1332.0.55.001 - CensusAtSchool Newsletter, Apr 2007  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 02/05/2007   
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April 2007 CensusAtSchool Newsletter - Edition No. 17

Contents
ABS Melbourne conducts successful International CensusAtSchool workshop
Get your copy of 'Getting Started with CensusAtSchool' Professional Development DVD
CensusAtSchool Questionnaire Response Data
Be part of the CensusAtSchool community
Staffing
Release of Census 2006 data coming soon...


ABS Melbourne conducts successful International CensusAtSchool workshop

The first ever International Workshop on CensusAtSchool was hosted by ABS Education Services in Melbourne from 26 to 29 March 2007. Delegates from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, France and Singapore attended the conference with the aim of "Working Cooperatively for the Future". The key aims of the CensusAtSchool international workshop were to:
  • share information about how CensusAtSchool is run in the respective countries;
  • attain better understanding and agreement on a common set of criteria for achieving statistical literacy;
  • establish an agreement and plan for each CensusAtSchool project to have internationally comparable data;
  • establish a policy for unifying the international databases and output;
  • establish an evaluation plan for the global project;
  • develop a strategy to implement an international network for students.

Workshop participants (pictured below) were keen to see this program expand to become a truly international project from which students could access data about themselves and their fellow students from across the world. With each country currently having its own unique set of questions, circumstances and imperatives, this turned out to be a largely complex, but not impossible undertaking. The meeting was successful in getting the discussion started on how to achieve an international project and working towards developing an international policy for CensusAtSchool. A second workshop has been scheduled for March 2008 in Los Angeles, USA.

Image: Participants of the March 2007 International CensusAtSchool workshop.
Participants of the March 2007 International CensusAtSchool workshop.
Vince Lazzaro (RD), Siu-Ming Tam (FAS IMCD), Kerrie Duff (AS IMCD), Paul Taylor (Director CS), Soo Kong (AD NESU) and participants.

The main outcome was the establishment of an international committee to oversee further growth in the CensusAtSchool project in the international arena. Countries that do not currently run a CensusAtSchool project will be offered assistance in setting up the program. We are proud to introduce Kerrie Duff, Head of Information Services Branch of the ABS, as the representative for Australia in the International CensusAtSchool Committee.

Some exciting news for those who love to compare! In the next CensusAtSchool project, there will be a set of common questions which all participating CensusAtSchool countries will include in their CensusAtSchool questionnaire. Not only will CensusAtSchool provide you with a rich source of data about young Australians, soon it will expand to allow you to compare young Australians with students across the globe! What better way to get your students to investigate how they compare to their international peers!


The project is moving forward to become truly international, with 8 countries already involved and more interested in taking part!


Get your copy of 'Getting Started with CensusAtSchool" Professional Development DVD
Image: Professional Development DVD.
The CensusAtSchool team have recently completed the 'Getting Started with CensusAtSchool' Professional Development DVD. The DVD contains all the tools you need to start using CensusAtSchool data in your classroom TODAY. The DVD covers all phases of the project. Included are step-by-step tutorial sessions that will give you ideas about how to use the CensusAtSchool data in your classroom. The DVD also give ideas on how to initiate investigations and make learning about statistics not only engaging, but FUN! Reserve your FREE copy now by emailing censusatschool@abs.gov.au or freecall 1800 623 273.


CensusAtSchool Questionnaire Response Data

During 2006, over 112,000 students completed the CensusAtSchool questionnaire. The CensusAtSchool team started analysing those responses and came up with some interesting findings. Here's some examples of what we produced using the CensusAtSchool questionnaire response data.

Graph: Most common breakfast food of students in Australia

Graph: How do girls and boys spend their time on the internet?

How does your sample compare? Download your random sample today and find out!

Don't forget you can still use the webpages and access data. You can find CensusAtSchool by going to the ABS homepage www.abs.gov.au. Click on 'Education Resources' in the grey menu bar (top right corner) below the green banner. It is a good idea to bookmark the URL or save it in your Favourites.


Be part of the CensusAtSchool community

The CensusAtSchool team is eager to find out how schools are using the data. Do you have any terrific ideas or plans for using this resource that you would like to share with the CensusAtSchool community? Please contact us and share your experiences with other teachers.

Staffing

The CensusAtSchool team would like to take this opportunity to farewell Ian Wong and thank him for his enormous contribution to the Australian CensusAtSchool Project.

Ian Wong has been one of the project's key drivers and his contribution has been invaluable in spreading the word about this fantastic resource to teachers and students. Ian Wong was the Secondary School Teacher Consultant with the ABS and was responsible for delivering professional development programs across the Nation, attending conferences, trade shows and workshops and helping Australian schools embrace CensusAtSchool.

We would like to thank Ian for his dedication, motivation, insight and input and wish him well in his future endeavours.

We would also like to welcome Brian Morphett, who has joined the ABS Education Services team as the Secondary School Teacher Consultant. Many of you may know Brian from Mentone Grammar, others through his contribution to CAS. Either way, he will be a welcome addition to the CensusAtSchool team.

Also joining the CensusAtSchool team is Hiba Molaeb, who will be responsible for the maintenance and updating of the CensusAtSchool webpage, promotional strategies and overall technical running of the CensusAtSchool project. Welcome Hiba.

Release of Census 2006 data coming soon...

The release data for Census 2006 data has now been confirmed - 27 June 2007! Why not use CensusAtSchool data to compare your students to the Australian population? Do parents travel to work the same way students travel to school? Is the most common country of birth in your school the same as that of the Australian population? The 2001 Census data is in the same easy-to-use format that the Census 2006 data will use. Why not have a look now and start planning your lessons before the big release in June 2007. Access a summary of key Census data for your area using MapStats.
If you have any questions or general CensusAtSchool project enquiries, please contact ABS Education Services, CensusAtSchool Team by email censusatschool@abs.gov.au or on free call 1800 623 273 between 9:00am and 5:00pm (AEST) Monday to Friday.
Image: Online Newsletter
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