Volume 5 Issue 1

This research project investigated the current provisions for students with special needs (SWSN) in a national, Australian, Christian school system (49 schools) during 2009–2010. Most respondents were the designated special needs teachers in those schools; however, in some of the small schools the principal also carried this role. In addition to the quantitative data reported via questionnaires, respondents were able to comment on relevant issues and possible solutions, as they perceived them. Issues and tensions included managing limited funding for SWSN in non-government schools; a lack of appropriate qualifications for staff who worked with SWSN; enrolment of SWSN and a changing school profile; lack of networking and sharing between the schools in the system; and diagnosis for students with special needs. Results indicated that 16% of the students had special needs, 28% of the schools did not have any designated special needs staff, while a further 36% did not have qualified staff in this role. The paper includes discussion of the evidence-based issues facing these schools and the system, together with a number of recommendations for improvement.

One person sees a vase, another sees two black

faces looking at each other. Another image: Is

it a fashionable young lady or an old woman?

In classic figure / ground visual perception

experiments, viewers’ ‘perceptual sets’ and

their personal interests, including emphasising

some shapes and contours, may strengthen one

‘interpretation’ more than the other, according to

psychologists.

The article critiquing my Bedtime stories,

published in a recent issue of Teach journal of

Christian education,2 appears to focus on only one

interpretation, an imbalance that I believe needs

addressing. I acknowledge the critique’s generosity

(however muted) regarding certain aspects of the

Bedtime stories series and take note of some of

the perceived weaknesses in my children’s texts.

Notwithstanding that Nicholls and Reynaud write

from the vantage point of the 21st century and with

hindsight, there is merit in scrutinising the validity of

some of their arguments. Before embarking on this

task, however, it seems instructive to provide some

general context through reflecting and personal

reminiscing.

This article reviews eight research studies from literature that focus on spirituality in educational leadership. The discussion will be of interest to educational leaders across a range of sectors who intentionally value spirituality within their professional practice and institutional cultures. Spirituality is understood in the literature as a complex and contested phenomenon, the meanings of which may be shaped and reshaped by diverse perspectives and experiences. Spirituality includes personal, social-cultural and transcendent connectedness, meaning making about life and living, and a desire for greater authenticity, resulting in consistency between people’s beliefs, moral-values, attitudes and their actions. Readers are invited to reflect on their personal meanings and practice of spirituality in their leadership in the light of the research findings.

The 21st century is placing new demands on teachers and schools. Children are growing up in a society that is characterised by exponential change, escalating social issues and everchanging technology. Because of this rapidly changing culture, our students will face challenges that do not currently exist, when they reach the workplace (Davies, McNulty & Maddox, 2011). These factors have shifted the perceived necessary skill base from knowledge based to thinking based skills such as creativity and flexibility. One area of education that is continuing to receive attention is the area of critical thinking, or mental flexibility (Davies et al., 2011). This article explores one model of teaching mental flexibility and evaluates its effectiveness for teaching discernment in a Christian environment.

This article describes the development of empathy within children and provides classroom-based interventions that will foster its development. The development of empathy is a complex process involving both cognitive and affective functioning and awareness. Various perspectives of empathy are explored including what develops, when it develops, and how it develops. Cultural issues are raised that identify variations in development based on socialisation, gender, and cultural values. Abnormal development of empathy is discussed in the form of aggression and bullying. Interventions for fostering empathy within the victim and the bully and for fostering empathy within the classroom setting are described. The article concludes by placing empathy within the context of the Christian worldview of following Christ’s example and identifies the many benefits of teaching empathy in schools.

This article presents a new framework for the

governance of Christian Schools—a Community

Governance Framework that centres on the key

roles and relationships contained within that

community. Relationships are central to the

Community Governance Framework, as it is our

belief that quality healthy relationships are critical to

growing healthy Christian organisations.

Whilst there are many similarities and familiar

elements between the Community Governance

Framework and other models, the unique difference

is that the Community Governance Framework

seeks to put all the pieces of the governance puzzle

together in one place to show, in effect, what a

healthy Christian school actually looks like. The

framework has been developed through practical

experience as consultants working with the Boards

of hundreds of Christian Schools and Not for Profit

organisations.

One of the primary objectives of schooling should involve the teaching of tools for lifelong learning. As a result, many educators place a high priority on empowering students with thinking skills such as the ability to reason, to make informed judgements, to critically evaluate information, and to think both creatively and caringly. Immersion in high order thinking, therefore, should be an integral aspect of learning. This paper discusses the need for a framework that ensures this occurs in every classroom, every day.