AE Aquarii represents a new subclass of Cataclysmic Variables

We analyze properties of the unique nova-like star AE Aquarii identified with a close binary system containing a red dwarf and a very fast rotating magnetized white dwarf. It cannot be assigned to any of the three commonly adopted sub-classes of Cataclysmic Variables: Polars, Intermediate Polars, and Accreting non-magnetized White Dwarfs. Our study has shown that the white dwarf in AE Aqr is in the ejector state and its dipole magnetic moment is $\mu ~ 1.5 \times 10^{34} G cm^3$. It switched into this state due to intensive mass exchange between the system components during a previous epoch. A high rate of disk accretion onto the white dwarf surface resulted in temporary screening of its magnetic field and spin-up of the white dwarf to its present spin period. Transition of the white dwarf to the ejector state had occurred at a final stage of the spin-up epoch as its magnetic field emerged from the accreted plasma due to diffusion. In the frame of this scenario AE Aqr represents a missing link in the chain of Polars evolution and the white dwarf resembles a recycled pulsar.Comment: accepted for publication in Astronomy Reports (July 2012

Senior secondary school assessment and standard-setting in Queensland, Australia: Social context and paradigmatic change

This article draws on three assessment paradigms – psychometrics, outcomes-based and curriculum-based assessment – to discuss paradigmatic changes in senior school assessment and achievement standard-setting in Queensland, Australia, over the last 50 years. These include radical reforms in 1970 from university-controlled examinations to school-based assessments applying normative standard-setting, to subsequent reforms in 1978 introducing competence(curriculum)-based assessment and standards. From 2019, a new reform introduces a combination of school-based and external assessment with procedures for establishing standards still in progress. Changes to Queensland assessment and standard-setting are discussed in terms of three preconditions for paradigm change – dissatisfaction, an alternative acceptable paradigm, and majority acceptance of change. Influence of paradigmatic origins of reformers is discussed. The amalgam of curriculum-based assessment and psychometric paradigms in the new Queensland system is considered in terms of theoretical compatibility and potential impact on the new standards

U.S. federal discrimination law and language and culture restrictions in K-12 private schools

Section 1981 prohibits discrimination concerning the right to contract, and Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of the basis of race and national origin. The two cases that form the basis for the discussion in this article-Silva v. St. Anne Catholic School and Doe v. Kamehameha Schools-address whether culture and language can affect the legality of policies that might otherwise appear to be discriminatory

Certification of teachers, pre-service teacher education, tests and legal issues in Australia and the United States of America (US): Part A Context, and US History

Teacher certification in Australia to date has been based on successful completion o f an accredited teacher education program offered by a higher education institution or recognition o f a qualification from another jurisdiction. However from the end o f 2011,1 Queensland teacher education graduates destined to teach in early childhood settings and primary schools2 will be required to complete standardised tests in literacy, numeracy and science to attain registration.3 While such additional test requirements fo r registration have been in place in Englandfor a number o f years, and are common across states in the US, this requirement is a new professional certification approach in Australia. This article examines the contexts fo r such licensure testing and legal issues associated with such test requirements that have been identified in US case law This article is Part A o f a two part series. The companion article (Part B Implications fo r Queensland and Australia)4 draws on this discussion to identify and discuss potential challenges that may arise, or requirements that will need to be satisfied, in Queensland and Australian law, when teacher licensure tests are introduced The discussion is offered in the possibility that such additional requirements could become federally-legislated, given the Australian Commonwealth Government’s active involvement in setting education policy. Examination o f US law, with its considerable history in both teacher certification testing and overall litigation in education, may provide some insights into legal issues that could arise or be challenged in the Australian context

The Origins and Development of Education Law as a Separate Field of Law in the United States and Australia

Considerable education legislation is passed in both the United States of America and Australia, and other nations, to govern educational activities at state and federal levels. In the US, educational challenges proliferate in the courts and students and parents seek for appropriate educational provision or compensation. In Australia, while actions are not common, a considerable case law on a range of matters is in existence, and is growing. This article examines these contexts to argue that education law should be recognised as a legal field, and that judicial determinations should recognise parameters of education law in decisionmaking

High Stakes Testing and the Demand for School District Accountability: A Dilemma for Special Education Students in the United States and Australia

Legal challenges to certification of achievement and testing are not unknown in the U.S. but have been rare in Australian education. Many of the U.S. challenges have been in regard to special education students or discrimination. Recent federal legislation in the U.S., the NO Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), and comparable in Australia, raise the possibility of increased legal challenges in both nations and incompatibility with existing legislation. This paper considers the nature of the federal legislation on standards and testing in both countries, previous grounds for legal challenge and cases, and possible grounds for new challenges. The paper considers legislative accountability requirements at different stages of schooling in the two nations, and high stakes accountability for high school graduation. The overall focus on the analyses is for special education students.Full Tex

The Origins and Development of Education Law as a Separate Field of Law in the United States and Australia

Considerable education legislation is passed in both the United States of America and Australia, and other nations, to govern educational activities at state and federal levels. In the US, educational challenges proliferate in the courts and students and parents seek for appropriate educational provision or compensation. In Australia, while actions are not common, a considerable case law on a range of matters is in existence, and is growing. This article examines these contexts to argue that education law should be recognised as a legal field, and that judicial determinations should recognise parameters of education law in decisionmaking

Australia, quality education and the 'best interests of the child'

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Australia, states that the ‘best interests of the child’ shall be a primary consideration in all decisions about children, yet these are rarely considered in Australian education-related legislation and policy. This article considers the history and current practice of national educational reforms aimed at high quality education, including educational accountability and publication of school performance data. Research on quality education and parent perspectives is examined in two contexts: first, economic research on relationships between reported school performance and housing prices; and, second, research on indicators that parents value as quality education. The final section examines legal decisions in family law, where decisions about quality education and choice of school are explicitly based on the best interests of the child. We conclude that current Australian educational reforms, while intended to promote education quality, do not always give specific attention to the best interests of the child. They should

U.S. federal discrimination law and language and culture restrictions in K-12 private schools

Section 1981 prohibits discrimination concerning the right to contract, and Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of the basis of race and national origin. The two cases that form the basis for the discussion in this article-Silva v. St. Anne Catholic School and Doe v. Kamehameha Schools-address whether culture and language can affect the legality of policies that might otherwise appear to be discriminatory