Australian Education System

There was a time when America’s education system was top-notch according to the culture and society. With time, a myriad of things has changed, but unfortunately what has not evolved is the American education system. The country is still following a system which was not designed for the current global economic climate. Equality, as positive as it sounds is not as sufficient when it comes to education. The system treats students equally yet expect a similar culmination and outcome. Every child has his individuality and distinct abilities; one cannot judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree. Conversely, a few of the prominent reasons why the education system is failing are overcrowded schools, the rise of technology, and following the same old school hours.

The need for higher education has prompted many students to seek further studies in international colleges outside their countries and Australia has become an academic hub for international students who mostly come from developing nations in Asia and Africa. The students, once they secure a place in this schools, they are subjected to a new environment which comes with different challenges. International students in Australia have become an integral part of the society both social and economical. However the students face a myriad of challenges before fully adopting to the new learning culture. In

Curriculum is designed to develop successful learners. Confident and creative individuals and active and informed citizens (MCEECDYA, 2008, p.13). In 2008, the Australian Government promised to deliver a fair and equitable curriculum for the national’s educational system, taking the task away from the State and Local Governments. The purpose of this was to create an even level of education throughout the country whether in Hobart of Cape York, and to ensure our nations position into the 21st century. This essay will demonstrate the Nation’s curriculum, its structure and development ready for its initial implementation in 2011.

Is America’s public education system benefiting in helping students succeed or is it taking part in students lacking crucial information? In “The Problem with American Education” Zastrow Marvin C. states that “our country grew and flourished as it developed the most extensive, the most elaborate, and the most expensive educational system the world has ever known” (233). There are other systems around the world that maybe more effective, use a smaller budget, and are less time consuming. Students in American schools are beginning to score lower and lower on state wide standardized tests. Also more and more students are beginning to walk out of public education schools lacking crucial life knowledge. One different education system around the world that is more efficient and cost less money is Finland. Also this education system is less time consuming than America’s system. In America it is important for students

Education is a necessity across the globe, from America to Africa to China. Some education systems, however, are more successful than others and hold differing views and approaches to education. Culture greatly impacts education, which in turn impacts further opportunity. As unfair as it may be, a child’s cultural background largely determines their level of success. The American education system is lacking when compared to various other world cultures, and this is causing the socioeconomic gap to grow. Because of this inadequate education, more and more families are dipping beneath the poverty line. This could be due to poor discipline as well as the diversity of students. The diversity of the students results in a wide array of needs that are not being met by the public education system. This issue could be minimized by working to create a more inclusive academic environment to ensure equality and success.

In exploring the Australian Curriculum, it becomes apparent that this curriculum was developed to encompass a wide range of skills and abilities that will be needed to enable young Australians to become productive and successful members of society of the future. The influence of a range of different curriculum models and education theories has bought together a comprehensive overview of what the Australian education system will deliver and how this can be accomplished.

In 1866 New South Wales enacted the Public Schools Act that aimed to address government spending on education, resulting in government schools receiving priority over denominational schools, and providing access to education for the growing number of communities across the colony . The Catholics opposed this move as it was hostile to the their belief in their own system of education and Catholic puritans helped fuel the fire of sectarianism, which continued to make state aid for church-run schools a highly controversial issue . However, times were changing as by the 1870s, in New South Wales, up to sixty per cent of Catholic school children attended state schools . Conflict escalated again in 1879 when the new Catholic Archbishop, Vaughan, denounced the state schools of New South Wales describing them as “seed-plots of future immorality, infidelity and lawlessness” and accused them of “squeezing very gradually and almost imperceptibly the Catholic faith out of Catholic people.” In response the Parkes government enacted the Public Instruction Act of 1880, which resulted in primary education becoming nominally compulsory, cheap, widespread, and removed all state aid to denominational schools . Again the Catholics responded negatively to the decision, which aided in preserving the Catholic identity, although this came at the cost of making themselves a distinctive sub-culture in the Australian community . Despite this, Henry Parkes, premier of New South Wales, gave a speech in 1885, and instead of condemning the Catholics for being different,

In fact, studies indicated that Indigenous Australians are significantly behind non-indigenous Australians in academic achievement (Bradley, Draca, Green & Leeves, 2006). Geographical remoteness, socioeconomic status and indigenous ethnicity and culture have a major influence on educational success for Indigenous students. An example of this can be seen in rural indigenous communities where indigenous economic systems are still used, forcing a gap in terms of both geographical location and socioeconomic status (Altman, 2008). As a result of this gap, Indigenous students from these areas are not able to obtain the same level of education as students living in urban settings where colonial economic systems are recognised (Altman, 2008). These socio-cultural factors construct a specific cultural capital for indigenous students that is not widely recognised in Australian schools as it is not the dominant capital presented in Western education environments. Ultimately, this leaves indigenous students, specifically those in geographically remote locations or of a socioeconomic status that doesn’t allow a broader range of options, at an educational disadvantage. Ethnicity, geographical location and socioeconomic status play an important role in the construction of one’s cultural capital and, as a consequence, one’s ability to obtain educational success in Australian schools.

When meeting to discuss the educational goals that would apply to the curriculum for Australia, The Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs [MCEECDYA] committed to promoting equity and excellence and providing the support that young Australians need “to become successful learners, confident and creative individuals and active informed citizens” (MCEECDYA, 2008). The Australian Curriculum is designed to be world-class, providing challenges for students that prepare them for life long learning (ACARA, 2011b; Brady & Kennedy, 2010). The aims of the Australian

Australia is very a multicultural and diverse country. Consequently schools are faced with many diverse students of different abilities and backgrounds. To ensure equity and fairness among students, policies and legislations have been put into place to ensure diversity is being catered for and that no student is being excluded from the education system. Some of these policies and legislation include: The Disability Discrimination Act 1992, The Salamanca Statement, Disability Standards 2005, Inclusive Education Statement, Disabilities Services Act QLD 2006 and the Melbourne Declaration.

The first goal is Australian schooling promotes equity and excellences. This establishes that socioeconomic weakness eases to be important determinant of educational developments. It also adds to decrease the repercussions of other sources of weakness, such as refugee status.

Education is a never-ending learning process that has always been a piece of our life. As education is a building block in our lives, we are eager to put profoundly into our education. Good education will lead us to the bright future. With the fast advancement of public opinion, we have entered an era of information explosion which the necessity of studying abroad has turned into a developing pattern among youth. Most of the students feel that studying abroad is better than studying in local universities. As the saying goes, “the grass always looks greener on the other side of fence.” In this way, I believe that considering abroad have extraordinary points of benefits.

Regardless of the financial costs of education, statistics show in the years from 1983 to 1996 numbers of students in tertiary education doubled and retention rates within secondary schooling reached new heights, rising from 40.6% in 1983 to 71.3% in 1996 (Jamrozik, 2009), clearly placing education as a high value within the Australian society and becoming a lifetime pursuit for many people. However historically, the changes that have occurred over the years, have reinforced Australia’s problem with social inequalities within the education system.

Throughout the history of civilization, education has been an important tool in shaping an individual as well as the society that the individual is a part of. In the older civilizations, only the elite upper class had access to education. This kept these people at the top of the social ladder, and suppressed the common people who did not have access to the same education as the nobles. We have come a long way since then, with every child having access to a free high school degree. However, there is still some inequality in this modern education system that has similarities to the old injustices. In this day and age, a college degree is a great start for a young adult starting to enter the work force. According to a study conducted by Pew

The advantage of widespread education is the cultivation of international skills and attitudes, contributing to the values of university education.