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ABC News Daily
Who’s to blame for declining school results?
Feb 2, 2025
In this discussion, Connor Duffy, ABC's education reporter, dives into the troubling decline in Australian students' literacy and numeracy skills. He reveals that one-third of students fail to meet basic benchmarks, while those from non-English backgrounds often excel. Duffy emphasizes the critical role of parental engagement in boosting educational success and showcases a school that has transformed its teaching methods for better results. He also touches upon the ongoing debate between inquiry-based learning and explicit instruction in the education system.
14:31
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Quick takeaways
- The decline in Australian students' literacy and numeracy over two decades necessitates immediate intervention and effective teaching strategies to reverse these trends.
- Parental engagement and community support play crucial roles in enhancing student outcomes, particularly for those from language backgrounds other than English, who consistently outperform others.
Deep dives
Decline in Literacy and Numeracy Standards
Australian students are facing significant challenges in literacy and numeracy, with recent assessments revealing poor performance levels. Approximately one-third of students do not meet minimum benchmarks in these critical areas, indicating a need for immediate intervention. The decline is particularly alarming, as over the last two decades, national and international testing has shown that Australian students are falling further behind their peers globally. Notably, in the 2019 PISA results, Australian students were three and a half years behind their Chinese counterparts in mathematics, highlighting a growing educational crisis that requires urgent attention.
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Discover
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