Home About the IEU About the IEUA Branch Contact Details IEUA Archives News IEU in the news IEU in the news - Canberra Times - Fears funding cuts loom for private schools, 8 Sept 2011 Gonski review should recognise fundamental funding basics Policy & Submissions Submissons IEU Submissions Submission to Productivity Commission inquiry - School Workforce Policies IEU Policies The IEUA Speaks Education IEU Education Accomplished Teaching Pay and conditions IEU Industrial Wages Report Publications Independent Education magazine Social Justice Human Rights & Equity Australia needs a new approach to asylum seekers and refugees Indigenous Education Watch Education Watch Education Watch - US study finds teacher bonuses not the answer. EI 6th World Congress Grant news - IEU welcomes new round of successful Solar Schools program Cooperation Not Competition RSS Get news via an RSS feed		2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 School Funding Review Defending the Rights of Workers - 21 December 2010 A sobering article on the attacks on teacher unionism in the US in spite of the progressive and professional manner in which the unions and their members conduct their business. (article from The Huffington Post) more How do successful school systems treat teachers? - 13 December 2010 In the wake of PISA 2009 and consistent calls in the media to 'remove the worst teachers', a well written article examines the question of country 'achievement' on the tests from the perspective of support for teachers. more WISE 2010 - 3 December 2010 IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt has again been invited to the World Innovation Summit for Education in Doha, Qatar, sponsored by the Qatar Foundation. The Summit will be held from 7-9 December. more Class Sizes DO Matter - 29 November 2010 Despite generalised claims in a recent statement by Ben Jensen from the Grattan Institute, the most comprehenive study on this issue, a longitudinal survey, conducted by the Tennessee Dept of Education, the Student Teacher Achievement Ratio project, provides evidence that class size does make an impact. more Senate Report on Inquiry into NAPLAN - 29 November 2010 Having been recently rejected in the UK because of the adverse impact on education in schools, the majority report of the Senate Inquiry recommends annual national testing of all students in years 3 - 10. Only the Greens provided a dissenting comment. more Festive Season Teacher Bashing - 25 November 2010 Check out posts on the IEUA Facebook page: UK Ofsted findings reported with media 'flair' and Bill Gates big on rhetoric small on detail 'plan' to change teacher salaries. Access the IEUA Facebook from the link on the right hand side. more White Ribbon Day - 25 November 2010 Every week in Australia, at least one woman is killed by her current or former partner, often after a history of domestic violence. Domestic violence is the leading contributor to death, disability and illness of women under 45. more MySchool Changes Good...Could Have Been Better... - 17 November 2010 Changes announced to the MySchool website have been welcomed by the IEUA and most of the recommendations of the Working Party have been adopted. However, changes to recommendations about the 'landing page' might make the site less friendly for parents than the Working Party had proposed. more Grattan Institute Report Flawed - 16 November 2010 The report's claim, released on the weekend, that "government spending on education increased about 40 per cent over the past decade, much of it spent on reducing class sizes" is simply wrong writes IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt. more World Innovation Summit for Education - 12 November 2010 The IEUA Federal Secretary has again been invited to attend WISE in Qatar for the second year, along with over 1,000 selected participants "from many different walks of life and every corner of the world." more Funding Figures a Sleight of Hand - 8 November 2010 The national convenor for 'save our schools' has an uncanny ability to manipulate data on school funding to present a biased and misleading picture of school expenditure writes Independent Education Union of Australia Federal Secretary Chris Watt more Minister Asks for Advice on Students with Disability - 5 November 2010 The IEUA has welcomed a move by Federal School Education Minister Peter Garrett to commission advice on strategies that could assist school students with disability and special needs. more World Teachers' Day 2010 - 29 October 2010 Australian teachers join with more than 50 million colleagues around the world to celebrate 2010 World Teachers' Day on October 29. more Generation One - Take Action Now - 25 October 2010 29% of young indigenous Australians are not earning or learning compared to 9% on non-indigenous young people. Find out more more School Funding Debate Deserves Transparency - 25 October 2010 Comments made on the weekend about independent publicly funded schools paint a misleading and potentially unfair picture writes IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt. more Australian Curriculum Work Needs Major Revision - 22 October 2010 The Australian Curriculum Coalition represents a forum of Presidents, Executive Officers and Executive Directors of National Education Organisations. The IEUA is a member of the Coalition. The Coalition shares a number of similar concerns about the process of development, work to date, conceptual framework and structural issues of the first drafts, assessment and reporting issues and finally, implementation issues. more ABCC 'Makeover' - 21 October 2010 The CFMEU today rejected moves by the new head of the Australian Building and Construction Commission to recast the public image of the organisation. more A Sliver of Humanity - 18 October 2010 The decision of the federal government to provide for release into the community of some 700 asylum seekers is a most welcomed change in stance, writes the IEUA more Time to Invest in Teachers - World Teachers' Day 2010 - 5 October 2010 World Teachers' Day is not only occasion to celebrate teachers, but also to draw attention to their status, employment conditions. more MySchool and NAPLAN Need Overhaul - 24 September 2010 A survey conducted by the University of Technology Sydney targeting over 2000 schools, including both principals and teachers, has provided important and considered analysis of what is right and wrong with the current MySchool website and the NAPLAN testing regime. more Performance Pay causes Underperformance - 24 September 2010 The Federal Government announced during the election campaign its intention to introduce 'performance pay' for teachers. Professor of Management at UCLA Samuel Culbert in a Wall Street Journal article concludes that "annual performance assessments destroys morale, kills teamwork and hurts the bottom line...and that's just for starters". more So you think we've lost our heart? - 23 September 2010 An open letter to our political leaders from ACU Adjunct Professor Dr Anne Benjamin calling for a more humane and non-partisan conversation about the challenge to Australia in dealing with asylum-seekers compassionately has been published in the NSW/ACT Branch Newsmonth journal. more Teacher Standards Validation - 21 September 2010 Teachers interested in contributing to the validation of the draft National Professional Standards for Teachers will be able to do so online. more Have Your Say - 2 September 2010 The draft National Teaching Standards are to be validated by University of New England research group SiMERR more September 4 2010 is Equal Pay Day - 2 September 2010 The date illustrates the number of extra days women have to work after the financial year in order to earn the same amount that men earn in twelve months. September 4 commemorates the day when women's earnings "catch up" more Staff in Australia's Schools Survey - 31 August 2010 The Staff in Australia's Schools (SiAS) survey is now in schools. The IEUA encourages schools and teachers to take part if invited. more $1.5 billion Education Cuts a Disgrace - 20 August 2010 The Coalition's announcement on the eve of the federal election for further cuts on top of $3 billion already announced is simply outrageous , writes IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt more Money to Recognise Skilled Teachers Welcomed - 9 August 2010 A $1.25 billion commitment to recognising high quality teachers is a good start, writes IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt more Gillard Protects Jobs - 4 August 2010 Thousands of classroom jobs will be protected by the federal government's move to extend non-government school funding. more Workplace Safety Must Be Improved - 23 July 2010 It is outrageous that yet another husband and father has not returned home to his family after a day at work following an avoidable accident that took his life while working on the waterfront. All union members extend their sympathy to the family of Stephen Piper. more Staff in Australia's Schools Survey - 14 July 2010 The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) will be conducting the Staff in Australia's Schools (SiAS) survey in August and September. The survey, which is commissioned by DEEWR, is a vital resource for planning the teacher and school leader workforces. more IEUA Submission to Senate Inquiry into NAPLAN - 28 June 2010 The IEUA conducted an online survey of principals and chapter representatives from over 2000 schools to provide 'chalkface' evidence for the Union submission to the Senate Inquiry. more IEUA Congratulates Prime Minister Gillard - 25 June 2010 The IEUA has written to Prime Minister Gillard congratulating her on her election. more First Meeting of MySchool Working Party - 24 June 2010 The first meeting of the ACARA Working Party to review the MySchool website was held in Sydney on June 17th. The IEUA is a member of the working party. more APPA Guiding Principles for NAPLAN Welcomed - 10 June 2010 The Australian Primary Principals Association paper Overarching Principles Governing the Reporting and Use of NAPLAN is a welcomed contribution to the debate on NAPLAN testing, said Independent Education Union of Australia Federal Secretary Chris Watt more 1 GOAL - 8 June 2010 1GOAL have released a ten point action plan to deliver Education for All as a lasting legacy of the 2010 World Cup. more 1 Goal - Education for All - 8 June 2010 1GOAL is a campaign seizing the power of football to ensure that education for all is a lasting impact of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Raising our voices all over the world we believe that, together, we can make education a reality for the millions of boys and girls who remain out of school. more Performance Pay - What Really Motivates People? - 4 June 2010 Studies have consistently shown that for work requiring high cognitive engagement, like teaching, the 'carrot and stick' model not only doesn't work but might cause performance to decline. more Submission to 'Professional Standards for Teachers' draft - 24 May 2010 The IEUA has called for substantial revision of the draft National Professional Standards for Teachers including development of a clear conceptual underpinning to the Standards. more Cuts to Teacher Quality Program Short-sighted - 19 May 2010 The Federal Opposition's list of planned 'savings' reveals cuts of over $1.1 billion from school programs including $425 million from the Teacher Quality Program. The IEUA believes that these cuts are not in schools' best interests. more IEUA Commends Teacher Professionalism - 14 May 2010 "The teaching profession is to be commended for its hard work and dedication in delivering the NAPLAN tests this week, writes IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt. more Execution of Iranian teacher unionist Farzad Kamangar - 13 May 2010 Iranian teacher unionist Farzad Kamangar together with four other Kurdish political prisoners, was executed, in secret, on Sunday 9 May at Evin Prison in Tehran. Farzad, a 35-year-old teacher and member of the Teachers' Trade Association of Kurdistan, was accused of "endangering national security" and "enmity against God". more How to Improve MySchool - 12 May 2010 The IEUA has written to the Deputy Prime Minister outlining areas of concern about the structure and content of the MySchool website and proposing ways in which presentation of data currently on the website could be improved. more Trade Unions write to PM about Australia's treatment of Refugees - 12 May 2010 20 Trade Unions and affiliated organisation leaders have endorsed a letter to the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and all Members of Parliament. more NAPLAN Breakthrough - 6 May 2010 The IEUA has welcomed the establishment of an ACARA working party to facilitate improvements to the MySchool website. more Paid Parental Leave - Time to Deliver - 30 April 2010 Legislation enacting the Paid Parental Leave is to be considered by Parliament within the next couple of months. It is imperative that the Paid Parental Leave Scheme be approved for implementation from 1 January 2011 as proposed. more Teachers Win Fight for Professional Recognition - 22 April 2010 Collective resolve wins long awaited outcome for Catholic school teachers in Queensland. more Union Committed to Improving MySchool - 12 April 2010 The IEUA is committed to improving the MySchool website. "The IEUA has concerns about the inappropriate use of that data by some media outlets but that does not warrant us calling on our members to ban the tests, says Federal President Dick Shearman. "and that is a decision taken in our circumstances. more IEUA Proposes Improvements to MySchool Website - 9 April 2010 The IEUA has written to Dr Peter Hill, Chief Executive Officer ACARA, with recommendations for improvements to the structure of the MySchool website to ensure that the site provides quality information that is both meaningful to parents and presented in context. more No Ban on NAPLAN - 9 April 2010 IEU members will supervise NAPLAN tests in non-government schools in May. The IEUA does not support a ban on NAPLAN but remains absolutely opposed to the misuse of data by some media outlets. more Is Anyone Listening to Teachers? - 1 April 2010 Education Week article notes consistent views of teacher surveys in which teachers report that what they need to be successful includes: the quality of their schools' leadership, a say in school decisionmaking, and opportunities to work with their peers affect their own capacity as educators. But is anyone listening? more MySchool Website needs Overhaul - 26 March 2010 While the Deputy Prime Minister has announced expansion of the MySchool webiste the IEUA argues that there is a need for a major overhaul of the existing structure more Funding All Students Irrespective of Sector - 25 March 2010 The IEUA supports funding for quality education to meet the national goals for all students irrespective of which sector those students are enrolled in and welcomes the Connors/McMorrow report that supports such a principle. more APPA School Funding Paper Welcomed - 19 March 2010 The IEUA welcomes the Australian Primary Principals Association, APPA, contribution to the debate on school funding in the lead up tot his year's review writes Independent Education Union of Australia Federal Secretary Chris Watt more IEUA Symposium Promotes Lively Conversation - 18 March 2010 Guests at the IEUA Symposium "Our Diverse Schooling System" yesterday, 17 March, were treated to a range of dynamic, challenging and thought-provoking presentations by fantastic speakers on the themes of bonding, bridging and linking social capital. Papers from the Symposium can be accessed here. more BER Nonsense - 16 March 2010 The IEUA totally dissociates itself from calls today for an independent inquiry into the Building the Education program. This program has been one of the most successful and significant infrastructure programs in Australia since Federation more Our Diverse Schooling System - 16 March 2010 How non-government schools contribute to a diverse and cohesive Australia will be the topic of discussion at Our Diverse Schooling System, the 2010 Symposium of the Independent Education Union more Engage with Teachers Now about National Curriculum - 12 February 2010 State jurisdictions must act promptly to establish consultative frameworks that include teachers and their unions to consider the Australian Curriculum, writes Independent Education Union of Australia Federal Secretary Chris Watt more IEUA Seeks Urgent Meeting - 12 February 2010 In the wake of the launch of the MySchool website, indications that the Index of educational advantage will be reviewed and announcements of further information to be provided in future iterations of the website, the IEUA is seeking an urgent meeting with the government agency responsible for the website. more MySchool - An Employer Perspective - 5 February 2010 If you are quietly basking in the glory of your results I presume that you will continue to bask humbly because for you to get "fields of green" someone had to get equivalent "fields of red" - that's how it works! writes Sandhurst Diocesan Director Denis Higgins more MySchool Website Unnecessary and Unhelpful - 28 January 2010 IEUA Federal Secretary Chris Watt believes that the highly publicised MySchool webite is both unecessary and unhelpful. "The website will compare schools based on NAPLAN tests that are fundamentally designed to assess individual students' achievement and provide for diagnosis and teaching/learning planning" he said. more Online Media Simplistic MySchool Reporting - 28 January 2010 Almost predictably a number in the media have taken simplistic snapshots from the MySchool website to continue their political campaign against some schools, said Independent Education Union of Australia Federal Secretary Chris Watt more More Spin from Joel Klein - 27 January 2010 Joel Klein's Opinion piece in The Australian newspaper claims NY success from 'transparency reporting' in improved graduation rates and student results relative to other US jurisdictions. He claims that "The only people who should fear more transparency are those who have something to hide". At least one NY parent has a different perspective. more Modern Awards - 25 January 2010 Modern Awards apply to very few employees in non-government education. The overwhelming majority of IEUA members will not have their conditions of employment affected by the new Modern Awards which came into operation on 1 January 2010 as part of the new federal industrial relations system. more Bonding, Bridging, Linking - 22 January 2010 The IEUA National Symposium on March 17 will feature contributions from preeminent educators and commentators and will be opened by Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard more Continued Vigilance Necessary - 20 Septmeber 2010 IEUA members need to remain vigilant on progress of the Australian Curriculum to ensure teachers' jobs are not put at risk as a potentially crowded curriculum diminishes the time available for subjects in later phases. more