The passage of Gonski 2.0 is a victory for children over politics
The passage of the new schools funding program is a big win for Australian children.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Analysis and Comment
Australia is still lagging on some aspects of early childhood education
The latest OECD report on early learning education and care gives Australia a mixed report card.
Pauline Hanson is wrong – we need to include children with disability in regular classrooms
Evidence shows that the senator's comments on the burden of children with disability are misleading.
Free textbooks for first-year university students could help improve retention rates
A number of universities around the world are providing free textbooks to first year university students as a way to increase retention rates.
Fewer students are going to public secondary schools in Australia
If we look at enrolment figures for public secondary schools, it's untrue to say the steady drift towards private schools has been reversed.
Why more schools need to teach bilingual education to Indigenous children
Research shows many concepts are best learned in the language that the learner understands.
Leaving school early means you’re likely never to return to study and training in adult life
Achievement is largely locked in by the age of 25, so those who do not have a Year 12 qualification by then are unlikely ever to have one.
Curious Kids: Who made the alphabet song?
Because of the way our brains work, we can remember songs and rhymes much more easily than just words or letters. The ABC song teaches kids the basics of the English language.
Report sparks concern about how schools support students with disabilities
'Cage-like' facilities, segregation, and high numbers of exclusions show the concerning ways schools have responded to challenging behaviours by students with disabilities.
Improving sleep in children with ADHD has some lessons for all parents
Children with ADHD are much more likely than other kids to struggle getting to sleep, and staying asleep. Up to 73% of Australian parents report their child with ADHD has problems sleeping.
Catholic schools’ ‘alternative’ to Safe Schools isn’t all that alternative
The new program for Catholic schools draws on the same research as Safe Schools (so perhaps it wasn't part of a 'Marxist agenda' after all).
Explainer: how does funding work in the Catholic school system?
Federal and state government funding to the Catholic sector does not necessarily then flow straight to the school.
Not all students with a disability need funding
Accurate data is needed for how disability funding is being used in schools so that it can be allocated correctly.
Curious Kids: Why do adults think video games are bad?
Bo, aged nine, wants to know why adults think video games are bad.
Why is Australian 15-year-olds’ financial literacy declining?
Around a fifth of 15-year-olds in Australia do not have basic financial literacy.
VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on the fate of budget measures in the Senate
The University of Canberra’s Deep Saini and Michelle Grattan discuss the week in politics.
Let graduates use super to pay off HELP debt faster
The government should add a 'super payment option' that allows graduates to offset the cost of their HELP repayments.
Many Australian universities may be in surplus, but does that mean there’s fat to cut?
The fact that a university has a surplus doesn't mean it has a profit to be either reinvested or returned to shareholders. Grants, for example, should be spent on the projects they're intended for.
There are jobs in journalism, just not traditional ones
It's time to think more broadly about the work that journalists do.
Making progress on Indigenous education?
Autonomy and strong female leadership key to success of Indigenous owned Murri School
For the past 30 years, this Indigenous owned and controlled school has been quietly achieving results. Here's what the school board president says is behind their success.
Infographic: Are we making progress on Indigenous education?
Indigenous picture books offering windows into worlds
To lift literacy levels among Indigenous children, their parents’ literacy skills must be improved first
Is policy on Indigenous education deliberately being stalled?
We need to know the true cost of Indigenous boarding school scholarships on communities
History textbooks still imply that Australians are white
Gonski 2.0
Government reaches out to Catholics on Gonski 2.0
Simon Birmingham met Catholic education representatives on Monday night, receiving such a haranguing that at times it was difficult for him to get a word in.
Higher ed reforms
Why Birmingham’s performance funding plan won’t improve Australian universities
One aspect of the federal budget that hasn’t attracted the attention it should is the government’s plan to introduce “performance” funding for universities. Performance funding isn’t new to Australia’s…
Improving maths
What to say if your child asks, ‘what’s the point of maths?’
The questions young people tend to ask about maths often relate to their personal experience of how they found maths in school.
PhD scholarships
Columnists
Research and Expert Database
Editors’ Picks
Bullying
Teenagers who are both bully and victim are more likely to have suicidal thoughts
When it comes to bullying, there is a common misconception that children neatly fall into a category of bully, victim, or not involved. This is not the case.
TV
Should parents expose children to news on terrorism?
Footage of wars, bombings and shootings can traumatise children. Here's how parents can help them cope with distressing content.
School choice
Selective schools’ long and tangled history with race and class
Selective schools have never operated in isolation from broader historical forces — including Australia’s connected histories of racial exclusion and immigration.
Employability
Companies shed degree requirements to promote merit over qualifications
While more people than ever are graduating from universities, some companies are abandoning degree requirements altogether.
Citizenship test
English language bar for citizenship likely to further disadvantage refugees
Refugees are both more likely to apply for citizenship, and twice as likely as other migrant groups to have to retake the test.
Budget round up
Federal Budget 2017: what’s changing in education?
Education experts discuss changes to schools and universities following the federal treasurer's budget speech.
Reading
Explainer: how the brain changes when we learn to read
We are not hard-wired to read. It has taken thousands of years of practice to forge connections in our brains to help us do this.
Uni careers
Teaching-only roles could mark the end of your academic career
Teaching-only positions are perceived as second class, with few opportunities for research or career progression.
Research
How ethical is sexual assault research?
A recent survey about sexual assault on university campuses was criticised as being unethical. So what is the right way to go about conducting such research?
Reading
How animals can help autistic children
Spending time with pets can lead to significantly improved social skills and motivation for learning.
Child development
Can a four-year-old be sexist?
At the age of four, children have a basic understanding of gender differences and expectations. But it is unlikely they would knowingly be sexist.
School uniform
Why do schools want all students to look the same?
By providing a blanket approach to uniform policies, schools risk repressing cultural identity and diversity.
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Most Read past week
- Pauline Hanson is wrong – we need to include children with disability in regular classrooms
- Could you pass the proposed English test for Australian citizenship?
- The passage of Gonski 2.0 is a victory for children over politics
- Australia is still lagging on some aspects of early childhood education
- Government reaches out to Catholics on Gonski 2.0
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