Building the Education Revolution (BER) - Primary Schools for the 21st Century

[Cathy Hainstock]

Hi all,
Yesterday Karen Bonanno posted to the OZ_NET community forum this -
>snip< "To boost jobs and invest in Australia's long term future the Rudd
Government will build or upgrade buildings in every one of Australia's 9,540
schools.
Building the Education Revolution is a $14.7 billion long term investment to
improve the quality of facilities, like gymnasiums, libraries and science
labs in Australian schools.
Building the Education Revolution will commence in 2008-09 and will build
or upgrade large scale infrastructure, such as libraries and multipurpose
halls in every primary school, special school, and K-12 school in
Australia....."

The "inside information" I have received is this will be a capital
expenditure only for new or refurbished school library buildings in primary
schools. The anticipated position is a school library in every primary
school. Funds for resources and personnel will have to be covered by the
school as the building program is part of the economic stimulus package. A
slight disappointment is the school will have the option to build/improve
the school library or a gym or a multipurpose hall.....but I have been
advised by DEEWR that the priority is for school libraries.

Karen Bonanno

ASLA Executive Officer >snip<

As a TL (still studying) at a small primary school (whose little library was recently moved into a classroom in a portable) this sounds like very good news to me. =)
I've begun a dialogue with the principal and committee already - getting my 'dibs' in so we don't end up with some gym or hall instead. I'd like to start thinking about planning a facility and wondered if anyone had a recommendation for useful literature - books, articles, etc. I should be making myself familiar with.

Also wondering how this news will be affecting other TLs in Melbourne? and how you are going about influencing the use of this funding.

Cheers,
Cathy

[Julie Squires]

Part of my T-L course involved 'Designing Spaces for Learning' and I found the writing of Prakash Nair & Randall Fielding particularly useful. (There is a book, I think) I noticed a recent article which might be a starting point of sorts:

http://www.edutopia.org/comfortable-truth

[Cathy Hainstock]

Thanks Julie, great article - don't you just love the edutopia site? So much to explore - so well done.

Cheers,
Cathy

[Julie Squires]

The book is great too! I used it as the main source for an assignment. By the way, we just added wall tiles to a wall in our library and the effect is fantastic. We plan to attach art work for exhibitions.