So the Gillard government plans to make schools autonomous (The Australian, 30 Dec).
This brings back memories of a plan by the Queensland Government in 1997 to do just the same, using the Orwellian term “Leading Schools”. A very broad coalition of teachers, parents, educators and community members defeated the plan. We showed, using the state government’s own well-documented website, that there was not a shred of evidence that school-based management improves education for children.
The main impetus for the plan then was pressure from big business to destroy the organisational strength of teachers. A scan of the Business Council of Australia proposals for Australian education from the 1990s shows detailed plans for school-based management as well as the destruction of teachers' unions.
It appears they are at it again! This time it is the Federal ALP Government dancing to their tune.
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