This chapter explores the nature of the unevenness of student outcomes in rural regions. We present a comprehensive report of variations in student outcomes and gain scores using State-wide testing data for Years 3, 5, 7 and 8 Literacy and Numeracy and Years 10 and 12 English and Mathematics analysed by three indicators of place (Country Area Programs, 'Regionality', and School Transfer Points) and one indicator of poverty (Priority School Funding Programs. The analysis then drills down to variations in outcomes at regional and local school levels in one rural region. Thus schooling outcomes at three levels of spatial organization are analysed: state, regional and School Education Area.

Multigrade teaching was introduced to Bhutan to address the Education for All (EFA) goals. Multigrade schools are those rural schools in which a teacher must teach more than one grade in a class and sometimes all grades from K to 6. The Bhutanese Multigrade Attachment Project (BMAP), involving a phase in Australia and another in Bhutan, was commenced in 1993. Two major changes occurred during the 16 years of implementation following an essentially "one shot" model of continuing professional development (CPD) of the early years. A range of data from these two changes were analysed indicating that the BMAP had had an impact upon the majority of participants. The features of BMAP are identified.

Innovative online mentoring for beginning teachers was trialled in the University of New England (UNE), Australia, Educational Alumni Support Project (EdASP) in 2005. The CIREMS model of online mentoring was developed. CIREMS features were Context awareness, Immediacy and Reflectivity, mentee Election to take part, Mentees could be mentors and a Supportive environment. Analyses of the online mentoring processes indicated four important micro processes, three of which were congruent with the overarching CIREMS model.

Doctoral education in Australia is currently under pressure to become more industry focused. This report discusses the relatively recent experience of offering doctoral education through professional doctorate programs as a contribution to the improvement of doctoral education in Australian universities. The evaluation focused on the extent to which such programs had developed practices for sustaining closer collaboration between universities and industry, through: • a review of the general literatures relating to the role of doctoral research in contributing to the growth of knowledge and innovation; • a multi-method exploration of the range of practices and relationships associated with professional doctorate programs; and • the development of strategies and policy recommendations for optimising doctoral education in Australian universities in terms of industry-focused outcomes. When set against the 800-year history of the PhD, the professional doctorate is a young doctorate, the first being set up in Australia within the last two decades. The nature and status of professional doctorates remains unclear to many, including a number of university administrators of research training, as well as government and industry personnel. The fact that 61 per cent of professional doctorate programs fall under the classification of ‘research’ higher degrees is not widely understood. Moreover, the 131 programs we found to exist in 35 of the 38 Australian public universities, exhibit a wide range of structures and features.

The paper reconceptualizes the traditional research at the Bachelors (Hons) and Masters (Hons) levels and so creates new pathways in research from Bachelors through Masters to Doctoral level. The starting point is Gibbons and colleagues (1994) 'new production of knowledge' in which university knowledge is not privileged over knowledge production in other sites such as workplaces. The three-way model of Lee, Green and Brennan (200) for Professional Doctoral education is generalised to the other two levels of university research awards and the portfolio is presented as an important alternative to the dissertation as a research product.

This paper addresses a number of important issues related to establishing a research project by a postgrad student. The paper takes the form of a series of conversations between a student and a supervisor. They correspond to the kinds of conversations that a postgrad and supervisor might have in the early stages of the research process, until the researcher is beginning to gather data. The conversations are based upon the experiences of the writer but none are identifiable situations and the complexities of co-supervision have been largely excluded.

The question of connecting what is learned at university and within school sites has always been considered problematic. In the Teaching Project unit. we address this through the issue of the problematic of knowledge production. specifically the work of Gibbons et al. (1994) and Lee, Green and Brennan (2000). In this paper we set out the theoretical frameworks of the unit, including its position as the final unit in the Bachelor of Education (Primary) (BEd(P)) in a developmental continuum. We also show our pedagogical approach using combinations of an online learning management system (WebeT) both on and off campus. We examine the connection between the preparatory workshops and the online work in the first semester and the action research project completed while on internship in second semester. Additionally, the articulation between the Teaching Project unit and professional experience within the Internship unit is discussed.

This HERDSA Guide takes a new approach to higher degree research supervision by conceptualizing the research task via what we call the Research Matrix. The matrix links methodology, design and practical realities in one view using the research questions as the key focus. It uses a two dimensional framework like a spreadsheet. In the early stages the research questions (and sub questions) form the first columns) and then design and methodological features are added as they develop. In the latter stages, its multi-dimensional nature helps to keep control of the project in terms of time, breadth and depth.

Bhutan's pristine environment is the legacy of our forefathers. This legacy is one that all Bhutanese cherish because it is the wealth and pride of our country . Some of the splendor of the Bhutanese environment was captured by Richard Conniff, a visitor to Bhutan from Yale (USA) in his article, 'Seeking the Middle Path'. ... Maintaining the environment in an unspoiled form accords with Buddhism- the state religion. The basic principles of Buddhism are to give back to nature what has been taken away and to respect all forms of life. Environmental protection is also an important issue that Bhutan's Fourth King (regent for more than 30 years and who only recently abdicated) strongly advocated, thus contributing toward the Gross National Happiness (GNH) of the people.

This portfolio contains a multi-method case study presenting the outcomes of two research projects in an Australian, urban, Anglican, independent boys' Middle School. Ecological theory informed the study, explaining how the experiences of the boys and their development are shaped by the interacting environments of school, family, peers and the wider society. The central theme of this portfolio is that the nature of experiences encountered in the social and learning environment at school shape the social development of students. The projects illuminate this theme in some detail. The first project was an action research project concerning peer relations (including bullying). It used a range of questionnaires, student focus groups, staff interviews, ongoing incident data and a reflective journal to research the school's environment. An 'in situ' approach to intervening in and investigating reported incidents was developed in this action research project. This approach has the acronym of CEEVEC and it proved to be effective in many cases. The second project researched Year 9 boys' views of masculinity, factors influencing their views of masculinity and the school's role in the construction of their views of masculinity. This project incorporated student focus groups and a student questionnaire, analysed using both Exploratory Factor Analysis and Rasch analysis. A predominant plural view of masculinity was found consistent with Swain's 'personalised view' where social context is important. Older male role models from the boys' families emerged as the most important influences of their views of masculinity. The two research projects are linked by an overarching paper. The findings of the two projects and the linked conclusions have wider implications for practice in the case's Middle School and the quality of the learning environment created at school in general.