Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO)’s Post

At the Golden Globes this weekend, actor Paul Giamatti dedicated his win to teachers. “Teachers are good people, you've got to respect them. They do a good thing, it's a tough job, so this is for teachers as well, thanks guys." It was nice to hear educators appreciated on a televised award show. After all, there isn’t an award show for the teachers, although it’s a profession that has a profound impact on each of us. Fewer young people are studying teaching, and only 1 in 5 Americans would now counsel a young person to work in the education field. This excellent article in Forbes addresses some of the systematic change we need – in pay and in job growth opportunities – but also emphasizes how a cultural change also needs to take place. We need to stop blaming teachers and schools - we need them to be and feel appreciated! Kids are back from winter break. Teachers are showing up in classrooms in your neighborhood to help kids learn. Whether you have students in school now or not, we all benefit from that work. It is essential. How could you thank a teacher today? A short note. A gift card for coffee. Attending a PTO meeting to advocate for them. Voting for a levy. Providing some fresh classroom supplies. Voting to elect people who support education and educators. Sharing this article with others? All of us have a chance to help recruit the next generation of teachers. It starts by making the jobs of this generation’s more rewarding. https://lnkd.in/dSFRfS9v

The Supply Hub has been created by Teachers for schools and supply staff. The idea first came about at 7:00pm one evening after receiving a call from a Year 1 teacher. They weren't going to be in the following day. We were already short-staffed. Who was going to cover? It shouldn't have, but the stress spoilt my evening with my family as I was worried about who would be able to teach that class in the morning. I knew I needed to wait until 7:00am for the supply desk to open- how frustrating?! 7:00am rolled around, I picked up the phone and called supply. "Leave it with me!" was the reply on the other end of the phone. 25 minutes later, the phone rings, they don't have anybody available. Phone the next agency on my list, all booked up. I try the next one. Same outcome! In the end, meetings had to be cancelled, but we were able to keep disruption to a minimum thanks to the fantastic staff we had. With The Supply Hub, the control is at your fingertips. If you're booking supply, you can request a teacher or support staff whenever you want from any device, with just a couple of clicks. As a supply staff member, you're able to accept or decline the jobs as the ping to your phone (similar to that taxi app that rhymes with 'scuba'). Not only did the ease of it all appeal to me, but cutting out the middle-man means cost savings too. Compared to what I was paying, The Supply Hub would save £500 a month (based on just one teacher employed every day). The staff themselves would also pocket an additional £300 a month. I'd really appreciate it if you would share our page with other people in the education sector to spread the word of The Supply Hub. Hopefully this can be the start of something huge!

Teachers are the unsung heroes of our education system, tirelessly working to shape young minds. But let’s be honest, even heroes need a little appreciation to keep their capes flying high. 🎓✨ Research shows that teacher appreciation from administrators and parents is more than just a nice gesture—it’s a powerful motivator. According to a study by the American Psychological Association, when teachers feel supported and valued, they are more likely to experience job satisfaction and stay committed to their students, which ultimately leads to better educational outcomes . A simple “thank you” or a thoughtful note can turn a day of juggling lesson plans, grading papers, and dodging flying spitballs into a day that feels like a win. After all, happy teachers make for happy classrooms, and happy classrooms are where high-quality education thrives. So, let’s keep those compliments coming and remember: a well-timed coffee gift card can do wonders for the educational experience too! ☕📚 #TeacherAppreciation #Education #Gratitude #SupportOurTeachers

The first version (not a draft) of the 2024-2025 Application and Verification Guide (AVG) was released last week. See https://lnkd.in/enzTniZC. I have been updating my curriculum to reflect the information provided in this important document, and thought I’d use its release to provide some updates and clarifications based on what I have seen. Each of these topics has come up more than once in my webinars and trainings, so if you’ve seen any of my 2024-2025 programming, please pay close attention. All page numbers refer to the page in the pdf version of the document. The AVG itself does not have page numbers, so refer to the page number in the Adobe Reader sidebar.   FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH: The AVG states “[s]tudents should only indicate they received free or reduced-price school lunch on the FAFSA form if they meet the income eligibility guidelines published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.” I had heard from multiple sources that some state agencies were telling people to report they received this federal benefit even if every student in the state did, without regard to means-tested eligibility. These agencies are incorrect. See page 19.   IRS VERIFICATION OF NONFILING LETTERS: My understanding has been (and continues to be) that IRS VNFs are no longer required of non-filers who are subject to the IRS’s authority. This was emphasized in the Better FAFSA, Better Future summer webinars and elsewhere in the Department’s communications. This is also stated on page 44 of the new AVG. However, the new AVG has also carried forward language from prior years’ AVGs and states on page 48 that “[y]ou must also require the person (except dependent students) to submit a “Verification of Nonfiling (VNF) Letter” from the IRS dated on or after October 1, 2023, attesting that they did not file a 2022 IRS tax return.” I am assuming that the latter language is incorrect, and hope the Department issues a correction quickly.   MINIMUM PELL AND NEGATIVE AGIs: The AVG did not update the criteria for Minimum Pell and these criteria still do not exclude applicants from receiving Minimum Pell if the relevant contributor has a 0 or negative AGI. I have seen nothing from Ed suggesting Minimum Pell is limited to contributors with positive AGIs,.   INCOME EARNED FROM WORK: In prior years, both the FAFSA and the AVG instructed that if a component of the earned income questions was negative, it should be treated as 0 when calculating the income earned value. This language continues to be missing from the FAFSA and was not included in the AVG. The Department has not said that this aspect of the question has changed, and I do not know yet how this value should be calculated and verified. Also, both the FAFSA and the AVG now indicate that the Form 1040 component of the income earned from work question comes from Form 1040, line 1z.   There are other issues that I will share in an upcoming post.

Calling All Sessional Instructors in BC’s Post-Secondary Sector! Are you a sessional instructor navigating the shifting landscape of post-secondary education? I’m conducting a research study for my EdD journey that focuses on understanding how sessional instructors engage in professional development and how these experiences prepare them for the shifting post-secondary environment. What’s Involved? ·        1-hour virtual interview ·        2-hour group story session ·        500-word journal reflection ·        Feedback on data analysis This is an opportunity to share your story and contribute to research that could influence future faculty development programs. Your Commitment: Approximately 5-6 hours over three months. As a token of appreciation, participants will receive a $30 gift card. Interested in Participating? Please complete a brief survey (https://lnkd.in/g2UDUaAm) to share your details. I’m looking for sessional instructors from across BC, representing different levels and institutions. The survey will ask about: ·        Your experience and institutional affiliation ·        Your sessional instructor status and category (Career Ender, Aspiring Academic, Freelancer, Expert) ·        A short description of your most recent professional development experience ·        Your capacity to commit to the study The first 6-10 participants meeting the criteria will be selected. The University of Calgary Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board has approved this study (REB24-1212). Reach out to me via email if you have any questions. Helena.prins1@ucalgary.ca.

Hi friends! Have you interacted with online courses and tutorials in the past few years? Are you between 25-55 years old? My HCDE Master's capstone team is conducting a study to better understand your eLearning experience. Your insights and answers will guide our research, help us identify opportunity gaps, and reimagine learning. Your involvement is greatly appreciated. Your survey responses are confidential, and we will not disclose your answers to any third party. This survey will take less than 3 minutes. Thank you so much for your time! https://lnkd.in/eepRuUsY #elearningdevelopment #elearning #userresearch #HCDE #onlineeducation

Where to Take Advantage of Discounts for Teachers

With the rise of deep fakes, disinformation, growth in advertising, and the depths of social media, digital media is a minefield to everyone.  The Online Safety Bill was a hot topic in October and mentioned digital literacy as a crucial aspect of staying safe online, but I am not seeing this become a reality. Digital literacy is about access, analysis and evaluation of information. But how are children and adults being taught the critical skills to assess what they access online in a critical way? And how is the Online Safety Bill supporting this? In my mind, it takes educational initiatives and this starts with access to, and then sustained, education. I’d love to know how Ofcom will work with the Department of Education on this one. Despite the seriousness of the issue, there's room for optimism, inspired by the impact of toys in educating kids on digital literacy at the Young Victoria and Albert Museum. It got me thinking – more companies should step up and recognise their role in online safety. It's not just a responsibility; it's an opportunity to protect and empower their customers.

Check it out: Newly Certified and New Teacher Hires 2023-2024 Dashboard The Newly Certified and New Teacher Hires Dashboards, managed by the Educator Data, Research, and Strategy Division at the Texas Education Agency, have been updated to reflect newly certified and newly hired teachers from the 2023-2024 school year. These dashboards provide an understanding of the pathways to being hired as a teacher for newly hired educators. These dashboards provide data from 2009-2010 through 2023-2024 at the state, regional, and LEA levels. —As measured by this dashboard, there was a total of 49,390 newly hired teachers in the 2023-2024 school year, Of these 49,390 newly hired teachers: —34.5% were without a Texas Certification. —33.6% were teachers reentering the workforce after a period of time where they were not employed as a teacher in Texas public schools. —12.7% were Standard Certified teachers, which indicates that these teachers completed clinical student teaching before being a teacher of record. https://lnkd.in/gE5qfvfp

Welcome back to the #EdPolicyHotlist! The first round-up of this year includes interesting updates about state policies (NJ will be the first state where kids are required to learn about grief) and national trends in enrollment and accountability. #edpolicy #edresearch #accountability #studentsuccess https://lnkd.in/gyxNtz7K