Myschools

This is the third in a series of essays adapted from the Centre for Policy Development book, More Than Luck: Ideas Australia needs now. Now that the kinks are being fixed, what will version 2.0 of the controversial My Schools website actually tell us about our education system, asks Chris Bonnor.

For students, teachers and parents, each school year carries all the atmosphere and expectations of a new beginning – a clean slate on which to score the year’s learning and achievement.

The beginning of last year was accompanied by the launching and immediate crash of the My School website. It staggered back on its feet and sustained millions of hits from the curious, accolades of support from the media and columns of analysis from both supporters and opponents.

After a while, and following an industrial skirmish, the excitement subsided - but concerns about the accuracy and efficacy of the site increased when its flaws were subject to closer scrutiny. The Australian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (ACARA)  came under siege, not only from a host of critics but also from a Senate inquiry and from the State education ministers.

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