BridgeBaronThanks for your feedback, I appreciate the time &...

BridgeBaron

Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate the time & thought you put in.

My earlier post was not intended to convey the impression that govt. schools, or me as a retired Principal, don't care about high achieving students - quite the reverse in fact as demonstrated by the VCE dux I quoted. I acknowledge that I have only secondhand knowledge of the Qld ed. system & respect your own personal experience.

My assertion is that particularly in Victoria govt. schools are required to cater for all students, for whom they have a strong record of "value-adding" & for which they are more than held publicly accountable.

Re only being required to complete a one year graduate diploma to become a teacher - IMO the whole area of teacher education has been abused by short-sighted govts taking short-cuts [with just a few colleagues I even had a personal audience with Brendan Nelson when he was Ed Min in this regard, for a nil response]. In Vic. Principals have long promoted a massive overhaul & fresh approach - funding & political control by bureaucracy & universities remain as major stumbling blocks.

Re your comments on excellence & overseas initiatives you may be pleasantly surprised if you have a qucik squiz at one such Vic school with which I continue an association:

http://www.wodonga.vic.edu.au/

Cheers,

Lapdog