Australia Talks

The Rudd government says it's committed to establishing Australia as one of the world's most highly educated and skilled nations. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the promised education revolution marks the first time all states and territories have committed to a national program to improve our education system from pre-school to upper secondary.

If you compare the performance of Australian schools with other countries in the OECD between 2003 and 2006, Australia declined in both absolute and relative terms in reading literacy. Over the past six years there has been no improvement in the percentage of Australian students who are less than proficient at maths.

In response, the government has promised report cards for schools, a computer for every student and incentives to encourage the best and brightest to pursue teaching as a career path. So are these measures revolutionary? What does it take to make a real difference in our classrooms?

Guests

Deb Hayes
Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Sydney

Max Angus
Professor of Education, Edith Cowan University

Christine Cawsey
Principal, Rooty Hill High School

Tom Karmel
Managing Director, National Centre for Vocational Education Research

Further Information

Education Revolution

Trade Training Centres

Presenter

Paul Barclay

Story Researcher and Producer

Debra McCoy