On Tuesday 17th November, 2009 The Australian National Schools Network (ANSN) hosted a national forum to discuss the Federal Government’s Education Revolution two years into its term in office, and its impact on school education.

The Deputy Prime Minister the Hon. Julia Gillard launched the forum and delivered a précis on the Governments progress and accomplishments to date.

Since the election of the Rudd Labor Government, the education community has been excited by the opportunities for new and imaginative work to begin again. New schools are being built, existing schools are being renovated, computers and other new technologies are being rolled out to schools and large scale partnerships either have been or are being negotiated between the state and federal governments with the specific goals of improving student learning and lives and teacher quality and learning.

These partnerships, are designed to challenge us all to think differently about how we do our work in schools. There is a welcome focus on those young people in poorer communities who traditionally do not do as well as their more affluent peers. Partnerships to improve literacy and numeracy have been negotiated, a new national curriculum and assessment and reporting regime with a high level board that has begun its work.

There are new responses to youth unemployment and early school leaving which challenges young people to earn or learn and calls on the education community to create new pathways and schooling programs to assist this to happen.

Watch videos below:

Attached are papers, statements and videos from the conference.