States and Territories and school sectors. [p.4]

The recurrent education debate an economic perspective

Phil McKenzie — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:09:04 PDT

The thesis led to the publication of the book Recurrent education: Economic and equity issues in Australia (Australian Education Review No. 20). In a review of the book, Dr George Psacharopoulos of the World Bank wrote “the author’s taxonomic framework of issues provides a model to be adhered to … I strongly recommend the book as “must” reading to anyone attempting to write a review of education sector issues in any country in the world” (International Review of Education, vol 30, 1984, p. 500).

Secondary school size, curriculum structure, and resource use a study in the economics of education

Phil McKenzie — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:07:13 PDT

Teachers matter : Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers

Phil McKenzie et al. — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:01:39 PDT

In April 2002 the OECD Education Committee launched the major Activity Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers. This is a collaborative project to assist governments design and implement teacher policies to improve teaching and learning in schools. The project was concluded in June 2005 with the publication of the final synthesis report.

Educational Attainment and Participation in Training

Phil McKenzie et al. — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:21:21 PDT

The relationship between prior educational attainment and participation in formal and On-the-Job Training (OJT) in Australia was examined through an analysis of unit record data from the 1993 Survey of Training and Education that was conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Univariate analyses were performed to document employee participation by level of educational attainment in three different types of training activities: external training, in-house training, and OJT. Multivariate analyses were then conducted to separate the effect of educational attainment from other variables (for example, age and occupation) that might affect training participation. Educational attainment was found to have a significant impact on employee participation in both formal and on-the-job training. Low levels of participation in training were particularly evident for individuals who had not completed secondary school and who held no postschool educational qualifications. Females, individuals in the 30-44 age bracket, individuals born in Australia or other English-speaking countries, individuals with their current employer for fewer than 3 years, individuals working in the public sector, and full-time employees in nonmetropolitan rural locations were most likely to participate in training. Note: ACER-CEET, Working Paper No. 4.

Lifelong Learning To Maintain Employability

Phil McKenzie — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:10:30 PDT

The paper discusses (i) evidence on the importance of human capital and lifelong learning for labour market outcomes; (ii) the barriers to lifelong learning that can arise in the transition from initial education to work; (iii) major features of the situation of poorly qualified adults and the barriers to lifelong learning that they face; and (iv) the role that Labour Ministers and labour market policies can play in facilitating lifelong learning.

Thematic review of the transition from initial education to working life

Phil McKenzie et al. — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:07:42 PDT

The transition to work is "a key stage in laying the basis for continuing progression in learning and work throughout adult life" and "remains a key policy issue" among OECD members. For one thing, training and education—while presenting youth with diverse pathways—often fail to motivate youth, leaving them unsure of how to benefit from such opportunities. Those at greatest risk against the labour market must be taking seriously into account, but the same has to be done with those who have chosen to follow a tertiary education pathway. The transition process is tending to become longer. It is also complex, involving the interaction of different kinds of policies: those of education, the labour market, social and social welfare. The OECD is drawing conclusions on the situation of youth school-to-work transition, on a relatively global basis as well as looking at the particularity of certain themes within six countries reviewed in 1997, which are: Australia, Austria, Canada (Nova Scotia & Quebec), the Czech Republic, Norway and Portugal. The diversity of their social and economic contexts as well as their policy approaches was the reason for selecting this set of countries, though it is acknowledged that the generalizations which can be made on this initial basis are going to be limited, and will have to be carefully contrasted against the full group of 14 countries participating in the review when it concludes in 1999.

Transition from school to work

Phil McKenzie — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:42:47 PDT