The OECD's PISA is seen as a 'global yardstick' against which countries measure the quality of their education systems. In 2018 PISA included an assessment of global competence. This paper starts with the premise that in using a single global instrument to 'measure' this phenomenon, PISA claims standardisation over contextually rich data that can…

The relationship between the polite and conventional nature of friendly language and the sincerity of the writer's feelings is a central topic in linguistic and historical research on friendship in epistolary communication. This relationship can be understood in the context of the emotional values and conventionalised emotional practices that…

The paper brings together for the first time a sequence of six studies, from the one university faculty, on middle leaders from Australia, Chile and Singapore. All studies followed a consistent approach using multiple-perspective interviews. Middle leaders were seen to be key personnel in improving teaching and learning, and when they have…

This article focuses on the challenge of faith leadership in Catholic schools. In particular, it reviews Australian research that has aimed to understand how principals conceptualize and enact their role as faith leaders. Consistent with American research, Australian research found that principals saw themselves as playing a leadership role in the…

Investigates to what extent the school-level environment in Catholic schools differs from government schools in Australia. Results indicated that Catholic schools were not superior to government schools except in the areas of empowerment and mission consensus. Describes study methodology and provides tables of data. (YKH)

A discussion of the values of single-sex vs. public schooling reviews relevant literature and reports on a study of subject choice among students in three public and two Catholic schools for girls in New South Wales (Australia). Extra-scholastic influences on outcomes, teacher and administrator influences, and strategies for change are discussed.…

In this analysis of the source of Australian government decisions on school science programs and libraries, specific issues are reviewed and the developments placed in political focus. The emergence of federal aid is set in the context of long-term developments in Australian federalism. The forces are examined that obliged the government of Prime…

This book, which is intended to inform Australia's education community about various aspects of the national literacy debate and the policy development process, reviews the literature on literacy teaching in secondary and postsecondary education and the workplace and describes the sociocultural and educational context for development of literacy…