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It’s just over two years since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late 2022.

The SSTUWA is not affiliated with any political party. We are calling on all candidates in the forthcoming state election to face the facts, consider our position and the ample evidence to support it – and commit to action on nine key education issues that affect our public schools and TAFE colleges.

The SSTUWA has welcomed the Premier’s announcement on increased funding for Government Regional Officer Housing.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has delivered an historic commitment for full funding of Australia’s public schools.

Every member of every school community should feel safe, confident and able to engage in their learning or work.

As public educators marked World Teachers’ Day last month, it was reminded that once again, teachers in Western Australia need more than thanks, they need full funding.

Recently published research has found that some schools have manipulated their NAPLAN results by withdrawing low-performing students from the tests.

Banning children under 16 from social media sounds like a seductive idea. For overwhelmed parents navigating their kids’ lives in a digital age, this move from the Australian government may seem like welcome relief. But evidence shows it’s highly unlikely bans will positively impact the youth mental health crisis in this country. Indeed, bans may make our children even more vulnerable online.

Australian students are increasingly taking tests on computers. This includes major tests used to check national progress on literacy and numeracy.

The latest Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Education at a Glance report shows that Australia significantly underperforms against most OECD countries when it comes to investing in public schools.

We all know that early childhood is a critical time that lays the foundation for a child’s future development, wellbeing and learning.

Math education outcomes in the United States have been unequal for decades. Learners in the top 10 per cent socioeconomically tend to be about four grade levels ahead of learners in the bottom 10 per cent – a statistic that has remained stubbornly persistent for 50 years.

With the current buzz around artificial intelligence (AI), it would be easy to assume that it is a recent innovation. In fact, AI has been around in one form or another for more than 70 years. To understand the current generation of AI tools and where they might lead, it is helpful to understand how we got here.

Many people believe teaching is an easy job involving short days and long holidays. Anyone working in the profession, however, will tell you this is not the truth.

The recent media coverage of NAPLAN 2024 has supported the long held SSTUWA view that NAPLAN is not fit for purpose.

Last month, Australia woke up to a barrage of reports about the latest NAPLAN results. Media coverage described an “epic fail”, “plummeting” performances and a “bleak picture”...But many of these analyses are misguided and unhelpful.

Wear it Purple Day will be held on 30 August this year and unites LGBTQIA+ youth and allies to shine a light on the thousands of schools, community organisations, universities and workplaces that are coming together to create a more inclusive future.

If you feel like you’re paying a lot for your child’s private school education, that’s because you probably are.

In Facing the Facts, Dr Carmen Lawrence told us that teachers and school leaders feel undervalued, disrespected and insecure, that the sheer volume of work is exacerbated by growing complexity, that burnout must be addressed - and that more system support is needed.

The more things change, the more (some) things stay the same.