Faxstream re: Update on League Tables

The launch of the Federal Government's 'My School' website last week immediately led to invalid comparisons, the publication of simplistic league tables across Australia, the naming of the supposedly 'best' and 'worst' schools, and unwarranted damage to the reputations of many schools and their students.

TO: FEDERATION REPRESENTATIVES, ALL SCHOOLS

RE: UPDATE ON LEAGUE TABLES

As you are aware, the launch of the Federal Government's 'My School' website last week immediately led to invalid comparisons, the publication of simplistic league tables across Australia, the naming of the supposedly 'best' and 'worst' schools, and unwarranted damage to the reputations of many schools and their students.

Anticipating this development representatives from teacher unions in all states and territories at the Australian Education Union Federal Conference on 19 January 2010 unanimously endorsed the following as part as a longer resolution of league tables:

'Given our ethical and professional responsibility to our students and broader school communities, the Federal Conference of the AEU resolves that

• the profession cannot and will not cooperate in the implementation of NAPLAN unless satisfactory measures are introduced to stop the further creation and publication of league tables; and
• the AEU together with its Branches and Associated Bodies will allocate its full resources to
  • mobilize and organize the profession in support of this campaign, and
  • provide the necessary information to parents and the broader community about the critical importance of stopping the further creation and publication of league tables. The AEU will continue to work closely with the parent movement to achieve this.

A special meeting of the Federal executive will be convened on April 12 2010 to assess the extent to which the government may have heeded the concerns and calls of parents, teachers and principals to introduce appropriate measures to stop league tables.'

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Last Modified: 09 Feb 2010