tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/disadvantaged-students-9095/articlesDisadvantaged students – The Conversation2023-03-14T19:06:31Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2013712023-03-14T19:06:31Z2023-03-14T19:06:31ZNAPLAN results inform schools, parents and policy. But too many kids miss the tests altogether<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515027/original/file-20230313-20-dv146l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6000%2C3997&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Today the NAPLAN testing window starts for more than a million students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Over the next nine days students will sit literacy and numeracy tests which are designed to measure their reading, writing, numeracy, grammar, punctuation and spelling. </p>
<p>Education decision makers will be holding their breath about how many students turn up for NAPLAN. Last year saw the <a href="https://www.edresearch.edu.au/resources/naplan-participation-who-missing-tests-and-why-it-matters">steepest declines</a> on record in secondary school student participation. </p>
<p>This is an issue because NAPLAN results help inform parents, teachers, schools and education authorities about student learning and can influence <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/school-agreement#report">decisions about policies</a>, resources and additional supports for students. Declining NAPLAN participation may result in decisions being based on incomplete data. </p>
<p>In our <a href="https://www.edresearch.edu.au/resources/naplan-participation-who-missing-tests-and-why-it-matters">new paper</a> for the Australian Education Research Organisation, we look at who is not sitting the tests and why that matters.</p>
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<h2>Who is not sitting the tests?</h2>
<p>While primary school student participation in NAPLAN has been steady at about 95% since 2014, secondary student participation has been in persistent decline. Last year only 87% of Year 9 students sat the tests. </p>
<p>A sharper decline in participation in 2022 <a href="https://acara.edu.au/reporting/national-report-on-schooling-in-australia/national-report-on-schooling-in-australia-data-portal/student-attendance">was partly due to</a> flooding in regions across Australia, high rates of illness and COVID-19 isolation requirements – circumstances we hope will not be repeated. It is the long-term decline in NAPLAN participation in secondary schools that needs attention. </p>
<p>The participation rate is alarmingly low for some groups of students. The figure below shows 79% of Year 9 students living in remote Australia sat NAPLAN last year. First Nations students and students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds also had low participation rates in 2022; 66% and 75% respectively. </p>
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<p>Our analysis reveals low-performing students are also less likely to participate in the tests. Students who performed poorly in NAPLAN in Year 7 were nearly five times more likely to miss the Year 9 tests than high-performing students. These findings were replicated for primary students.</p>
<p>Students who are educationally at risk need the best decisions from schools and education authorities. If NAPLAN participation rates are low for these smaller populations, the data is less reliable and the ability to make informed decisions may be compromised. </p>
<h2>Why aren’t students sitting the tests?</h2>
<p>Students do not sit NAPLAN for three official reasons: they may be exempt from taking the tests, withdrawn by their parents, or absent on the day. </p>
<p>The main reason for the long-term decline in NAPLAN participation is that more parents have been withdrawing their children from the tests. In 2022 over 11,000 Year 9 students didn’t sit the writing test because they had been withdrawn from it.</p>
<p>Being absent is also a contributing factor in the decline in participation; more so for secondary students than primary. In 2022, more Year 9 students than usual were absent from the writing test (in total over 28,600). </p>
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<p>There are many reasons students are absent and withdrawn from NAPLAN. Parents who are worried about how their child may be affected by taking the tests and <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-parents-should-and-shouldnt-say-when-talking-to-their-child-about-naplan-results-189636">receiving results</a> may choose to keep them at home or formally withdraw them from the tests. Anecdotally there have also been <a href="https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/schools-can-cheat-naplan-exams/news-story/8160b68c1e79ce869538913e730cdad4">reports</a> of schools asking low performing students to stay home on testing days, so they don’t “drag down” school averages.</p>
<p>On the positive side, our analysis showed Year 9 students with language backgrounds other than English participated in higher proportions than average (92% compared to 87%). This suggests cultural differences and family attitudes to education and testing might play an important role in participation. </p>
<h2>Why is high NAPLAN participation important?</h2>
<p>NAPLAN data is used by education authorities to <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-things-we-wouldnt-know-without-naplan-94286">better understand the learning progress of all Australian students</a> to inform system-wide policies and support.</p>
<p>It also helps schools, systems and sectors to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of educational approaches, and identifies schools which need more support. </p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/writing-the-next-chapter-in-student-learning/281525">in NSW</a>, NAPLAN data has been used to understand whether a new teaching role and giving students more practice time have been effective in improving students’ writing skills.</p>
<p>In Victoria, <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/naplan-starts-this-week-here-s-what-the-changes-mean-for-students-and-parents-20230312-p5crfr.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_national">Brandon Park Primary School</a> used its NAPLAN results to inform a whole school change to its teaching of reading, which brought remarkable success. </p>
<p>Given the benefits that good use of NAPLAN data can bring, it is critical the results are representative of the student groups being tested. </p>
<p>While the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority estimates data for withdrawn and absent students, our analysis suggests student proficiency is likely to be overestimated.</p>
<p>That’s because students not sitting the test are more likely to be lower-performing students from their respective demographic groups. Real data is always better than estimates.</p>
<h2>What now?</h2>
<p>The Australian <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/alice-springs-mparntwe-education-declaration">education system</a> is meant to be about achieving equitable outcomes from education for all students.</p>
<p>Equity is something we should all expect and support. </p>
<p>To achieve it, we need accurate information about student progress on a national scale. NAPLAN is meant to provide that information, so we should support and encourage students to turn up for the tests and try their best. </p>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201371/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lucy Lu is the Senior Manager, Analytics and Strategic Projects for the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Olivia Groves is a Principal Researcher for the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO).</span></em></p>Our analysis reveals the participation rate is alarmingly low for some groups of students, such as First Nations kids and students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds.Lucy Lu, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of SydneyOlivia Groves, Adjunct Research Fellow, Curtin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1865862022-07-14T20:03:12Z2022-07-14T20:03:12ZDon’t expect schools to do all the heavy lifting to close the education divide between the big cities and the rest of Australia<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473747/original/file-20220713-24-gmmupn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C6%2C4177%2C2800&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Students in regional, rural and remote Australia have been <a href="https://www.acara.edu.au/reporting/national-report-on-schooling-in-australia/national-report-on-schooling-in-australia-data-portal/year-12-certification-rates">behind their urban counterparts</a> on almost every recognised measure of successful schooling for decades. This is unacceptable and has to change. </p>
<p>To achieve this change, it will be vital to draw on and build the <a href="https://icpa.com.au/sites/icpa.com.au/files/inline-files/irrre-final-report.pdf">neglected capacities of parents, families and communities</a> to improve student achievements at school. The <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/quality-schools-package/national-school-reform-agreement">National School Reform Agreement</a> between the Commonwealth, states and territories aims to lift student outcomes across Australia. But the current five-year agreement, which runs to the end of 2023, almost entirely ignores the lives of students outside schools.</p>
<p>The world outside the school fence is where students spend most of their time. What’s happening and not happening there directly impacts their motivation and ability to learn. Education policies and practices have to embrace this reality.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473738/original/file-20220713-22-ecd3xg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Vertical bar chart showing Australian Year 12 certification rates for major city, inner and outer regional and remote locations" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473738/original/file-20220713-22-ecd3xg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/473738/original/file-20220713-22-ecd3xg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473738/original/file-20220713-22-ecd3xg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473738/original/file-20220713-22-ecd3xg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473738/original/file-20220713-22-ecd3xg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473738/original/file-20220713-22-ecd3xg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/473738/original/file-20220713-22-ecd3xg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.acara.edu.au/reporting/national-report-on-schooling-in-australia/national-report-on-schooling-in-australia-data-portal/year-12-certification-rates">Chart: The Conversation. Data: ACARA/DESE 2020</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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<h2>Schools can’t do it all on their own</h2>
<p>Now under <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/school-agreement#draft">review by the Productivity Commission</a>, the next National School Reform Agreement will have to respond to the diversity of school locations and communities, especially in regional, rural and remote areas. It should include a strong focus on building the capacity of these communities to help improve learning. </p>
<p>To date, we have seen the intensification of schooling via curriculum changes, micro-managing teaching and learning, and growing accountability and administration workloads. It’s clearly not working for students in regional, rural and remote areas.</p>
<p>All the pressure has been on schools to do the heavy lifting. That’s neither sustainable nor effective.</p>
<p>The review is an opportunity to radically rethink what needs be done to close the schooling gaps across the country.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/national-curriculums-dont-always-work-for-rural-and-regional-schools-108071">National curriculums don't always work for rural and regional schools</a>
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<h2>Local disadvantage feeds into schooling</h2>
<p>The 2021 <a href="https://www.dote.org.au/full-report">Dropping Off The Edge</a> report by Jesuit Social Services looks at disadvantage around Australia. Little has changed since the last Dropping Off The Edge report in 2015. Most disadvantaged communities are in regional, rural and remote locations. </p>
<p>The report reveals, yet again, the profound effects of poverty, family disruptions and conflict, and an absence of hope and positive role models on achievements and opportunities beyond school.</p>
<p>Most efforts to improve education across the board have focused on what happens in schools. These efforts include modifying what students learn, changing assessments, varying teaching methods, increasing ICT and more.</p>
<p>While this work needs to continue, there is more to be done. Student achievements and opportunities are <a href="https://icpa.com.au/sites/icpa.com.au/files/inline-files/irrre-final-report.pdf">shaped by a diverse blend of in-school, home and community factors</a>, the interactions between them and knowledge of what is happening in the wider world. For some students this productive dynamic is missing, or operates minimally.</p>
<p>The reasons are many and varied. They include poor health and diet. It is very hard, perhaps impossible, for students to focus on learning if they feel hungry and are often unwell or “out of sorts”.</p>
<p>These difficulties are compounded if their home life is stressful and chaotic, there is a long history of unemployment and underemployment, and another problem always seems to be just around the corner.</p>
<p>In short, what’s going on outside the school fence has a large impact on what happens in school. It’s time to release this handbrake on students reaching their potential.</p>
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Read more:
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<h2>Policy ignores what goes on outside schools</h2>
<p>The Productivity Commission is reviewing three reform directions in the National School Reform Agreement:</p>
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<li>supporting students, student learning and student achievement</li>
<li>supporting teaching, school leadership and school improvement</li>
<li>enhancing the national evidence base.</li>
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<p>For each of the reform directions there are national policy initiatives. These directions and initiatives are very school-focused. </p>
<p>The agreement does not refer at all to the contributions that parents, families, communities and social and personal relationships make to student achievements. The diversity of learning contexts and locations, especially in regional, rural and remote areas, is also mostly invisible.</p>
<p>Ignoring what is going on and continuing to ramp up pressures on schools to do all the heavy lifting will lead to the next Dropping Off The Edge report in five years’ time again showing little or no change.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/return-to-school-plans-overlook-chronic-teacher-shortages-outside-the-big-cities-176250">Return-to-school plans overlook chronic teacher shortages outside the big cities</a>
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<h2>It’s time to focus on community solutions</h2>
<p>The next National School Reform Agreement must include a strong focus on <a href="https://icpa.com.au/sites/icpa.com.au/files/inline-files/irrre-final-report.pdf">community capacity-building to improve learning</a>.</p>
<p>This is fundamentally about tapping into existing opportunities or creating new ones to make students’ out-of-school lives richer, more optimistic, more stable and better supported for learning. </p>
<p>Where multiple disadvantages are at play, capacity-building requires sensitivity and persistence to develop local expertise and resilient working relationships with individuals and families. Critically, what is learnt needs to be fed back into reforming systemic policies and practices. </p>
<p>In addition to education experts, this means drawing on health services, enterprises and employment, justice and policing, local governance, parents and residents, linked to each school or cluster of schools.</p>
<p>Flexibility is essential as community capacity-building can vary enormously on the ground. It might involve individuals or small teams of trusted adults who are 24/7-go-to people “no matter what”, or start-up enterprises such as local construction and hospitality programs linked to tourism opportunities, or music and arts events, and more. </p>
<p>Sport can play a vital role, particularly when participants are recognised and valued for more than being a good player. </p>
<p>Enlisting young people to become skilled emergency volunteers is another way to build the capacities of individuals and communities. This training can be a bridge to formal learning. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-rural-australia-is-facing-a-volunteer-crisis-95937">Why rural Australia is facing a volunteer crisis</a>
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<p>Community capacity-building requires substantial long-term funding. Importantly, local improvements <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/mitchell-institute/educational-opportunity/counting-the-costs-of-lost-opportunity-in-australian-education">produce many offsetting benefits</a> by boosting school completion rates, employment, health, local optimism and general well-being, while reducing youth crime and incarceration.</p>
<p>Education that fully engages young people and nurtures and builds their capacities throughout their formative years is a very sound investment. It will be repaid many times over a lifetime.</p>
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<p><em>This article is part of The Conversation’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/breaking-the-cycle-119149">Breaking the Cycle</a> series, which is supported by a philanthropic grant from the Paul Ramsay Foundation.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186586/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Halsey was engaged by the Australian Government in 2017 to undertake a review into regional, rural and remote education in Australia. His report was presented to government in January 2018. This article is part of The Conversation's Breaking the Cycle series, which is about escaping cycles of disadvantage. The series is supported by a philanthropic grant from the Paul Ramsay Foundation.</span></em></p>The Australian approach to lifting standards of schooling has a crucial blind spot: the role of the people and communities outside school in supporting students.John Halsey, Professor, School of Education, Flinders UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1784262022-03-09T19:09:11Z2022-03-09T19:09:11Z‘I just go to school with no food’ – why Australia must tackle child poverty to improve educational outcomes<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450596/original/file-20220308-44826-114p4ii.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5760%2C3828&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>About <a href="https://povertyandinequality.acoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Poverty-in-Australia-2020_Part-1_Overview.pdf">one in six children</a> in Australia live in poverty. These children generally have poorer educational outcomes than more advantaged children. <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-social-policy/article/who-excludes-young-peoples-experience-of-social-exclusion/F817D2FE8C0742EED5C38669853D680A">Our recently published research</a> shows students who live in poverty also experience more social exclusion at school than their more advantaged peers. </p>
<p>These findings suggests disadvantage at home carries over into disadvantage at school. </p>
<p>Interventions such as anti-bullying programs and increased funding for schools in disadvantaged communities can help. However, our analysis suggests there’s a bigger structural problem. To reduce educational disadvantage, action is needed to reduce child poverty, which has remained stubbornly high since the early 2000s.</p>
<p>In 1987, Prime Minister Bob Hawke famously <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx0IeQQ7WjI">pledged</a> to end child poverty by 1990. As a result of his government’s actions, child poverty initially <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1475-4932.2000.tb00020.x">declined</a> before increasing again. Child poverty rates now are only <a href="https://povertyandinequality.acoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Poverty-in-Australia-2020_Part-1_Overview.pdf">slightly lower</a> than in 1999.</p>
<p>In that time, child poverty has been largely absent from policy agendas. Failure to act on poverty will cripple the <a href="https://theconversation.com/life-chances-policy-must-respond-to-the-real-lives-of-young-people-27425">life chances</a> and productivity of future generations. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">As prime minister, Bob Hawke put child poverty on the agenda with his pledge that no child would live in poverty by 1990.</span></figcaption>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/by-2030-no-australian-child-will-be-living-in-poverty-why-cant-we-promise-that-64166">By 2030, 'no Australian child will be living in poverty' – why can't we promise that?</a>
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<h2>The high costs of social exclusion at school</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-social-policy/article/who-excludes-young-peoples-experience-of-social-exclusion/F817D2FE8C0742EED5C38669853D680A#article">Our research</a> has looked at the schooling experiences of 3,535 students aged 13 to 14 in in every state and territory. </p>
<p>Children whose families lacked items most Australian households take for granted, such as cars, computers or holidays, were identified as experiencing family poverty. Children who reported lacking items that most children see as essential were identified as experiencing child deprivation. These items included clothes that allowed them to fit in with other children, and their family having money to send them on school camp. </p>
<p>The proportions living in family poverty or child deprivation were highest among children who experienced multiple forms of disadvantage. One in five children with a disability lived in poverty, as did one in three who had a caring responsibility for a family member. Over one in four Indigenous children and children with a language background other than English also lived in poverty. By comparison, this was the case for only one in eight children who were not part of a marginalised group. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/one-quarter-of-australian-11-12-year-olds-dont-have-the-literacy-and-numeracy-skills-they-need-148912">One quarter of Australian 11-12 year olds don't have the literacy and numeracy skills they need</a>
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<p>Teachers make great <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1359866X.2019.1602863">efforts to support</a> the education of disadvantaged students. Despite these efforts, children living in poverty have <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/3522482/Breaking-Down-Barriers-Report-1-October-2020.pdf">lower school completion rates</a> and lower scores on national tests such as <a href="https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/11_2017/sprp47_low_income_web.pdf">NAPLAN</a>. And our study shows the effects of poverty still permeate school classrooms and playgrounds. </p>
<p>In our study, we asked children how much they agreed with the statement: “At my school, there is a teacher or another adult: who really cares about me; who believes that I will be a success; who listens to me when I have something to say.” The children experiencing deprivation reported less support from their teachers. They also reported higher rates of bullying than non-deprived children. </p>
<p>These experiences were in turn associated with students reporting lower levels of life satisfaction. That’s an early indicator of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0002716203260078">mental health problems</a> in youth and adulthood. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Upset girl being comforted by teacher in school corridor" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450595/original/file-20220308-126102-1ctut5w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/450595/original/file-20220308-126102-1ctut5w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450595/original/file-20220308-126102-1ctut5w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450595/original/file-20220308-126102-1ctut5w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450595/original/file-20220308-126102-1ctut5w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450595/original/file-20220308-126102-1ctut5w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/450595/original/file-20220308-126102-1ctut5w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children living in poverty report higher rates of bullying and lower levels of life satisfaction than their more advantaged peers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-do-children-think-of-economic-inequality-we-did-an-experiment-to-find-out-163262">What do children think of economic inequality? We did an experiment to find out</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Children’s potential is being stifled</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.oecd.org/pisa/">Programme for International Student Assessment</a> (PISA) conducts comparable academic tests of 15-year-old students in all OECD countries. Gaps in test performance between the most socioeconomically advantaged and the most disadvantaged students in Australia have <a href="https://research.acer.edu.au/ozpisa/51/">hardly changed</a> since the surveys were launched in 2000. </p>
<p>The gaps for the most recent tests in 2018 represented around three years of education for reading, maths and science literacy. When students fall that far behind, it seriously blights their life chances.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/04250494.2019.1672502">Teachers recognise</a> that children living in poverty face many challenges that impact their learning and relationships. Children also talk about the challenges of poverty. <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gerry-Redmond/publication/308894654_Material_Deprivation_and_Capability_Deprivation_in_the_Midst_of_Affluence_The_Case_of_Young_People_in_Australia/links/5af3a3d14585157136c9218f/Material-Deprivation-and-Capability-Deprivation-in-the-Midst-of-Affluence-The-Case-of-Young-People-in-Australia.pdf">One boy explained</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“My mum would take me to the op shop because I keep on splitting my pants when I kneel down but she can’t afford to buy me new pants. I don’t get pocket money and have to make my own lunch and sometimes I don’t even do that. I just go to school with no food.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That such experiences should be associated with poor educational outcomes is not surprising. What is surprising is how badly Australia’s education system is failing to achieve a key objective: to support all children to <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/download/4816/alice-springs-mparntwe-education-declaration/7180/alice-springs-mparntwe-education-declaration/pdf">reach their full educational potential</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1023746071963394048"}"></div></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/already-badly-off-single-parents-went-dramatically-backwards-during-covid-they-are-raising-our-future-adults-157767">Already badly off, single parents went dramatically backwards during COVID. They are raising our future adults</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>It’s time to focus again on child poverty</h2>
<p>Child poverty and children’s educational disadvantage require different solutions, but they are closely linked. The more poverty there is in Australia, the harder education systems and individual teachers have to work to compensate for its effect on student outcomes. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/gonski-2-0-there-is-evidence-inclusive-schooling-will-help-those-left-behind-95934">Gonski 2.0</a> package of school funding reforms, launched in 2018, aims to at least partially address educational disadvantage. However, it is unlikely to break the poverty-educational outcomes nexus on its own. </p>
<p>The challenge that Hawke set 35 years ago, to end child poverty in Australia, needs to be taken up again. Both the Hawke government’s actions in the years following his pledge and the current Australian government’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic show how this can be done. </p>
<p>After 1987, family payments were significantly increased and targeted to lower-income families. This increased support helped <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333915308_MAKING_A_DIFFERENCE_THE_IMPACT_OF_GOVERNMENT_POLICY_ON_CHILD_POVERTY_IN_AUSTRALIA_1982_TO_1997-98_Paper_Prepared_for_the_26th_General_Conference_of_the_International_Association_for_Research_in_Income">reduce child poverty</a>. </p>
<p>In 2020, in response to the growing COVID-19 emergency, the Morrison government introduced the JobKeeper payment and added the Coronavirus Supplement to the Jobseeker Allowance. Poverty rates <a href="https://povertyandinequality.acoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Build-back-fairer-report-3_FINAL.pdf">declined</a>, at least temporarily, while these supports were in place. </p>
<p>Money does not solve all the problems of child disadvantage. But it <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12187-020-09782-0">does matter</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/young-australians-prospects-still-come-down-to-where-they-grow-up-102640">Young Australians' prospects still come down to where they grow up</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The next Australian government could follow Hawke’s example and set targets to reduce child poverty. History (in Australia and <a href="https://cpag.org.uk/recent-history-uk-child-poverty">elsewhere</a>) suggests that action will follow and child poverty will fall. </p>
<p>Reducing poverty will have positive flow-on effects for children’s well-being, development and educational outcomes. It will also represent a major step towards Australia achieving the UN <a href="https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal1">Sustainable Development Goal</a> of halving poverty rates of all men, women and children by 2030.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/178426/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gerry Redmond receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>Australia has a wide gap in educational outcomes between children in poverty and their better-off peers. A new study indicates why reducing child poverty is the best way to lift our educational game.Gerry Redmond, Professor, College of Business, Government & Law, Flinders UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1770592022-02-15T18:49:02Z2022-02-15T18:49:02ZAustralia’s education system is one of the most unequal in the OECD. But we know how to help fix it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446449/original/file-20220215-19-ex9v0e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-school-friends-walking-down-staircase-722063872">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>According to UNICEF, <a href="https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/995-an-unfair-start-education-inequality-children.html">Australia ranks in the bottom third</a> of OECD countries in providing equitable access to quality education. This means our education system – from access to early childhood education to expectations for study after school – does not allow every student to enjoy the same benefits that come from schooling. </p>
<p>The students who often miss out are from disadvantaged families. This includes young people with disabilities, First Nations peoples, those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, students in regional and remote communities, and young refugees and asylum seekers.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/widening-gaps/">Grattan Institute report</a> shows the gap between students whose parents have low education and those with highly educated parents grows from ten months in year 3 to around two-and-a-half years by year 9. And because of COVID, and the disruption to education, vulnerable students are even <a href="https://www.utas.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/1324268/Learning-at-home-during-COVID-19-updated.pdf">worse off than before</a>. </p>
<p>This is important because what happens to young people at school affects the opportunities they are exposed to for the rest of their lives. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-schools-are-becoming-more-segregated-this-threatens-student-outcomes-155455">Australian schools are becoming more segregated. This threatens student outcomes</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Existing testing measures don’t capture young peoples’ whole learning experience which occurs both inside and outside formal education settings. Nor do they capture all key objectives of education including promoting active citizenship and social engagement.</p>
<p>In our <a href="https://www.csi.edu.au/research/project/amplify-insights-education-inequity/">report out today</a> through the Centre for Social Impact, we reviewed 45 education interventions and culturally inclusive studies. We synthesised the findings and have come up with so-called “levers for change”. These represent actions that can be implemented not only in schools, but also outside educational settings including communities, to make education more equitable.</p>
<h2>What programs did we evaluate?</h2>
<p>The 45 programs we chose to review had been through a rigorous evaluation process. We specifically looked for those implemented in schools and communities that had shown promise in improving education and other social learning outcomes – such as problem solving and teamwork skills – for young people in vulnerable contexts. </p>
<p>These included programs that connect families in remote communities with local early childhood services and community playgroups, as well as offer small staff-to-student ratios and targeted care to families experiencing stress. </p>
<p>Other programs exposed students to a variety of workplace and study settings and provided Indigenous cultural activities to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.</p>
<p>Out of the 45 programs we looked at, 15 focused on First Nations students.</p>
<h2>Our findings</h2>
<p>From our review, four key findings emerged:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>students in disadvantaged groups have a range of skills that aren’t captured in traditional education. These include the ability to care for family members with disability, or be an interpreter to other family members. School systems and other flexible learning models should find a way to use these young people’s existing strengths which will contribute to outcomes including building their resilience and confidence</p></li>
<li><p>while there are a number of culturally responsive Indigenous education programs, they are often lacking rigorous evaluation. This means successful ones cannot be replicated. Indigenous education experts are calling for strong evidence of best practice models for Indigenous young people</p></li>
<li><p>student agency is often missing from discussions about their future. For example, there could be a formal process in schools where students document and integrate various experiences they gain when doing work experience in their local community. These experiences would transfer to skills such as confidence, time management, teamwork, and students’ increased understanding of themselves and belonging in the world</p></li>
<li><p>when schools, families and communities work in non-tokenistic partnerships, this can lead to decreased drop-out rates for young people, improved attendance and strengthened pride in their culture. This was evident in programs where school authorities partnered with parents, Elders and the community to nurture cultural perspectives.</p></li>
</ol>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/want-to-improve-our-education-system-stop-seeking-advice-from-far-off-gurus-and-encourage-expertise-in-schools-165320">Want to improve our education system? Stop seeking advice from far-off gurus and encourage expertise in schools</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Recommendations for change</h2>
<p>Our findings translate to what we have termed “levers for change” as well as recommendations for governments, education systems and communities.</p>
<p>The key recommendations include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>acknowledge the limitations of Western definitions of knowledge and look to other perspectives. This means rethinking what counts as “success” in learning by prioritising competencies gained outside traditional education settings. This includes investing in flexible education options with non-ATAR based pathways</p></li>
<li><p>engage young people more fully into school and community life through social learning programs. This includes supporting partnerships between schools, universities and communities to enable young people to pursue education and employment pathways in local and outer regions</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446486/original/file-20220215-23-12l3o6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446486/original/file-20220215-23-12l3o6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446486/original/file-20220215-23-12l3o6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446486/original/file-20220215-23-12l3o6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446486/original/file-20220215-23-12l3o6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446486/original/file-20220215-23-12l3o6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446486/original/file-20220215-23-12l3o6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446486/original/file-20220215-23-12l3o6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Traditional education doesn’t recognise skills such as caring for family members.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-carer-walking-elderly-woman-garden-1378824143">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<ul>
<li><p>develop a robust evidence ecosystem, so there is a continuous process of collecting best practice evidence of student learning from schools and outside schools</p></li>
<li><p>share and replicate successful or promising interventions across education settings and in the community. We must recognise programs and evidence are often highly contextual, bound by demographic groups, settings, duration and other parameters.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Feedback on our recommendations</h2>
<p>In January we workshopped our recommendations with educators, philanthropic organisations, and those who implement programs. We spoke about which recommendations should be prioritised and the barriers that need to be removed. </p>
<p>People recognised the importance of non-ATAR driven approaches and recognising and documenting skills developed outside schools.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/pisa-doesnt-define-education-quality-and-knee-jerk-policy-proposals-wont-fix-whatever-is-broken-128389">PISA doesn't define education quality, and knee-jerk policy proposals won't fix whatever is broken</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>They also identified policy choices and institutional barriers, such as lack of sustained investment and approaches which focus on deficits rather than strengths. We should also be careful in assuming successes in one jurisdiction or context will replicate in others. </p>
<p>Above all, steps must be taken to actively include diverse young people in decisions that impact their future. This is our next step; we will take our recommendations to young people to gain further feedback.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/177059/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Meera Varadharajan receives funding from Allan and Gill Gray Philanthropy Australasia. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jack Noone does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Researchers reviewed 45 programs that aim to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged students. This is what they found, and their recommendations to make Australia’s education more equitable.Meera Varadharajan, Research Fellow, Centre for Social Impact, UNSW SydneyJack Noone, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Social Impact, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1716742021-11-16T19:07:43Z2021-11-16T19:07:43ZFair access to university depends on much more than making students ‘job-ready’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431889/original/file-20211115-15-40xg5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C249%2C6941%2C4631&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Today is <a href="https://worldaccesshe.com/">World Access to Higher Education Day</a>, but Australia is still a long way off fair access for students from all backgrounds. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/research-database/ncsehe-briefing-note-equity-student-participation-in-australian-higher-education-2014-2019/">enrolment share</a> of students from low socio-economic, regional and non-English-speaking backgrounds fell in 2019. And that was before the COVID-19 pandemic hit these students hard, affecting both their <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/APXBVWRICUHVUKUKDPYP/full?target=10.1080/1360080X.2021.1933305">expectations and pathways to higher education</a>. Access rates of other equity groups, such as students from remote areas, remain low. </p>
<iframe title="Domestic undergraduate enrolments by equity group" aria-label="Grouped Column Chart" id="datawrapper-chart-5pNnH" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/5pNnH/2/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border: none;" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Achieving equitable access is a complex challenge. Our <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780367854171-2/becoming-university-student-sally-patfield-jennifer-gore-leanne-fray">longitudinal study of school student aspirations</a> shows we need to think more broadly about how young people see the meaning and value of higher education. </p>
<p>Of course they see its value for getting a job. But they also value higher education for intellectual enquiry, social interaction, personal growth and the desire to just experience “university life”. And students from equity groups in particular valued these last four aspects the most.</p>
<p>Higher education policy has often focused on the economic goals of participation. However, our research suggests that policies to support fair access need to do more than funnel students into degrees and aim to make them “job-ready”. </p>
<p>To appeal to a more diverse range of young people, equity policy must take heed of what higher education actually represents to prospective applicants.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/pandemic-widens-gap-between-government-and-australians-view-of-education-148991">Pandemic widens gap between government and Australians' view of education</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Equity and ‘Job-Ready Graduates’</h2>
<p>The federal government has long had policies targeted at widening participation, including measures in the 2020 <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/job-ready">Job-Ready Graduates Package</a>. Australian universities have also long had a <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-australian-idea-of-a-university-17433">vocational focus</a>. </p>
<p>The “Job-Ready Graduates” reforms include <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/job-ready/improving-higher-education-students">new funding supports</a> for students from equity groups. For example, there is a <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/tertiary-access-payment">Tertiary Access Payment</a> for regional and remote students and a new <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/access-and-participation#:%7E:text=The%20Indigenous%2C%20Regional%20and%20Low,Participation%20and%20Partnerships%20Program%20(HEPPP)">Indigenous, Regional and Low SES Attainment Fund</a>.</p>
<p>To <a href="https://theconversation.com/3-flaws-in-job-ready-graduates-package-will-add-to-the-turmoil-in-australian-higher-education-147740">influence course choice</a>, fees have been reduced in “national priority” areas and increased in areas deemed to not directly benefit the labour market. </p>
<p>This particular change, however, is not about equity. It’s about meeting perceived workforce needs. It may well decrease diversity in certain degrees. The impacts on the workforce profiles of different industries could have <a href="https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/job-ready-graduates-package-student-equity/">wide-ranging consequences</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/3-flaws-in-job-ready-graduates-package-will-add-to-the-turmoil-in-australian-higher-education-147740">3 flaws in Job-Ready Graduates package will add to the turmoil in Australian higher education</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What matters to prospective students</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780367854171-2/becoming-university-student-sally-patfield-jennifer-gore-leanne-fray">Our longitudinal study</a> of young people’s post-school aspirations looked at the way school students start to form ideas about university during late primary and secondary school. The study drew on focus groups with 310 university aspirants from 30 government schools in New South Wales.</p>
<p>We found young people were interested in higher education for many reasons. But there were important differences in their interest depending on background.</p>
<h2>A way to get a job</h2>
<p>While students did value higher education for employment, these students tended to match the profile of the “traditional” university applicant – high-achieving and from a higher socio-economic background. </p>
<p>Young people who mentioned employment often focused on the need for a qualification in today’s job market. This view reduced the experience of university to the degree awarded at the end. As one student put it:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I would definitely go to uni because you can’t really get a job without a piece of paper.”</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Line of graduates holding their degree certificates" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431884/original/file-20211115-23-1gz3w2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431884/original/file-20211115-23-1gz3w2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431884/original/file-20211115-23-1gz3w2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431884/original/file-20211115-23-1gz3w2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431884/original/file-20211115-23-1gz3w2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431884/original/file-20211115-23-1gz3w2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431884/original/file-20211115-23-1gz3w2o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">That ‘piece of paper’ needed to get a job tends to be important for the sort of students who traditionally have dominated university enrolments.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/students-choice-of-university-has-no-effect-on-new-graduate-pay-and-a-small-impact-later-on-what-they-study-matters-more-171491">Students' choice of university has no effect on new graduate pay, and a small impact later on. What they study matters more</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Its inherent value</h2>
<p>Students from a wide range of backgrounds saw inherent value in higher education. But those living in lower socio-economic circumstances tended to focus on this intrinsic value rather than employment. For example, one student told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I’ll definitely go to university, that’s the thing – the top of the list. And that’s the thing with university […] there’s so much that’s being offered to attract more students, it ticks all your interests […] I adore history and geography, and all sorts of things that are not going to be focused on my career, but I’ll still do them anyway.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Many of these students saw university as an opportunity to meet people who share similar interests and passions. This was particularly the case for young people attending relatively disadvantaged schools:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“It’s going to be a lot of learning opportunities with like-minded people that are open-minded […] They care and they want to do something, not be with people that don’t care and don’t want to do anything.”</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Group of university students enjoying a discussion around a table" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431883/original/file-20211115-27-11qzsli.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431883/original/file-20211115-27-11qzsli.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431883/original/file-20211115-27-11qzsli.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431883/original/file-20211115-27-11qzsli.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431883/original/file-20211115-27-11qzsli.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431883/original/file-20211115-27-11qzsli.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431883/original/file-20211115-27-11qzsli.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many young people saw university as an opportunity to meet people with similar interests and passions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/in-this-job-ready-era-its-worth-looking-at-how-a-us-style-broader-education-can-benefit-uni-students-160461">In this ‘job-ready’ era, it's worth looking at how a US-style broader education can benefit uni students</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Equity is much more than being ‘job-ready’</h2>
<p>The social justice and economic goals of higher education have long been <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/15776">in tension within policy</a>. Employability agendas, such as “Job-Ready Graduates”, narrowly link the value of higher education to economic objectives. In doing so, they obscure important <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-are-losing-sight-of-higher-educations-true-purpose-73637">philosophical questions</a> about the purpose of higher education, particularly for those from equity groups.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07294360.2020.1830039">Other research</a> has similarly shown that university students link the purpose of higher education to employment, personal growth and societal change. University students from equity target groups can also have much <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07294360.2018.1463973">more expansive views of “success”</a> than what is portrayed in policy.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-purpose-of-university-your-answer-may-depend-on-how-much-it-costs-you-151526">What's the purpose of university? Your answer may depend on how much it costs you</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>There is a clear need, therefore, for the intrinsic value of higher education – not just its economic value – to be more widely promoted in equity policy and practice.</p>
<p>Universities often use outreach activities such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/six-ways-to-improve-equity-in-australian-universities-61437">campus visits and mentoring programs</a> to spark interest among young people from equity groups. Such activities should not just narrowly focus on degrees and jobs.</p>
<p>We also need to continue to ask questions about <a href="https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/openu/jwpll/2011/00000013/00000001/art00002">the nature of higher education</a> today, and what young people from equity groups are being asked to participate in, rather than just the outcome of participation.</p>
<p>A more equitable higher education sector can play a critical role in creating a more just society. Again, this is not just in terms of economic value, but in terms of how students see themselves and society. On World Access to Higher Education Day, our research challenges the sector to think more genuinely about fair access.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171674/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The Aspirations Longitudinal Study was funded by the NSW Department of Education and the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>Students matching the ‘traditional’ applicant’s profile see university as a stepping stone to a good job. Those from less-well-represented groups care more about higher education’s intrinsic value.Sally Patfield, Postdoctoral Fellow, Teachers and Teaching Research Centre, University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1628552021-10-27T02:45:20Z2021-10-27T02:45:20Z‘It was the best five years of my life!’ How sports programs are keeping disadvantaged teens at school<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427904/original/file-20211021-17-1jxnbw1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/middle-schoolboys-teacher-running-while-playing-1873346407">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Participation in specialist sport programs keeps teenagers from low socioeconomic backgrounds at school and boosts their maths grades. This is <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.667628/full">what I found</a> in my PhD study.</p>
<p>Being engaged in learning can set people up for success in the rest of their life. This is why experts see it as one of the main <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/ijamh-2013-0327/html">goals of early adolescence</a>. </p>
<p>Students tend to be engaged with school in the primary years, but <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/9780470479193.adlpsy002004">their engagement decreases in secondary school</a>. So educators are trying to find ways to <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203879498-33/motivation-achievement-physical-education-ang-chen-catherine-ennis?context=ubx&refId=496092c6-167f-4ab1-b524-910def35b213">help students maintain</a> that early engagement.</p>
<p>My <a href="https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2348/">PhD research explored</a> the influence of specialist sporting programs on the educational outcomes of students attending schools in low socioeconomic areas of Perth. Specifically, I was interested in how participation in these programs affected the students’ academic performance and level of school engagement.</p>
<h2>What are specialist sports programs?</h2>
<p>Students who participate in specialist sporting programs specialise in one sport in place of a range of elective subjects in years 7-10. Enrolment is open to all students, including those who live outside a school’s catchment area, and <a href="https://www.achper.org.au/blog/blog-henley-high-school-a-model-of-sport-specialisation-in-sa">selection is generally based</a> on:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>a high level (or potentially high level) of sporting ability and coachability</p></li>
<li><p>a positive attitude toward sport and school (in primary school) </p></li>
<li><p>a good record of behaviour and attendance. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>The selection criteria are a way for the school to clearly communicate their expectations from the very beginning. They are about encouraging the continuation of students’ positive behaviours into secondary school, rather than trying to solve the problem of disengagement down the track. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/aussie-kids-are-some-of-the-least-active-in-the-world-we-developed-a-cheap-school-program-that-gets-results-162844">Aussie kids are some of the least active in the world. We developed a cheap school program that gets results</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Specialist sport programs are available in a variety of forms across Australia (including <a href="https://www.vhhs.sa.edu.au/specialist-sport">South Australia</a>, <a href="http://www.thornlieshs.wa.edu.au/courses/specialist-programs-selection/rugby/">Western Australia</a> and <a href="https://robinashs.eq.edu.au/curriculum/specialist-programs/general-sports-academy">Queensland</a>). Some take an elite pathway approach, while others focus on participation. They are increasingly being developed in both public and private schools. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428651/original/file-20211026-19-1k8n6z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Teenage girls playing netball" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428651/original/file-20211026-19-1k8n6z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428651/original/file-20211026-19-1k8n6z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428651/original/file-20211026-19-1k8n6z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428651/original/file-20211026-19-1k8n6z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428651/original/file-20211026-19-1k8n6z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428651/original/file-20211026-19-1k8n6z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428651/original/file-20211026-19-1k8n6z7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Specialist sporting programs come in various forms.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/photo-teenage-friends-playing-ball-on-75616156">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On average, schools allocate around four hours of class time per week to specialist sports programs. In years 7-10 this time is split evenly between practical and theoretical work. In years 11 and 12 <a href="https://openlibrary.org/works/OL2837086W/Specialist_sport_programs_in_Western_Australian_schools">there is roughly</a> a 70-30% practical-theoretical split. </p>
<p>Practical sessions focus on developing skills and students’ fitness levels. Theoretical sessions cover topics such as biomechanics and physiology, rules and tactics, and nutrition and sport psychology.</p>
<h2>What my study showed</h2>
<p>Broad claims are made regarding the positive influence of the programs. For example, Western Australia’s <a href="https://www.education.wa.edu.au/approved-specialist-programs">education department states</a> specialist sport programs can: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>develop character, teach technical skills and self-discipline, and nurture a love of sport […] and […] enable children to compete at the highest levels and develop their skills as athletes both on the field and in the classroom. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>But there has previously been no research on these programs in Western Australian schools to support this assertion. </p>
<p>Only two studies have investigated the influence of specialist sports programs on students’ <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1468-0084.2007.00446.x">academic achievement</a>. Both were conducted in the United Kingdom and examined final year students’ academic performance in the GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education). Students attending specialist program schools had better scores than those attending non-specialist schools. The improvement in scores over time was greater at schools with a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/move-it-move-it-how-physical-activity-at-school-helps-the-mind-as-well-as-the-body-100175">Move it, move it: how physical activity at school helps the mind (as well as the body)</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Mine is the first study to examine the link between early adolescents’ academic achievement and engagement with school, and participation in specialist sports programs in Australia. </p>
<p>My study involved seven secondary schools and students in years 7-10, in low socioeconomic areas of Perth. </p>
<p>A total of 68 specialist sports students gave access to their school grades for each subject over the period of a year and 73 students completed a survey measuring their level of engagement with school. </p>
<p>I also interviewed 11 students and three parents, as well as five teachers and three graduates of the programs.</p>
<p>To analyse programs’ effects on student grades, I assigned each grade a number (A = 5, B = 4, C = 3) – essentially a better grade was assigned a higher number). I then compared the mean grade for each subject, each year. At the baseline measurement, the mean grade for maths was 3.08 (a C grade). At the follow-up a year later it was 3.30. Although it was still a C grade, statistical analysis deemed this a significant improvement. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428660/original/file-20211026-27-23zb12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Students in maths class. Teacher showing them something." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428660/original/file-20211026-27-23zb12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428660/original/file-20211026-27-23zb12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428660/original/file-20211026-27-23zb12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428660/original/file-20211026-27-23zb12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428660/original/file-20211026-27-23zb12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428660/original/file-20211026-27-23zb12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428660/original/file-20211026-27-23zb12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There was some improvement in the maths scores of students who were part of the programs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/teacher-group-high-school-students-classroom-96451256">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Mean grades in all other subjects – English, science, society and environment, and health and physical education – remained stable. Students’ level of engagement with school also remained stable over the period of a year.</p>
<h2>What students said</h2>
<p>Many students said the program was the reason they attended school each day, and the reason they applied effort to their education. </p>
<p>One male student said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I didn’t want to come to [school] unless I got into the [program].</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A parent said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>There are a lot of kids that the only reason they’re still at school is because of the program – it gives them a reason to go [to school].</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Both male and female students felt participation in a specialist sports program positively influenced their engagement with school. </p>
<p>A female student said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It’s fun […] it’s energetic and you just have a great time doing it.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And a male graduate told me:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It was the best five years of my life! </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Only male students discussed specific aspects relating to engagement, such as attendance, behaviour and academic achievement. One said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It made me think, it’s going to affect your appearance in the program […] it’s made me think harder in maths and like […] English and stuff like that so […] I moved up from a C to a B in English from thinking about the program, and if I didn’t think about the program, I would still have been on a C kind of thing.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is significant as previous research has revealed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9161-3">gender differences in school engagement levels</a> with girls generally being more engaged than boys.</p>
<h2>There are limitations</h2>
<p>There were two main limitations to this study: the lack of a comparison group and the possibility of self-selection bias. Despite my best efforts to recruit both specialist and non-specialist students, not enough non-program students provided informed consent to conduct a valid statistical comparison. </p>
<p>All schools with a specialist sports program located in low socioeconomic areas of WA were invited to participate, but only seven agreed. So it is possible only schools in which the specialist sports teacher was proactive and proud of the program’s accomplishments agreed to be involved in the research. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/missing-out-on-pe-during-lockdowns-means-students-will-be-playing-catch-up-170101">Missing out on PE during lockdowns means students will be playing catch-up</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>That said, for the schools involved in the study, specialist sports programs provided students with a supportive learning environment. </p>
<p>It is important educators consider the students’ individual needs and interests in designing specialist sports programs. And they should be open to further developing other specialist programs — whether that be in other sports or other interest areas.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162855/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eibhlish O'Hara does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Teens from low socioeconomic areas of Perth who took part in specialist sports programs were better engaged at school and their maths grades improved, my research shows.Eibhlish O'Hara, Research Associate, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1679692021-10-06T19:02:27Z2021-10-06T19:02:27ZParents, studies show most kids have done just fine in remote schooling. Here’s how to survive the home stretch<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424597/original/file-20211004-22-1v9ebdl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/smiling-small-african-american-girl-headphones-1707844081">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>With nearly half of Australia’s population in lockdown, a lot of children and young people are still not attending face-to-face school. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/schools-begin-the-slow-return-to-on-site-learning-20210924-p58uhq.html">Melbourne</a> students in year 12 go back to the classroom this week, and there are staggered return plans for the rest of the year levels. Preps and grades 1 and 2 will return part time in the following weeks. All students will return to the classroom full-time by November 5. </p>
<p>Regional <a href="https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/getting-regional-students-safely-back-classroom">Victorian students</a> have a different schedule with all students back in the classroom full-time by October 26.</p>
<p>In New South Wales, students are set to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/29/nsw-schools-to-reopen-a-week-earlier-than-scheduled">return to class earlier than expected</a>. Kindergarten, year 1 and year 12 students will return on October 18; years 2, 6 and 11 will return on October 25 and all other grades will resume on November 1.</p>
<p>But even with staggered return plans, many kids will still be learning from home if only part of the time. </p>
<p>Parents can be understandably worried about their children’s learning when at home. After a year and a half of COVID and lockdowns, many students and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-02/parents-struggle-work-and-home-learning-lockdown/100421816">parents are feeling tired, burnt out</a> and <a href="http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/104691/">sick of online school</a>. Some <a href="https://issr.uq.edu.au/files/19469/Ramsay%20Pillar%202.pdf">have disengaged</a> from what the school is providing.</p>
<p>If you’re overwhelmed, and your child is disengaged, have no fear. Your child likely still continued to learn, and will continue to do so, just in a different way.</p>
<h2>What we know from last year</h2>
<p>During the lockdowns last year, many experts and parents were <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/covid-catch-up">concerned children’s education would suffer</a>.</p>
<p>But the majority of Australian students have done just fine. For instance, there has been <a href="https://www.acara.edu.au/docs/default-source/media-releases/20210813-naplan-results-med-rel.pdf">little change</a> in the NAPLAN average results in 2021 compared to 2019 in all states and territories, including Victoria, which had the longest period of remote schooling in 2020. This doesn’t mean every group succeeded, and there is evidence the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13384-021-00436-w">learning of disadvantaged students suffered</a> but perhaps less than would have been expected. </p>
<p>Some children’s mental health and well-being may have suffered due to extended uncertainty and lack of face-to-face contact with friends. This is especially so for senior students who have missed out on <a href="https://theconversation.com/delayed-graduations-no-formals-the-class-of-2021-has-had-a-hell-of-a-year-they-need-mental-health-support-and-quickly-167187">important events like school formals</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/delayed-graduations-no-formals-the-class-of-2021-has-had-a-hell-of-a-year-they-need-mental-health-support-and-quickly-167187">Delayed graduations, no formals — the class of 2021 has had a hell of a year. They need mental health support, and quickly</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But we also know some children, including children with autism, reported being happier because they experienced <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-39068-002?_ga=2.258553994.1079873814.1632622125-439618554.1632622125">less bullying</a> and their learning needs were better met at home. And a report on <a href="https://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/bitstream/handle/11343/268204/apo-nid307154.pdf">children with disability</a> found learning improved for many, to the extent some parents were thinking of doing it long term.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424639/original/file-20211005-26-mmsovd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A student with disability on his Ipad, with Mum looking on behind him." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424639/original/file-20211005-26-mmsovd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424639/original/file-20211005-26-mmsovd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424639/original/file-20211005-26-mmsovd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424639/original/file-20211005-26-mmsovd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424639/original/file-20211005-26-mmsovd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424639/original/file-20211005-26-mmsovd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424639/original/file-20211005-26-mmsovd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many school students thrived in remote learning.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/special-need-child-on-wheelchair-use-1930049951">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There are several explanations for remote learning being more successful than expected. Some schools have <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-digital-learning/">changed, perhaps permanently</a> to accommodate different teaching and learning approaches. </p>
<p>Learning at home also meant many parents <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/5ca4v/">knew more about how their children were doing</a> so were better able to support them. Parents being more involved in their children’s education is a marker of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2782391/">success in schools</a>. </p>
<p>Home learning during lockdowns improved students’ <a href="https://globaled.gse.harvard.edu/files/geii/files/education_continuity_v3.pdf">autonomy in many cases</a>. Some students <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/edu-2020-0122/html">said they valued the flexibility</a> of being able to work at their own pace. </p>
<p>This may have <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0255629">implications</a> for how schools continue. It may also reflect how learning can happen, even when children are not actively being taught.</p>
<h2>How children learn</h2>
<p>In 1985, psychologists <a href="https://sk.sagepub.com/reference/hdbk_socialpsychtheories1/n21.xml">Edward Deci and Richard Ryan</a> introduced what is now known as self-determination theory in their book <a href="https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9780306420221">Self-Determination and Intrinsic Motivation in Human Behavior</a>.</p>
<p>The theory holds that learning happens when children find meaning in what they are learning about, learn collaboratively with others and have some relationships with the content and the people they are learning with. Deci and Ryan called these <a href="https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/09/cover-remote-learning">motivations to learn</a> </p>
<ul>
<li><p>competence, which is the feeling you can do something and be successful</p></li>
<li><p>autonomy, which is the feeling you have some control over your experiences</p></li>
<li><p>relatedness, which means experiencing positive relationships as part of the learning process.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>You don’t need to do anything special to your home to make these three things happen for your children.</p>
<p>The natural flows of family life can provide an environment where children and young people are motivated to learn. Incidental conversation (while doing the washing up or cooking), interactions with siblings (reading to the baby), trying to solve problems (fixing a bike), writing to communicate (to a friend in Minecraft) all provide opportunities to learn new skills and take on new information. </p>
<p>Children are naturally curious. In fact, you have to work very hard to stop them learning.</p>
<h2>So, what can you do to foster your child’s learning?</h2>
<p>Unlike the classroom, it can be easier to facilitate individual children’s autonomous learning and interests at home. This is because children can have more freedom and flexibility in what they do and learning can be <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-07/lessons-from-home-learning/100353218">incidental</a>.</p>
<p>By encouraging students to learn what they’re interested in, do research and find their own answers, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15391523.2021.1891998">Deci and Ryan’s work</a> would suggest parents can support motivation and success. </p>
<p>Outside of the formal schooling program, this may involve a child researching a particular topic online or doing something practical like fixing <a href="https://www.gsherald.com.au/news/great-southern-herald/nine-year-old-country-boys-mission-to-find-the-original-owners-of-a-vintage-sewing-machine-ng-b881964992z">something broken</a>. </p>
<p>Where students are unwilling to do activities provided by the school, it may be possible to cover the same learning in a different way. For example, a student might be unwilling to do fractions on the computer or a worksheet but love cooking and be perfectly happy making a cake ¾ the size of the recipe.</p>
<hr>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-want-to-send-the-kids-back-to-school-why-not-try-unschooling-at-home-136256">Don't want to send the kids back to school? Why not try unschooling at home?</a>
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</p>
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<p>If you had a conversation over the dishes about something they’re interested in, they’re still learning. The conversation could be about anything at all, the critical factor is that it interests your child. </p>
<p>If your child has learned how to crochet on YouTube, they’ve learned not only how to crochet but also how to learn – that’s competence.</p>
<p>If your child rang their grandfather to ask about the Vietnam War, they’ve collected first hand data on the war experience – that’s autonomy.</p>
<p>If you’re feeling burnt out and tired, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-02/parents-struggle-work-and-home-learning-lockdown/100421816">you’re not alone</a>. It shouldn’t be long now, keep doing what you’ve been doing and the kids will likely be all right.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/167969/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>During the lockdowns last year, many experts and parents were concerned children’s education would suffer. But on average, students did OK. A lot of learning is incidental.Rebecca English, Senior Lecturer in Education, Queensland University of TechnologyKarleen Gribble, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1669572021-09-07T04:13:15Z2021-09-07T04:13:15ZRemote learning is even harder when English isn’t students’ first language. Schools told us their priorities for supporting them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419487/original/file-20210906-13-g1spl7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C412%2C5583%2C3712&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has left large numbers of students, teachers and families grappling with the challenges of remote learning. Remote learning can be particularly challenging for students who are learning English as an additional language or dialect (<a href="https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/resources/student-diversity/meeting-the-needs-of-students-for-whom-english-is-an-additional-language-or-dialect/">EAL/D students</a>). </p>
<p>We wanted to find out about schools’ experiences of teaching and supporting these students during the 2020 and 2021 lockdowns in Victoria. We interviewed ten classroom teachers and EAL/D curriculum leaders across primary and secondary levels in urban, regional and rural schools. We identified three key areas of concern for these students: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>well-being – issues such as language barriers compounded their feelings of isolation and disconnection</p></li>
<li><p>access to resources such as digital devices, the internet and learning materials</p></li>
<li><p>loss of in-school structural supports.</p></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/victoria-and-nsw-are-funding-extra-tutors-to-help-struggling-students-heres-what-parents-need-to-know-about-the-schemes-153450">Victoria and NSW are funding extra tutors to help struggling students. Here's what parents need to know about the schemes</a>
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<p>These issues affect large numbers of students. About <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/department/brochurejuly.pdf">one in four primary and secondary school students in Victoria</a> are from language backgrounds other than English. The proportion is <a href="https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/policy-library/associated-documents/eald_advice.pdf">similar in NSW</a>. </p>
<p>We <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/department/covid-19/remote-and-flexible-learning-qualitative-research.pdf">know</a> from a <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/department/covid-19/lessons-learned-from-covid19.pdf">range</a> of <a href="https://education.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/3413996/Australian-Education-Survey.pdf">studies</a> that, even in the most favourable conditions, the reality of remote learning has often had a negative impact on students’ learning and well-being. Although the information about what works for online teaching is <a href="https://www.aitsl.edu.au/research/spotlight/what-works-in-online-distance-teaching-and-learning">expanding</a>, EAL/D-specific information is lacking.</p>
<p>Early findings from our ongoing research show that for many EAL/D educators complex social, emotional, material and geographic factors compounded the challenges of engaging EAL/D learners during remote learning. The following three points illustrate these challenges and how educators adapted.</p>
<h2>Making well-being the priority</h2>
<p>Student well-being was the most important consideration for these educators. It’s a prerequisite for real engagement in remote learning. </p>
<p>Schools are often a space of identity validation and belonging for new arrivals. The remote learning experience left many students feeling isolated and disconnected. This was sometimes compounded when issues such as low digital literacy and language barriers affected students’ support at home.</p>
<p>To overcome these issues, the role of teachers often expanded into areas such as supporting families by connecting with social services, mothers’ groups and foodbanks. This trend was even clearer in rural and regional areas where the school often became the central point of support for EAL/D students and their families.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/students-well-being-must-always-be-the-priority-here-are-5-tips-to-help-them-through-lockdown-166642">Students’ well-being must always be the priority. Here are 5 tips to help them through lockdown</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Well-being was also an issue for EAL/D educators and <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/PAL/eal-mea-handbook.pdf">multicultural education aides (MEAs)</a>. Supporting students and families to navigate the new remote learning platforms and procedures was extremely difficult when resources and time were limited. EAL/D teachers often work part-time or across more than one school. As one participant said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“We worked harder in remote learning than I’ve ever worked in my life in those early stages, and so I guess the learning curve was to sit back and say, ‘Hey, it’s okay. We can’t fix the world. We need to actually look after ourselves.’ ”</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="tired woman with laptop open in front of her rests head on hands at desk" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419515/original/file-20210906-13-xflpwr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419515/original/file-20210906-13-xflpwr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419515/original/file-20210906-13-xflpwr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419515/original/file-20210906-13-xflpwr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419515/original/file-20210906-13-xflpwr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419515/original/file-20210906-13-xflpwr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419515/original/file-20210906-13-xflpwr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The work that went into supporting students and families to navigate remote learning was exhausting for teachers and aides.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Ensuring access to resources</h2>
<p>Access to devices and the internet caused some issues in the initial remote learning phase. This gradually became less of a barrier as resources were distributed to families. All participants stressed the important role of education aides and interpreters in supporting teachers and students to use these devices effectively. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“They [students] struggle […] particularly at the secondary level. They struggle because the platforms that the secondary schools use are foreign to these students. So, in lockdown, it takes an enormous amount of time to upskill these students.”</p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/schools-are-moving-online-but-not-all-children-start-out-digitally-equal-134650">Schools are moving online, but not all children start out digitally equal</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Teachers and aides invested large amounts of time in developing resources in students’ first languages that were suitable for remote learning. This task of creating resources was even more challenging in areas with fewer multicultural education aides and interpreters due to relatively lower numbers of EAL/D students.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="young student holds a tablet to watch teacher during online maths lesson" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419490/original/file-20210906-21-kyp6s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419490/original/file-20210906-21-kyp6s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419490/original/file-20210906-21-kyp6s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419490/original/file-20210906-21-kyp6s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419490/original/file-20210906-21-kyp6s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419490/original/file-20210906-21-kyp6s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419490/original/file-20210906-21-kyp6s0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Early on, access to devices and the internet was a problem, but creating suitable learning resources took even longer.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Overcoming loss of in-school support</h2>
<p>How EAL/D students are integrated in mainstream classes also presented many challenges. In regular face-to-face teaching, these students may get support from peers or education aides to help them in classes such as humanities, science and mathematics. Providing this support in the online learning space often proved difficult. </p>
<p>If teachers of other subjects were not aware of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1362168820938819">strategies</a> to support EAL/D students in their classes, this left some students feeling excluded, isolated and overwhelmed. Strategies can range from differentiating learning sequences to meet the learner’s needs, to providing structured opportunities for them to use their knowledge in and of other languages.</p>
<p>Participants also commented on how teaching strategies that help EAL/D learners in mainstream classes often greatly benefit all learners, including monolingual English speakers. Empowering all teachers with the <a href="https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/curriculum/foundation-10/resources/english-as-an-additional-language/Pages/TeachingResources.aspx?Redirect=1">knowledge and strategies</a> to support EAL/D learners in both face-to-face and remote classes was a way to create inclusive environments for all students. As one participant said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“So, they’ve got to understand – the teachers have to – instead of watching content, content, content and I’ve got to get this much done in five weeks, let’s relook and let’s have another think about this and see what we can do. What can we do differently so that they can access something in this curriculum? That they [the students] can bring something to it.”</p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/students-in-melbourne-will-go-back-to-remote-schooling-heres-what-we-learnt-last-time-and-how-to-make-it-better-142550">Students in Melbourne will go back to remote schooling. Here's what we learnt last time and how to make it better</a>
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<h2>Building on students’ strengths</h2>
<p>A final key message is the importance of viewing EAL/D learners through an asset rather than a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1362168820938825">deficit lens</a>. A deficit lens tends to frame students for what is “lacking” (English proficiency) and overlooks the rich linguistic and cultural repertoires of these students.</p>
<p>The notion of <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/support/diversity/eal/Pages/Plurilingual%20awareness.aspx">plurilingual competencies</a>, where students are supported to use all their language knowledge to engage in learning, is a recent addition to the <a href="https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/english/english-as-an-additional-language-eal/introduction/rationale-and-aims">EAL curriculum</a> in Victoria. This requires all teachers, not just EAL/D teachers, to develop an awareness of students’ plurilingual resources and encourage them to <a href="https://www.castledown.com/journals/ajal/view-issue/?volume=3&issue=1">use this knowledge to enhance their learning</a>. </p>
<p>School leadership can play a vital role here by supporting a whole-school approach to inclusive EAL/D practices.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166957/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research was funded by Monash University as part of a Partnership Development Grant in collaboration with the Victorian Department of Education – EAL Unit.</span></em></p>When students shift to learning from home, they lose many of the in-school support structures and resources. While the priority is students’ well-being, schools have developed new teaching strategies.Gary Bonar, Lecturer, School of Curriculum Teaching & Inclusive Education, Monash UniversityAnne Keary, Senior Lecturer, School of Curriculum Teaching & Inclusive Education, Monash UniversityTanya Davies, Lecturer in Curriculum and Pedagogy, Monash UniversityYvette Slaughter, Senior Lecturer in Languages and Literacy Education, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1540562021-09-01T04:24:51Z2021-09-01T04:24:51ZWhat’s the point of homework?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/418564/original/file-20210831-13-5gz37i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/focused-preteen-boy-doing-homework-on-1106112380">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Homework hasn’t changed much in the past few decades. Most children are still sent home with about an hour’s worth of homework each day, mostly practising what they were taught in class. </p>
<p>If we look internationally, <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/does-homework-perpetuate-inequities-in-education_5jxrhqhtx2xt-en">homework is assigned</a> in every country that participated in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2012.</p>
<p>Across the participating countries, 15-year-old students reported spending almost five hours per week doing homework in 2012. Australian students spent six hours per week on average on homework. Students in Singapore spent seven hours on homework, and in Shanghai, China they did homework for about 14 hours per week on average. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/aussie-students-are-a-year-behind-students-10-years-ago-in-science-maths-and-reading-127013">Aussie students are a year behind students 10 years ago in science, maths and reading</a>
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<p>Shanghai and Singapore routinely score higher than Australia in the PISA maths, science and reading tests. But homework could just be one of the factors leading to higher results. In Finland, which also scores higher than Australia, students spent less than three hours on homework per week. </p>
<p>So, what’s the purpose of homework and what does the evidence say about whether it fulfils its purpose?</p>
<h2>Why do teachers set homework?</h2>
<p>Each school in Australia has its own homework policy developed in consultation with teachers and parents or caregivers, under the guiding principles of state or regional education departments. </p>
<p>For instance, according to the New South Wales <a href="https://policies.education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/homework-policy/Hwk_Pol_guide.pdf">homework policy</a> “… tasks should be assigned by teachers with a specific, explicit learning purpose”. </p>
<p>Homework in NSW should also be “purposeful and designed to meet specific learning goals”, and “built on knowledge, skills and understanding developed in class”. But there is limited, if any, guidance on how often homework should be set. </p>
<p>Research <a href="http://www.iier.org.au/iier27/bas.html">based on teacher interviews</a> <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ885810">shows they set homework</a> for a range of reasons.
These include to:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>establish and improve communication between parents and children about learning</p></li>
<li><p>help children be more responsible, confident and disciplined</p></li>
<li><p>practise or review material from class</p></li>
<li><p>determine children’s understanding of the lesson and/or skills</p></li>
<li><p>introduce new material to be presented in class</p></li>
<li><p>provide students with opportunities to apply and integrate skills to new situations or interest areas</p></li>
<li><p>get students to use their own skills to create work.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>So, does homework achieve what teachers intend it to?</p>
<h2>Do we know if it ‘works’?</h2>
<p>Studies on homework are frequently quite general, and don’t consider specific types of homework tasks. So it isn’t easy to measure how effective homework could be, or to compare studies.</p>
<p>But there are several things we can say.</p>
<p>First, it’s better if every student gets the kind of <a href="http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/mar17/vol74/num06/One-Size-Doesn't-Fit-All_Homework.aspx">homework task that benefits them</a> personally, such as one that helps them answer questions they had, or understand a problem they couldn’t quite grasp in class. This promotes students’ confidence and control of their own learning.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/learning-from-home-is-testing-students-online-search-skills-here-are-3-ways-to-improve-them-165752">Learning from home is testing students' online search skills. Here are 3 ways to improve them</a>
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</p>
<hr>
<p>Giving students repetitive tasks <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ885810">may not have much value</a>. For instance, calculating the answer to 120 similar algorithms, such as adding two different numbers 120 times may make the student think maths is irrelevant and boring. In this case, children are not being encouraged to find solutions but simply applying a formula they learnt in school. </p>
<p>In primary schools, homework that <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/aeipt.218484">aims to improve children’s confidence and learning discipline</a> can be beneficial. For example, children can be asked to practise giving a presentation on a topic of their interest. This could help build their competence in speaking in front of a class.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/418572/original/file-20210831-25-1p1f00h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Young boy holding a microphone in the living room." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/418572/original/file-20210831-25-1p1f00h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/418572/original/file-20210831-25-1p1f00h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418572/original/file-20210831-25-1p1f00h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418572/original/file-20210831-25-1p1f00h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418572/original/file-20210831-25-1p1f00h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418572/original/file-20210831-25-1p1f00h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/418572/original/file-20210831-25-1p1f00h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children can practise giving a speech to their parents to gain confidence to present in front of the class.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cute-boy-microphone-living-room-1374017534">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Homework <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/does-homework-perpetuate-inequities-in-education_5jxrhqhtx2xt-en">can also highlight</a> equity issues. It can be particularly burdensome for socioeconomically disadvantaged students who may not have a space, the resources or as much time due to family and work commitments. Their parents may also not feel capable of supporting them or have their own work commitments. </p>
<p>According to the PISA studies mentioned earlier, socioeconomically disadvantaged 15 year olds spend <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/does-homework-perpetuate-inequities-in-education_5jxrhqhtx2xt-en">nearly three hours</a> less on homework each week than their advantaged peers. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/i-was-astonished-at-how-quickly-they-made-gains-online-tutoring-helps-struggling-students-catch-up-165821">'I was astonished at how quickly they made gains': online tutoring helps struggling students catch up</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What kind of homework is best?</h2>
<p>Homework can be engaging and contribute to learning if it is more than just a sheet of maths or list of spelling words not linked to class learning. From summarising various studies’ findings, “good” homework should be:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>personalised to each child rather than the same for all students in the class. This is more likely to make a difference to a child’s learning and performance</p></li>
<li><p>achievable, so the child can complete it independently, building skills in managing their time and behaviour</p></li>
<li><p>aligned to the learning in the classroom.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>If you aren’t happy with the homework your child is given then approach the school. If your child is having difficulty with doing the homework, the teacher needs to know. It shouldn’t be burdensome for you or your children.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/154056/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katina Zammit does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Studies on homework are frequently quite general, and don’t consider specific types of homework tasks. So it isn’t easy to measure how effective homework can be. But here’s what we do know.Katina Zammit, Deputy Dean, School of Education, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1667372021-08-25T06:43:56Z2021-08-25T06:43:56ZEarly NAPLAN results show promise, but we don’t know the full impact of COVID school closures yet<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417752/original/file-20210825-17-10nj6pv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/row-students-primary-interracial-classroom-afro-243585589">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://reports.acara.edu.au/NAP/NaplanResults">early NAPLAN results</a> for 2021 released today suggest the average impact of COVID school closures on literacy and numeracy in 2020 has been relatively small. </p>
<p>This was the first NAPLAN test since students moved to remote learning, and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-25/naplan-results-in-for-covid-year/100403702">involved 1.2 million students</a> in years 3, 5, 7 and 9. </p>
<p>The results show the national average for literacy and numeracy in 2021 has held up fairly well despite last year’s disruptions. There has been little change in the NAPLAN average results in 2021 compared to 2019 in all states and territories, including Victoria, which had the longest period of remote schooling in 2020. </p>
<p>To understand how well children are doing at school, it is important to look at the progress of students’ learning over time, not just where they are at any one point in time. </p>
<p>According to our <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/910-Mapping-Student-Progress.pdf">student progress</a> metric for NAPLAN, Victoria’s progress in literacy and numeracy is generally in line with the national average over 2019-21. We can also see progress at a national level for 2019-21 was similar to historical rates of progress. </p>
<p>These results are a testament to the hard work of students, parents, teachers and school leaders around the country. But it is too early to claim victory. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1430260737583194114"}"></div></p>
<p>We will have to wait until the full NAPLAN data is released in December to understand what the impact has been on vulnerable students, in particular. </p>
<p>It’s also important to remember that NAPLAN only tests literacy and numeracy. Gaps that may have emerged in other parts of the curriculum, such as science and the humanities, aren’t picked up in this data. </p>
<p>Nor do these results help us understand the impact of school closures on broader students’ social development and mental health. </p>
<p>They don’t change the fact governments should be carefully planning how to get kids back to class safely, and as soon as possible.</p>
<h2>Disadvantaged students may have fared worse</h2>
<p>Students around the country missed a significant amount of school in 2020, especially in Melbourne where some students missed around 21 weeks of school. In New South Wales, schools were closed for around seven weeks. </p>
<p>Many disadvantaged students are likely to have found remote schooling harder than other groups. Our <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/covid-catch-up/">2020 report</a> estimated the achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students widens at up to triple the rate when kids are trying to learn at home rather than in regular class. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/disadvantaged-students-may-have-lost-1-month-of-learning-during-covid-19-shutdown-but-the-government-can-fix-it-140540">Disadvantaged students may have lost 1 month of learning during COVID-19 shutdown. But the government can fix it</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Students most likely to be impacted by remote learning are those from low socio-economic families, Indigenous backgrounds or remote communities, as well as those with poor mental health, disabilities and special learning needs. </p>
<p>Students in the early years who are still developing foundational skills in reading and writing are also at risk of falling behind. </p>
<p>Emerging <a href="https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/eef-support-for-schools/covid-19-resources/best-evidence-on-impact-of-school-closures-on-the-attainment-gap/">international data</a> suggests COVID school closures have had significant negative impacts on student learning in some countries and that disadvantaged students have suffered most. The findings of different studies vary, but <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/ve4z7/">one study</a> from Holland estimates learning loss is 60% greater for struggling students. </p>
<p>Given the potential negative impacts for vulnerable students, the NSW and Victorian governments made significant investments in <a href="https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/covid-learning-support-program">new</a> <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/careers/teacher/Pages/tutors.aspx">tutoring</a> programs to help these students catch up. These programs have been in place since the start of 2021. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/victoria-and-nsw-are-funding-extra-tutors-to-help-struggling-students-heres-what-parents-need-to-know-about-the-schemes-153450">Victoria and NSW are funding extra tutors to help struggling students. Here's what parents need to know about the schemes</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Opening schools safely should be a national priority</h2>
<p>The early NAPLAN data is promising, but our leaders need to stay focused on getting children back to school. </p>
<p>For disadvantaged students in particular, there may be other negative impacts on learning we don’t yet know about. </p>
<p>Academic performance aside, there are broader implications of sustained school closures. There are real concerns about the potential impacts on students’ mental health and social development.</p>
<p>Nor is it clear what the cumulative effects of school closures may be on students or teachers. As remote schooling continues in Victoria and NSW and now the ACT, fatigue is setting in. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417758/original/file-20210825-21-ihie8c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Tired students at the desk at home." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417758/original/file-20210825-21-ihie8c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417758/original/file-20210825-21-ihie8c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417758/original/file-20210825-21-ihie8c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417758/original/file-20210825-21-ihie8c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417758/original/file-20210825-21-ihie8c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417758/original/file-20210825-21-ihie8c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417758/original/file-20210825-21-ihie8c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fatigue is setting in for many students learning from home.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/tired-student-taking-online-classes-he-1966730875">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has shown closures are associated with increased harm to <a href="https://www.mcri.edu.au/news/poor-mental-health-suicidal-thoughts-and-school-closure-stress-felt-among-teens-during-covid-19">children’s physical and mental health</a> – and welfare – due to social isolation, increased anxiety, neglect, or even abuse. These findings are reinforced by growing overseas evidence.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/are-the-kids-alright-social-isolation-can-take-a-toll-but-play-can-help-146023">Are the kids alright? Social isolation can take a toll, but play can help</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The COVID pandemic continues to upend the daily school routines for millions of young Australians, interrupting their learning, development and friendships. </p>
<p>The NAPLAN results give us reason to hope that with hard work from students, families and teachers – along with targeted supports when schools reopen – we can keep students’ learning on track, despite the odds. </p>
<p>But we must ensure the students who have struggled the most get the help they need to remain engaged in school and to keep progressing in their learning. Getting all children back to school, safely, should be a national priority.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166737/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Grattan Institute received funding from Origin Energy Foundation to support our report Covid catch-up: helping disadvantaged students close the equity gap. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julie Sonnemann does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The national average in literacy and numeracy has been unaffected by 2020’s disruptions. But will have to wait until the full NAPLAN data is released to understand the affect on vulnerable students.Julie Sonnemann, Fellow, School Education, Grattan InstituteJordana Hunter, School Education Program Director, Grattan InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1658212021-08-10T03:43:24Z2021-08-10T03:43:24Z‘I was astonished at how quickly they made gains’: online tutoring helps struggling students catch up<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/415341/original/file-20210810-15-18oiup3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5750%2C3821&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hispanic-teen-girl-school-college-student-1738498550">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>One-on-one online tutoring for disadvantaged students has proved highly effective in helping them overcome their struggles with literacy and numeracy. The Smith Family, the national children’s education charity, recently completed a small pilot of the program, Catch-Up Learning, for students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. Most made <a href="https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/-/media/files/research/catch-up-learning/catch-up-learning-research-report-final-low-res.pdf?la=en&hash=3C936AAFFA287C6774DB4E59464AABBE">above-expected progress</a> in assessments of their literacy and numeracy by the end of the program.</p>
<p>About 100 children who participated in the program had one-on-one tutoring, with a qualified teacher, up to three times a week for 20 weeks. Being online, the tutoring could be done in the child’s home at a time that suited the family. </p>
<p>The participants were students in years 4, 5, 7 or 8 who were struggling with literacy and numeracy skills. One in five were of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds. Two in five had a health and disability issue.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/one-quarter-of-australian-11-12-year-olds-dont-have-the-literacy-and-numeracy-skills-they-need-148912">One quarter of Australian 11-12 year olds don't have the literacy and numeracy skills they need</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The program was informed by strong evidence from analysis by the UK’s <a href="https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/teaching-learning-toolkit/">Education Endowment Foundation</a> that one-on-one tutoring with a trained teacher is very effective in helping learners catch up. It’s particularly helpful for younger learners who are behind their peers in primary school, and for reading and maths skills. </p>
<h2>What did the program achieve?</h2>
<p>Program attendance was high, including over the summer holidays – an extraordinary achievement given how prized those holidays are! Students were highly engaged and many increased their love of learning over the course of the program. This contributed to the strong improvements in literacy and numeracy they achieved.</p>
<p>Students were <a href="https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/-/media/files/research/catch-up-learning/catch-up-learning-research-report-final-low-res.pdf?la=en&hash=3C936AAFFA287C6774DB4E59464AABBE">assessed</a> before and after the program. Skills growth was measured, taking into account the length of time the program ran. </p>
<p>The results were highly promising: 86% of students made above-expected progress in literacy or numeracy. Two in five achieved above-expected progress in both subjects. By the end of the program, six in ten students had achieved literacy levels equivalent to or stronger than their year-level peers. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1424855040548872194"}"></div></p>
<p>Insights from the tutors confirm a range of positive changes for students. One tutor of a year 5 student <a href="https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/-/media/files/research/catch-up-learning/catch-up-learning-research-report-final-low-res.pdf?la=en&hash=3C936AAFFA287C6774DB4E59464AABBE">said</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“[He] is excited to tell me how well he did in a particular lesson […] His attitude toward learning has improved so much as he learnt more during
the sessions and became confident in school as a result.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another <a href="https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/-/media/files/research/catch-up-learning/catch-up-learning-research-report-final-low-res.pdf?la=en&hash=3C936AAFFA287C6774DB4E59464AABBE">said</a> of their year 4 student:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I was astonished at how quickly they made gains in literacy […] their reading galloped from struggling with basic texts to being able to read nine out of 10 words.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Catch-Up Learning confirms what parents and teachers across Australia know – with the right support at the right time, all children can develop a love of learning and in turn develop key literacy and numeracy skills. The Smith Family will use the evaluation to refine the program and move to a second stage pilot with more students. </p>
<p>It is also hoped these findings resonate with education departments and schools during times when students are unable to attend school.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/victoria-and-nsw-are-funding-extra-tutors-to-help-struggling-students-heres-what-parents-need-to-know-about-the-schemes-153450">Victoria and NSW are funding extra tutors to help struggling students. Here's what parents need to know about the schemes</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The program is not, however, a panacea for all the educational challenges faced by many students experiencing financial disadvantage. Participants were on average three years behind their peers in numeracy at the start of the program. Unsurprisingly, despite their significant progress over the 20 weeks, they didn’t make up this large gap. There is more to be done.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Young boy prepares to write as he talks with someone on his laptop" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/415346/original/file-20210810-19-1foxb2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/415346/original/file-20210810-19-1foxb2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/415346/original/file-20210810-19-1foxb2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/415346/original/file-20210810-19-1foxb2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/415346/original/file-20210810-19-1foxb2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/415346/original/file-20210810-19-1foxb2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/415346/original/file-20210810-19-1foxb2n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Giving students the skills they need to re-engage with learning is an essential step in catching up with their peers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-gen-z-school-kid-headphones-2002131674">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Why does this skills gap matter?</h2>
<p>In our technology-rich 21st century, strong literacy and numeracy skills are prerequisites for Australians to find a job, access services, participate in e-commerce and keep connected.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-adult-literacy-should-be-improved-but-governments-can-make-their-messages-easier-to-read-right-now-164621">Yes, adult literacy should be improved. But governments can make their messages easier to read right now</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Unfortunately, <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/sites/default/files/educational-opportunity-in-australia-2020.pdf">research</a> shows a clear and persistent relationship in Australia between socioeconomic background and students’ educational outcomes.
Foundations for success in literacy and numeracy are laid early on. </p>
<p>Childhood maths skills are predictive of later learning and achievement. Children who enjoy reading, read more. This, in turn, helps them to become strong readers. The converse is also true – poor readers lose motivation, tend to read less, and this leads them to falling further behind.</p>
<p>Data from international assessments show significant numbers of Australian children are not meeting important literacy and numeracy benchmarks. In the latest Trends in International Maths and Science Study (<a href="https://www.acer.org/au/timss">TIMSS</a>), less than half (48%) of Australia’s year 4 students from low socioeconomic backgrounds achieved or exceeded the national proficiency standard in numeracy, compared to 82% of those from high socioeconomic backgrounds.</p>
<p>Similarly, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (<a href="https://www.acer.org/au/pirls">PIRLS</a>) shows 57% of year 4 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students met the national proficiency standard, compared to 83% of non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/1-in-4-australian-year-8s-have-teachers-unqualified-in-maths-this-hits-disadvantaged-schools-even-harder-161100">1 in 4 Australian year 8s have teachers unqualified in maths — this hits disadvantaged schools even harder</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>These gaps have persisted despite the efforts of students, parents, teachers and schools over many years. They’re also pre-COVID gaps, with <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/covid-catch-up/">concerns</a> that remote learning <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/sites/default/files/impact-of-learning-from-home-federal-government-brief-mitchell-institute.pdf">may have widened them</a>. These children are in danger of not being able to participate economically and socially in our community. </p>
<h2>Australia must invest in catching up</h2>
<p>We can and must do better. These skills gaps aren’t inevitable. </p>
<p>The Catch-Up Learning program confirms international evidence of the value of tutoring for helping children who are behind in literacy and numeracy. But through its innovations – using online technology so tutoring takes place in the student’s home, with their carer’s engagement a key component – it has gone further. These innovations contributed to the outcomes achieved.</p>
<p>So Catch-Up Learning is helping to build the evidence base of how young Australians can be supported to achieve educationally. Australia should seize the opportunity to build on this work.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/165821/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sue Thomson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The evidence clearly shows one-on-one tutoring improves disadvantaged students’ skills. An Australian pilot program has now shown the benefits of online tutoring that supports students in their homes.Sue Thomson, Deputy CEO (Research), Australian Council for Educational ResearchLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1630732021-07-04T20:10:12Z2021-07-04T20:10:12ZSetting goals to beat previous efforts improves educational outcomes. And the gains are bigger for disadvantaged students<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408818/original/file-20210629-16-1o5atzz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/teen-students-working-together-taking-notes-585782963">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Setting goals to try to outdo your previous best effort is known as growth goal setting or <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/223207101_Academic_Personal_Bests_PBs_engagement_and_achievement_A_cross-lagged_panel_analysis">personal best goals</a>. It is fundamentally focused on self improvement, such as investing more time or effort in a task than before or striving to achieve a higher result in the next test than the previous one. </p>
<p>Research over the past decade into <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341133083_Teacher_classroom_and_student_growth_orientation_in_mathematics_A_multilevel_examination_of_growth_goals_growth_mindset_engagement_and_achievement?_sg=MPzbJwy2RNDPM1tUVLp8PC2Ay4msMUo9ITFPqDyH5n7AS6my7KCIBAz8pWz0JOYOe23G-lDaoqA2uk3z3xEClKOLKTA3xVIh84JTwdyU.Om6bdZwuetXuA1zHT3GGd7mfL2Zdp4q7rXyvNhrftoL2z5QBeABUqANeL6bUGjQznCQkDXtXKv06KqOHFAh8RA">approaches like these</a> in education has shown it has many benefits. They include improved engagement, learning and achievement.</p>
<p>But it is unclear if these benefits disproportionately apply to already academically advantaged students. We wanted to know if setting goals to improve past performance affected the educational outcomes of academically disadvantaged students. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352804393_Growth_Goal_Setting_in_High_School_A_Large-Scale_Study_of_Perceived_Instructional_Support_Personal_Background_Attributes_and_Engagement_Outcomes">study, recently published</a> in the Journal of Educational Psychology, looked at goal setting to beat previous efforts in high school students.</p>
<p>We found students who set goals like these were much more engaged in school than those who didn’t. And the benefits were even more positive for students in lower socioeconomic groups and students who had low levels of prior achievement.</p>
<h2>Striving for self improvement</h2>
<p>Growth goal setting refers to the very concrete and practical strategy of setting and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262942560_Implicit_theories_about_intelligence_and_growth_personal_best_goals_Exploring_reciprocal_relationships">striving for specific self-improvement targets</a>.</p>
<p>Our interest follows <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257178448_The_role_of_Personal_Best_PB_goals_in_the_achievement_and_behavioral_engagement_of_students_with_ADHD_and_students_without_ADHD">a prior investigation</a> showing that setting goals to improve was associated with increased engagement and achievement, particularly for students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/you-can-do-it-a-growth-mindset-helps-us-learn-127710">You can do it! A 'growth mindset' helps us learn</a>
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</em>
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<p>In <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352804393_Growth_Goal_Setting_in_High_School_A_Large-Scale_Study_of_Perceived_Instructional_Support_Personal_Background_Attributes_and_Engagement_Outcomes">our new study</a>, we wanted to find out if striving to improve through goal setting benefited other groups of students who may be academically disadvantaged — those from low socioeconomic status backgrounds and with low prior academic achievement. Research has shown <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329612021_Against_the_odds-Academically_resilient_students_with_a_migration_background_and_how_they_succeed?_sg=S4fHiexFFFVqT5a84W22DcYTr4rf9UaZFC0_6rsmHgYj3KeuNn6rG94t_YX8xSGjAfA861jmy2Tc-yOuIH2POHvmZA_JzqISAlk3qyAh.cpc0w2jAnKXa0drUDxforp5eGcQc9WX17gSzguPVtK-IuNmA2iYIEb-adFVvObRgV_2RzLI-PAfNT2Gl4un1Dg">disparities in academic outcomes</a> between these students and students from high socioeconomic backgrounds and with high prior achievement. </p>
<p>So we wanted to find out if setting goals to improve could narrow the gap. We also explored the role of teachers’ instruction in supporting students’ growth goal setting.</p>
<h2>How we did our study</h2>
<p>We drew on the New South Wales Department of Education’s annual “<a href="https://education.nsw.gov.au/student-wellbeing/tell-them-from-me">Tell Them from Me</a>” student survey (provided by, and the intellectual property of, The Learning Bar). </p>
<p>Our study involved 61,879 high school students from 290 government schools across NSW. This represented 66% of NSW high schools. An average of 71% of students in each school responded to the survey.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409304/original/file-20210701-25-1tnlt3w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Students lined up at the starting line of a running track." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409304/original/file-20210701-25-1tnlt3w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409304/original/file-20210701-25-1tnlt3w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409304/original/file-20210701-25-1tnlt3w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409304/original/file-20210701-25-1tnlt3w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409304/original/file-20210701-25-1tnlt3w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409304/original/file-20210701-25-1tnlt3w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/409304/original/file-20210701-25-1tnlt3w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Setting growth goals is a practical strategy to try to beat your previous record.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/high-school-students-lined-start-line-1736870870">Shutterstock</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Students participated in the first term of 2018 and again in the first term of 2019. Students were in years 7-10 in 2018 and years 8-11 in 2019. Half the sample was female.</p>
<p>They had to answer four sets of survey questions on their:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>self-improvement goals. This was assessed by asking students to rate themselves (from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”) on statements such as “When I do my schoolwork, I try to improve on how I’ve done before”) from a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6702239_Personal_bests_PBs_A_proposed_multidimensional_model_and_empirical_analysis">validated self-report measure</a></p></li>
<li><p>teachers’ instructional support. This was measured by students’ ratings of the extent to which their teachers gave them feedback on improving, as well as clear and organised lessons, and instructional relevance </p></li>
<li><p>academic engagement (perseverance, aspirations, attendance and positive homework behaviour)</p></li>
<li><p>personal background attributes (such as their socioeconomic levels and language background). </p></li>
</ol>
<h2>What we found</h2>
<p>We found that setting self-improvement goals was associated with significant gains in all students’ perseverance, aspirations, and positive homework behaviour. </p>
<p>We also found teachers’ instructional practices (especially improvement-oriented feedback and instructional relevance) were important for supporting students’ growth goal setting. </p>
<p>The effect for perseverance was particularly striking: students who more frequently pursued growth goals were 30% more perseverant than students who were not as inclined to pursue growth goals.</p>
<p>Especially noteworthy was the finding that setting goals to improve on past efforts had particular benefits for academically disadvantaged students. </p>
<p>For students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and those with low prior achievement, such goals were associated with more aspirations to complete school and school attendance. </p>
<p>The positive effects on students’ engagement were over and above the effects of prior engagement. Students who pursued self-improvement by setting goals demonstrated significant improvements in aspirations and attendance from one year to the next.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/five-tips-to-help-year-12-students-set-better-goals-in-the-final-year-of-school-109954">Five tips to help year 12 students set better goals in the final year of school</a>
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<p>We also found setting goals to improve minimised differences in school attendance between students from low and high socioeconomic backgrounds. In fact, low socioeconomic students who had higher growth goals were among the highest school attenders. </p>
<p>With regard to aspirations, setting self-improvement goals seemed to have a significant bolstering effect for students with lower prior achievement. This helped reduce the aspiration gap between low and high achieving students. </p>
<p>We found if low achieving students set goals to beat their previous efforts, the gap between their aspirations and the aspirations of high achieving students decreased by more than 50%.</p>
<h2>Why setting growth goals might help</h2>
<p>Further research is needed to fully understand our findings. One explanation may be that focusing on personal progress is motivational for academically disadvantaged students. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/youre-the-best-your-belief-in-your-kids-academic-ability-can-actually-improve-their-grades-161881">'You're the best!' Your belief in your kids' academic ability can actually improve their grades</a>
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<p>Struggling students may believe they can’t personally be academically successful if they compare themselves to others. This can lead to feelings of <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352106829_Self-worth_Theory_and_Students_with_Attention-DeficitHyperactivity_Disorder_ADHD">inferiority and disengagement</a>. But when students are encouraged to focus on themselves and their improvement (setting goals to improve), academic success is seen as much more accessible. Exceeding one’s own prior efforts is typically seen by students as more achievable than outperforming others. </p>
<p><em>Students can <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/290306540_The_role_of_personal_best_PB_goal_setting_in_students'_academic_achievement_gains">learn how to set goals to improve</a>. For a practical guide to setting self-improvement goals, see the <a href="https://education.nsw.gov.au/about-us/educational-data/cese/publications/practical-guides-for-educators/growth-goal-setting">NSW Department of Education</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/163073/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew J. Martin consults with the New South Wales Department of Education. He receives funding from the New South Wales Department of Education. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emma Burns, Keiko CP Bostwick, and Rebecca J. Collie do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We conducted a study to see if students who set goals to try to improve on their past efforts were more engaged in school. We found the strategy was particularly helpful to disadvantaged students.Andrew J. Martin, Scientia Professor and Professor of Educational Psychology, UNSW SydneyEmma Burns, Lecturer, Macquarie UniversityKeiko CP Bostwick, Research Officer, UNSW SydneyRebecca J. Collie, Scientia Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1607622021-06-16T20:06:57Z2021-06-16T20:06:57ZMore stress, unclear gains: are selective schools really worth it?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/406369/original/file-20210615-3582-xsa40q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/students-taking-admission-test-exam-room-1455435644">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Thousands of primary and secondary students in Sydney and <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/going-to-school/Pages/selective-entry-high-schools.aspx">Melbourne</a> are preparing for selective entrance exams. If successful, students will gain entry into a <a href="https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/selective-high-schools-and-opportunity-classes/year-7">selective secondary school</a>, with other high-achievers, or an “<a href="https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/selective-high-schools-and-opportunity-classes/year-5/what-are-opportunity-classes">opportunity class</a>”, which is an academic stream for years 5 and 6 in a mixed-ability primary school. </p>
<p>Fully selective and partially selective schools in New South Wales and Victoria are part of the government school sector. They charge minimal fees compared to non-government schools.</p>
<p>But unlike regular government schools that prioritise students living in their catchment zone, selective schools enrol only the highest achieving students based on the outcomes of a competitive entrance exam. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/school-catchment-zones-may-be-annoying-for-some-parents-but-they-help-ensure-equality-for-everyone-160252">School catchment zones may be annoying for some parents, but they help ensure equality for everyone</a>
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<p>Selective schools are known for being consistently high-performing, producing some of the highest final-year secondary school outcomes. The chances of getting into a selective school depends on yearly demand. But are they actually worth it?</p>
<h2>Why do families choose selective schools?</h2>
<p>Research <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781137483522">shows families choose</a> selective schools for many reasons. </p>
<p>Parents are often drawn to them because their students produce good Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) scores. These then ensure they can get into the university course of their choice.</p>
<p>Some <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781137483522">migrant parents believe</a> their education opportunities were limited or disrupted in their home countries, or during migration. When settled in Australia, these families may be drawn to high-performing schools that select talented and hard-working students.</p>
<p>Parents who have migrated to Australia from overseas also often cite a mix of <a href="https://www.mup.com.au/books/aspiration-and-anxiety-paperback-softback">high aspirations and anxiety</a> about the future — related to university entry, job security and racial discrimination in the workplace — as their main reasons for choosing selective schools.</p>
<p>Selective schools aim to offer opportunities “<a href="https://selectivehighschools.education/">for all</a>” academically talented students, regardless of their social or cultural backgrounds, or where they live. They seek to enact the ethos of equal opportunity through various practices. For example, the entrance exam comprises aptitude style questions to test students’ natural abilities. And private tutoring to prepare for the entrance exams is discouraged.</p>
<p>Despite this, the types of students enrolled in selective schools are not representative of the population. Selective schools <a href="https://cpd.org.au/2018/07/institutionalised-separation/">predominantly enrol</a> socially advantaged students from ethnic minority backgrounds.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/selective-schools-mainly-select-advantage-so-another-one-wont-ease-sydneys-growing-pains-118449">Selective schools mainly 'select' advantage, so another one won't ease Sydney's growing pains</a>
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<p>A <a href="https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/about-us/strategies-and-reports/media/documents/Review-of-Selective-Education-Access.pdf">recent review</a> of selective schooling in NSW showed the admission processes provide better outcomes for advantaged students — 59% of applicants were from high socioeconomic backgrounds, or have at least one parent with a bachelor degree or above. The gap widens further on selection, with 64% of selected students considered to be in the high socioeconomic group.</p>
<p>So, these schools take hard-working students who have the advantages of extra tutoring. But do the schools, themselves, make a difference to individual students’ scores?</p>
<h2>Do selective schools offer academic benefits?</h2>
<p>Studies show selective schools are high performing compared to non-selective schools, but the degree to which they stretch the abilities of selective students is relatively inconclusive.</p>
<p>For instance, a <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/2810952/wp2018n08.pdf">study</a> of three of the four fully selective schools in Victoria found selective school students get ATAR scores that are two and a half percentile points higher than the non-selective school students who narrowly missed out on entry into selective schools. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/406388/original/file-20210615-2626-1r7dzsk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Girl hugging her schoolfriend and holding letter in her hand." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/406388/original/file-20210615-2626-1r7dzsk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/406388/original/file-20210615-2626-1r7dzsk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406388/original/file-20210615-2626-1r7dzsk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406388/original/file-20210615-2626-1r7dzsk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406388/original/file-20210615-2626-1r7dzsk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406388/original/file-20210615-2626-1r7dzsk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/406388/original/file-20210615-2626-1r7dzsk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A study showed students who narrowly missed selective school entry scored very close in final exams to students who got in.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/two-girls-celebrating-exam-results-school-735915208">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>A recent <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/sites/default/files/cires-working-paper-02-2021_0.pdf">working paper</a> from the Centre for International Research on Education Systems explored how selective schools shape the socioeconomic composition and academic performance of non-selective schools in Sydney and Melbourne. </p>
<p>It compared the types of students enrolled in geographical “clusters” with one of each type of school: fully selective, partially selective, private and non-selective government schools. The schools were matched where possible in terms of student composition by sex and year levels to enable fair comparisons. The report included 80 schools — 64 in Sydney and 16 in Melbourne.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-south-wales-has-48-selective-schools-while-victoria-has-4-theres-an-interesting-history-behind-this-118823">New South Wales has 48 selective schools, while Victoria has 4. There's an interesting history behind this</a>
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<p>The report showed academic selection through selective school entry ends up with schools being stratified based on students’ social background and academic abilities. </p>
<p>Fully selective schools had the highest proportions of high socioeconomic students (89%). Private schools followed, with 81% of high socioeconomic students. In partially selective schools, advantaged students made up 57% of enrolments. Public schools had the lowest attendance of high socioeconomic students, at just over half, or 50.4%.</p>
<p>Students in selective schools were the highest performing in numeracy, reading and writing. Private and partially selective schools had similar levels of academic performance. Public schools were the lowest performing in all three academic domains. </p>
<p>Given socioeconomic status is a significant predictor of academic scores, it’s unclear whether selective schools would actually make a difference to individual students’ grades. What is clear is that academic selection produces social selection in schools, separating students from wealthy families from those who are of lower socioeconomic status.</p>
<h2>Does competition make a difference?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/a-contest-without-winners#:%7E:text=In%20A%20Contest%20without%20Winners,out%20and%20redefine%20competitive%20choice.">Recent research</a> of 14-year-old students in the United States highlighted competitive, stressful entrance exams — and repetitive testing — affects student well-being, confidence and sense of self when they aren’t selected. </p>
<p>For those who are successful, the process of competitive school entry encourages individualistic mindsets and self-protective actions. The study showed it also heightens racialised stereotyping and lowers empathy towards students who miss out on a place or are unable to compete. </p>
<p><a href="https://bridges.monash.edu/articles/thesis/The_selected_and_the_ejected_The_making_of_student_subjectivity_within_four_Australian_selective_schools/11944869">Australian research</a> shows selective school students often compare entrance exam results with others after enrolment. Those who are successful through second or third round offers carry a sense of failure with them into schools, knowing they were not picked first. These successfully selected but lower scoring students see themselves as lesser than first-picked students for many years after selection. </p>
<p>Choosing a selective over a non-selective school flows through to sustaining inequalities in society more broadly. In contrast, enrolling into local government schools and ensuring a mix of students from different socioeconomic backgrounds will help reduce social inequalities, ensuring fairer life outcomes for everyone.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/160762/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melissa Tham does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Selective schools are known for producing some of the highest final-year academic results. But it’s unclear whether students would get the same outcomes anyway, regardless of school.Melissa Tham, Research officer at the Centre for International Research on Education Systems, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1602522021-06-14T20:07:15Z2021-06-14T20:07:15ZSchool catchment zones may be annoying for some parents, but they help ensure equality for everyone<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405014/original/file-20210608-10178-ose7cj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/two-girls-waiting-behind-their-friends-1177707217">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Parents of primary school children across Australia applying for high school have the option of selecting several secondary schools of their choice. These include schools outside their local catchment zone. However, schools must give preference to students living within their zone.</p>
<p>So, what are school catchment zones and why were they established? Would it be better to get rid of them altogether?</p>
<h2>A history of school zones</h2>
<p>Australian governments created the school catchment zone policy to manage the growth of mass secondary education in the 20th century. They wanted to ensure students were offered a place at the school closest to where they lived, and regulate enrolment numbers in schools. The government <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781403964892">established high schools</a> from the 1950s to the 1970s to be “neighbourhood schools”. </p>
<p>Parents at the time were not given the option of choosing a school outside their local area.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/choosing-a-school-for-your-kid-heres-how-other-australian-parents-do-it-126011">Choosing a school for your kid? Here's how other Australian parents do it</a>
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<p>But in the name of “choice”, all Australian states now allow students to apply to any public school. Although schools first need to ensure they offer a place to any student living within their catchment zone before accepting students from outside the zone.</p>
<h2>Education is not a marketplace</h2>
<p>We all like to have choice. But what might be ideal for the individual does not always create fair outcomes for all. </p>
<p>Policies to enhance school choice <a href="https://research.monash.edu/en/publications/making-sense-of-school-choice-politics-policies-and-practice-unde">reflect a neoliberal ideology</a>, dominant since the 1980s. It assumes schools and families, or “consumers”, can compete in a free and fair marketplace. </p>
<p>Families go “school shopping”, comparing different schools’ educational programs, facilities, NAPLAN results or student cohorts. </p>
<p>Easing school zoning is one policy shift that aims to increase school choice. This process arguably improves the quality of education. As with the market, schools are compelled to do better to attract more students, or “customers”. </p>
<p>However, schools are not a marketplace but a social service. Not all schools are equally equipped to compete, and not all families are equally equipped to choose. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17508480903009566">Australian</a> and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/41126245_Juxtaposing_some_contradictory_finding_from_research_on_school_choice">international</a> <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0954896042000267161">research</a> <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/school-choice-and-equity_5k9fq23507vc-en">has shown</a> policies to boost school choice exacerbate inequality and social segregation in school systems. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-schools-are-becoming-more-segregated-this-threatens-student-outcomes-155455">Australian schools are becoming more segregated. This threatens student outcomes</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Well-educated, middle-class parents have the knowledge and resources to target the best schools for their children. This includes paying for private tutoring and other extra-curricular activities, so their kids are competitive applicants in a sought-after school. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405833/original/file-20210611-15-qbswo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Family shopping for school stationery." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405833/original/file-20210611-15-qbswo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405833/original/file-20210611-15-qbswo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405833/original/file-20210611-15-qbswo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405833/original/file-20210611-15-qbswo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405833/original/file-20210611-15-qbswo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405833/original/file-20210611-15-qbswo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405833/original/file-20210611-15-qbswo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Not all families who go ‘school shopping’ are on equal footing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/loving-parents-little-daughter-buying-school-1123189031">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These families are more able to bypass a “less desirable” local school. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, the “less desirable” schools start losing their better educated and well-resourced families. They may suffer declining enrolments and subsequent staffing cuts, making them even less appealing for future families. </p>
<p>This downward spiral makes it virtually impossible for them to compete effectively with other schools. </p>
<p>Australia has the <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/equity-in-education_9789264073234-en">fourth most segregated schooling system</a> in the OECD. Disadvantaged students are heavily concentrated in disadvantaged and poorly performing schools, and the opposite is true of students from wealthy backgrounds. </p>
<h2>How some parents avoid schools</h2>
<p>In my <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07256868.2015.1095715">Sydney-based research</a>, a principal lamented that middle-class Anglo-Australian parents had expressed reluctance to send their children to her school. Because many kids from migrant and refugee families went to the school, these parents thought the academic standard would be inadequate. </p>
<p>Because these families repeatedly bypassed her school for other schools, schools in this area became increasingly segregated by ethnicity and socioeconomic status. </p>
<p>One of my parent participants recounted her observation of other parents standing outside the school gates, assessing whether the school would be too “rough” for their kids. The parent said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>They would stand outside the school, look at the kids coming out, and say, “I don’t see anyone that I want my kids to be friends with”.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Other policies around school choice</h2>
<p>The idea of school choice isn’t just seen in school catchment zone policies. It’s also seen in governments spending more money on private schools. Or governments providing more public selective and specialist schools, such as performing arts or sports-focused schools. </p>
<p>For example, in NSW between 1988 and 2010, the number of public non-comprehensive secondary schools (selective and specialist schools) increased by 955% while the number of <a href="https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/8596">traditional comprehensive secondary schools</a> fell by 24%. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-south-wales-has-48-selective-schools-while-victoria-has-4-theres-an-interesting-history-behind-this-118823">New South Wales has 48 selective schools, while Victoria has 4. There's an interesting history behind this</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Under the Howard government, <a href="https://www.cis.org.au/publications/policy-monographs/the-rise-of-religious-schools-in-australia/">federal funding</a> for non-government schools tripled . According to Howard-era education minister <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/216882614_The_limits_of_school_choice_Some_implications_for_accountability_of_selective_practices_and_positional_competition_in_Australian_education">Brendan Nelson</a>, one of the greatest achievements of that administration was having the courage to “bring choice to education”. </p>
<p>With strict school zones in place, schools are more likely to reflect the full diversity of the local community. The policy allows students to mix and learn with others from different backgrounds. And it ensures more schools can benefit from the contributions of better-resourced families — from fundraising events to lobbying efforts. It is a means of putting schools on a more equal footing. </p>
<p>School zones may limit individual choice, but they can help create a more equitable and cohesive society. </p>
<p><em>Correction: this article previously stated the South Australian government was relaxing its school zone catchment policy. This is incorrect and has been removed.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/160252/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christina Ho receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>School zones are a logical way to manage school enrolments, and the policy helps to create schools that are community hubs, ones that reflect the local areas they serve.Christina Ho, Associate professor, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1611002021-05-24T21:16:33Z2021-05-24T21:16:33Z1 in 4 Australian year 8s have teachers unqualified in maths — this hits disadvantaged schools even harder<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402276/original/file-20210524-19-10vv69l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/close-students-writing-reading-exam-answer-1062306728">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Almost one in four (23%) Australian year 8 students were being taught maths in 2018 by teachers whose major qualification was in a field other than maths, <a href="https://research.acer.edu.au/timss_2019/4/">new analysis</a> reveals. </p>
<p>Internationally, on average, just one in ten year 8 equivalent students are taught maths by such teachers. </p>
<p>The analysis of Australia’s participation in the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) — an international assessment — was released today by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). </p>
<p>The above figures have remained much the same since the 2015 <a href="https://research.acer.edu.au/timss_2015/2/">TIMSS data</a> collection.</p>
<p>When qualified teachers are assigned to teach subjects and year levels they have not studied at a tertiary level, this is known as out-of-field teaching. TIMSS also shows a large achievement difference between students taught by expert teachers and students taught by out-of-field teachers. </p>
<p>However, socioeconomic status has a large impact on student achievement, and TIMSS also shows more disadvantaged students are being taught by non-expert teachers.So, there may be a cumulative effect — with both teacher expertise and disadvantage playing a role in results.</p>
<h2>Students with expert maths teachers score higher</h2>
<p>TIMSS summarises achievement on the test on a scale with a mean of 500 and standard deviation of 100. In TIMSS 2019, Australian students achieved an overall average of 516 points in maths. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-lifts-to-be-among-top-ten-countries-in-maths-and-science-150275">Australia lifts to be among top ten countries in maths and science</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Students with expert teachers in maths, with specialist teacher training, scored significantly higher in maths in the TIMSS test than any other group. </p>
<p>Those taught by teachers with strong subject matter knowledge and pedagogical training in subjects other than maths scored next highest. </p>
<p>They all performed at a higher level than students taught by teachers with neither the subject-matter knowledge nor the pedagogical knowledge in maths. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402024/original/file-20210520-13-29wjao.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Chart showing percentages of students and their average maths score corresponding to type of major of their teacher" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402024/original/file-20210520-13-29wjao.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402024/original/file-20210520-13-29wjao.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402024/original/file-20210520-13-29wjao.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402024/original/file-20210520-13-29wjao.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402024/original/file-20210520-13-29wjao.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402024/original/file-20210520-13-29wjao.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402024/original/file-20210520-13-29wjao.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Percentages of Australian students (Year 8) by the type of major of mathematics teachers and corresponding average mathematics scores.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://research.acer.edu.au/timss_2019/4/">Data: ACER</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>–</p>
<p>It’s important to note, however, the scores of students in this point-of-time assessment are not the simple result of the one teacher surveyed for TIMSS. They are a cumulative result of eight years of schooling. </p>
<p>One of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/educational-disadvantage-is-a-huge-problem-in-australia-we-cant-just-carry-on-the-same-74530">largest effects on student achievement</a> is socioeconomic advantage and disadvantage.</p>
<h2>Disadvantaged students bearing the brunt</h2>
<p>Overall, 46% of year 8 students were taught maths by teachers with a major in both maths and maths education, while 23% were taught by out-of-field teachers. </p>
<p>However, while there is a general shortage of qualified maths teachers, it affects some students more than others. </p>
<p>Principals of the schools selected for TIMSS also reported on the socioeconomic composition of their schools. They were asked to indicate the percentages of students who came from economically affluent homes and from economically disadvantaged homes. </p>
<p>These responses were used to create three categories of school socioeconomic composition: more affluent, more disadvantaged and neither. </p>
<p>The TIMSS data show disadvantaged students are bearing the brunt of maths teacher shortages.</p>
<p>In more affluent schools, out-of-field teachers taught just 16% of students. More qualified maths teachers taught 54% of these students. </p>
<p>In contrast, in more disadvantaged schools, out-of-field teachers taught 28% of students. More qualified maths teachers taught just 31% of students.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Chart showing percentages of maths teachers by type of major in affluent and disadvantaged schools" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402029/original/file-20210520-19-1jaw42v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402029/original/file-20210520-19-1jaw42v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402029/original/file-20210520-19-1jaw42v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402029/original/file-20210520-19-1jaw42v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402029/original/file-20210520-19-1jaw42v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402029/original/file-20210520-19-1jaw42v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402029/original/file-20210520-19-1jaw42v.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://research.acer.edu.au/timss_2019/4/">Data: ACER</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>The average maths score for more affluent schools was 558 points, compared to 474 points for more disadvantaged schools. </p>
<p>A proportion of the achievement gap between students taught by out-of-field teachers and those taught by more qualified maths teachers must therefore be related to disadvantage. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-schools-are-becoming-more-segregated-this-threatens-student-outcomes-155455">Australian schools are becoming more segregated. This threatens student outcomes</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<p>Many students in the disadvantaged secondary schools also would have attended disadvantaged primary schools, so may have had many years of more poorly resourced teaching.</p>
<h2>Out-of-field teachers in Australia</h2>
<p>According to the <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/%7E/media/Estimates/Live/eet_ctte/estimates/sup_1213/answers/EW0743_13_Attachment_A.ashx">National School Improvement Tool</a> (among many other documents on effective teachers and schools), highly effective schools have “teachers … [who] are experts in the fields in which they teach, [and] have high levels of confidence in teaching in those fields”. </p>
<p>Yet <a href="https://amsi.org.au/media/AMSI-Occasional-Paper-Out-of-Field-Maths-Teaching.pdf">analysis</a> from the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) has warned that 76% of students will be taught by an out-of-field maths teacher at least once, and 35% of students twice, in the first four years of high school. Worryingly, 8% will be taught by out-of-field teachers for all four years.</p>
<p>Many out-of-field teachers have been teaching in that subject area for several years. <a href="https://research.acer.edu.au/policyinsights/6/">Analysis</a> of the 2013 Staff in Australia’s Schools survey showed out-of-field maths teachers had been teaching the subject to years 7-10 for an average total of 7.4 years. </p>
<p>While TIMSS data on years of teaching were not specific to maths teaching, it did show out-of-field teachers tended to have fewer years of teaching overall under their belt. Out-of-field teachers had 10.9 years on average compared to 16.3 years for the most qualified maths teachers.</p>
<h2>How can we support out-of-field teachers?</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://amsi.org.au/media/AMSI-Occasional-Paper-Out-of-Field-Maths-Teaching.pdf">AMSI analysis</a> suggests Australia will not be able to train enough new maths teachers in the short to medium term. So we need other alternatives. </p>
<p>One of these is to support out-of-field teachers by providing targeted forms of professional development. To do this requires an understanding of where weaknesses lie. </p>
<p>Some teachers might have the maths skills required but not enough understanding of maths teaching methods and practices. Other teachers might have the pedagogical background but weaker maths skills. Each group requires different professional development opportunities. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fixing-the-shortage-of-specialist-science-and-maths-teachers-will-be-hard-not-impossible-99651">Fixing the shortage of specialist science and maths teachers will be hard, not impossible</a>
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<p>The TIMSS data show three-quarters of Australia’s out-of-field teachers reported needing professional development in maths content, compared to around half of the more qualified teachers. </p>
<p>And around 70% of all teachers said they need professional development in maths pedagogy and instruction, as well as assessment. </p>
<p>Initiatives like the federal government’s <a href="https://ministers.dese.gov.au/tehan/strengthening-maths-teaching-australian-schools">$9.5 million investment</a> in high-quality mathematics and numeracy professional learning and resources is an important step in supporting out-of-field and in-field maths teachers alike to improve mathematics education, but it must be targeted.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/161100/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sue Thomson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Students with expert maths teachers scored significantly higher on an international maths test than any other group. But a student’s level of advantage also affects assessment scores.Sue Thomson, Deputy CEO (Research), Australian Council for Educational ResearchLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1607122021-05-18T20:08:14Z2021-05-18T20:08:14ZWe have the evidence for what works in schools, but that doesn’t mean everyone uses it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/400728/original/file-20210514-19-dw40a7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/male-elementary-school-teacher-giving-female-1448047391">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>By June 2020, the <a href="https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/education-and-covid-19-focusing-on-the-long-term-impact-of-school-closures-2cea926e/#figure-d1e54">COVID-19 crisis had forced schools to close</a> in 188 countries, disrupting the learning of more than 1.7 billion children. The OECD estimated the impact of these school closures would be at least two months of lost teaching for half of primary and secondary school students.</p>
<p>In Australia, <a href="https://theconversation.com/3-education-questions-the-victorian-government-should-answer-at-the-covid-19-inquiry-144933">modelling by the Grattan Institute</a> estimated disadvantaged students — including those from low socioeconomic families, Indigenous backgrounds and remote communities — had lost around two months learning during the remote learning period in Victoria.</p>
<p>Some states have invested in tutoring schemes <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/education/simply-staggering-nsw-students-fall-months-behind-due-to-covid-19-20201126-p56ibk.html">to help students catch up</a>. This includes the Victorian government’s A$250 million <a href="https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/tutor-learning-initiative-2021/policy">Tutor Learning Initiative</a>, South Australia’s <a href="https://www.education.sa.gov.au/learning-pilot-tutoring-program">Learning+</a> program and New South Wales’ plan to <a href="https://education.nsw.gov.au/news/latest-news/free-tutoring-to-support-students">employ up to 5,500 staff</a> to support students who may have fallen behind.</p>
<p>Evidence suggests some groups of students, such as <a href="https://www.aare.edu.au/blog/?p=8816">students in the most disadvantaged schools</a>, have felt the effects of lockdowns more than others. Evidence also suggests small-group tuition can make a difference. But this is only the case if the tutoring itself is evidence-based.</p>
<p>Between March and September 2020, <a href="https://doi.org/10.26180/14445663">we surveyed 492 teachers</a> and school leaders from 414 schools across New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and Queensland about their use of evidence — particularly research-based evidence. Our sample included primary, secondary, combined (K-12) and special schools. They included a spread of government, Catholic and independent schools. </p>
<p>While the study was not specifically prompted by the pandemic, our emphasis on the use of research evidence became particularly relevant as schools — like the rest of the world — grappled with the virus. </p>
<p>While most educators said they regularly consulted evidence, only 43% did so for university-based research. Participants cited a lack of time and a lack of access to the evidence they needed. </p>
<h2>Less than half regularly consult university research</h2>
<p>School leaders and teachers involved in tutoring initiatives — and teaching more broadly — have to make nuanced decisions about how best to address learning.</p>
<p>They must draw on various sources of evidence to understand how different factors have influenced their students’ learning and then decide on the most effective way forward. </p>
<p>A key question, therefore, is how confident and able are our leaders and teachers to use evidence to inform their responses to the effects of COVID-19?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/victoria-and-nsw-are-funding-extra-tutors-to-help-struggling-students-heres-what-parents-need-to-know-about-the-schemes-153450">Victoria and NSW are funding extra tutors to help struggling students. Here's what parents need to know about the schemes</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Our survey aimed to find out:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>what types of research and evidence teachers and school leaders value</p></li>
<li><p>how and why they source different kinds of
evidence</p></li>
<li><p>whether and how they use research in their practice</p></li>
<li><p>what they believe “using research well” in practice means.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Over two-thirds of survey participants (70%) said they had recently used evidence in their practice. Most consulted with familiar and readily available evidence types such as “student data” (77%) and “policy and curriculum documents” (72%). </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/400729/original/file-20210514-13-zw9bu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Boy learning from teaching on Zoom screen." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/400729/original/file-20210514-13-zw9bu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/400729/original/file-20210514-13-zw9bu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400729/original/file-20210514-13-zw9bu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400729/original/file-20210514-13-zw9bu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400729/original/file-20210514-13-zw9bu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400729/original/file-20210514-13-zw9bu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/400729/original/file-20210514-13-zw9bu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Remote learning set many students back, especially those from disadvantaged groups.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/asian-boy-student-video-conference-elearning-1760879942">Shutterstock</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>But respondents used research-based sources much less frequently. Only 43% said they regularly consulted “research disseminated from universities” and 36% engaged with “university-based advice or guidance”.</p>
<p>Nearly half (43%) of respondents indicated “teacher observations and experience should be prioritised over research”. These educators were less likely to source research-related evidence types.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/first-do-no-harm-education-research-should-answer-to-the-same-standards-as-medicine-148904">First, do no harm: education research should answer to the same standards as medicine</a>
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<p>We also asked educators to reflect on the evidence types they have used in relation to “a specific initiative related to improving student outcomes that [they or their] colleagues have started to use in [their] schools or classrooms in the past 12 months”. </p>
<p>Some answers related to COVID-specific initiatives such as the transition to online learning and the best learning platforms to use. Others spoke about interventions to address poor student behaviour or phonic programs to improve literacy.</p>
<h2>Schools need to help</h2>
<p>Educators reported three particular challenges in relation to using research: access, organisational culture and confidence.</p>
<p>First, many said they didn’t have sufficient access to research (68%), or adequate time to access and review it (76%). More than three-quarters (76%) also indicated they can’t keep up with new and emerging research, such as studies of the educational impacts of the pandemic.</p>
<p>Second, <a href="https://www.monash.edu/education/research/projects/qproject/publications/quality-use-of-research-evidence-framework-qure-report">organisational cultures</a> are important supports for enabling <a href="https://doi.org/10.26180/14234009">the use of research</a>. Respondents reported they use research-related sources more often when their schools had processes designed to support their research use.</p>
<p>Finally, many respondents reported lacking confidence in their own skills and capacities to use research. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/exhausted-beyond-measure-what-teachers-are-saying-about-covid-19-and-the-disruption-to-education-143601">'Exhausted beyond measure': what teachers are saying about COVID-19 and the disruption to education</a>
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<p>Addressing the first two challenges is an important first step to building educators’ skills and capacities to use research.</p>
<p>Laureate education professor Jenny Gore <a href="https://www.aare.edu.au/blog/?p=8816">recently wrote</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The success of the tutoring programs being used by schools to help students recover post-COVID-19 will depend heavily on the quality of the tutoring they provide. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Our findings suggest evidence use can play a key role in improving the quality of teaching, both in COVID-19 tutoring programs and classrooms generally. But this can only happen when educators feel they have the appropriate access, support and confidence to make evidence-informed judgments and practices.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/160712/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>'Monash Q Project' research is funded by project partner, the Paul Ramsay Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>'Monash Q Project' research is funded by project partner, the Paul Ramsay Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>'Monash Q Project' research is funded by project partner, the Paul Ramsay Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span> 'Monash Q Project' research is funded by project partner, the Paul Ramsay Foundation. </span></em></p>A survey of 414 schools across four states has found most school leaders and teachers do not regularly draw on research-based evidence of the sort universities provide.Lucas Walsh, Professor, Education Policy and Practice, Monash UniversityBlake Cutler, Research Assistant in Education, Monash UniversityConnie Cirkony, Research Fellow, Faculty of Education, Monash UniversityJoanne Gleeson, Research Fellow in Education, Monash UniversityMandy Gayle Salisbury, Research Assistant (The Q Project), Faculty of Education, Monash UniversityMark Rickinson, Associate Professor of Education, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1537922021-03-21T18:49:24Z2021-03-21T18:49:24ZBanning mobile phones in schools can improve students’ academic performance. This is how we know<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/389172/original/file-20210312-23-1ivvp2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/no-mobile-phone-call-warning-prohibit-1200373825">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The effects of mobiles phones and other technology at school is a <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-education-minister-we-dont-have-enough-evidence-to-support-banning-mobile-phones-in-schools-151574">hotly debated topic</a> in many countries. Some advocate for a complete ban to limit distractions, while others suggest using technology as a teaching tool.</p>
<p>Kids in public <a href="https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/school-life/sa-government-bans-mobile-phone-use-at-states-primary-schools/news-story/c13e01ab2c2e6d5cbd3473201dfbe70a">South Australian primary schools</a> started the school year without being allowed to bring their mobile phones to class, unless they are needed for class activity. All students in public <a href="https://www.education.wa.edu.au/mobile-phones#:%7E:text=The%20Student%20Mobile%20Phones%20in,end%20of%20the%20school%20day.">Western Australian</a> <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/going-to-school/Pages/Mobile-phones-in-schools.aspx">Victorian</a>, and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-05/tasmania-mobile-phone-ban-in-schools-proves-a-success/13113128#:%7E:text=The%20state%20school%20ban%20on,would%20ring%20throughout%20the%20day.">Tasmanian</a> schools have a mobile phone ban in place since for all or some of 2020. New South Wales also <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-13/nsw-phone-ban-aims-to-reduce-bullying/10612950">banned mobile phones</a> in public primary schools, with secondary schools having the option to opt in, since the start of 2020.</p>
<p>Education departments have introduced the bans for various reasons including to improve academic outcomes and decrease bullying. </p>
<p>Several recent papers point to positive impact of banning mobile phones at school on student performance and other outcomes. Understanding the evidence is crucial for best policy. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/no-education-minister-we-dont-have-enough-evidence-to-support-banning-mobile-phones-in-schools-151574">No, Education Minister, we don't have enough evidence to support banning mobile phones in schools</a>
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<p>In a 2015 <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927537116300136?casa_token=BftSuGIPHFsAAAAA:Si6NTOo4pga0c0zwLi9owgonIiECr1raGURE3FrIsbFpR9QiDlfPE8nVCygV9R9Rb3_2hvRn9Q">paper</a>, we used a method — called a <a href="https://mixtape.scunning.com/difference-in-differences.html">difference-in-difference strategy</a> — as well as student data from England to investigate the effect of banning mobile phones on student performance. In this method, we compared schools that have had phones removed to similar schools with no phone bans. This allowed us to isolate the effect of mobiles phones on student performance from other factors that could affect performance. </p>
<p>We found banning mobile phones at school leads to an increase in student performance. Our results suggest that after schools banned mobile phones, test scores of students aged 16 increased by 6.4% of a standard deviation. This is equivalent to adding five days to the school year or an additional hour a week.</p>
<p>The effects were twice as large for low-achieving students, and we found no impact on high achieving students. </p>
<p>Our results suggest low-performing students are more likely to be distracted by the presence of mobile phones, while high performing students can focus with or without mobile phones.</p>
<p>The results of our paper suggest banning mobile phones has considerable benefits including a reduction in the gap between high- and low- achieving students. This is substantial improvement for a low-cost education policy.</p>
<h2>Other studies show similar results</h2>
<p>Recent studies from <a href="https://www.erices.es/upload/workingpaper/99_99_0420.pdf">Spain</a> and <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/saraabrahamsson/research?authuser=0">Norway</a>, using a similar empirical strategy to ours, also show compelling evidence on the benefit of banning mobile phones on student performance, with similar effect size. </p>
<p>In Spain, banning mobile phones has been shown to increase students’ scores in maths and science. Researchers also documented a decrease in incidences of bullying. </p>
<p>In Norway, banning phones significantly increased middle school students’ grade point average. It also increased students’ likelihood of attending an academic high school rather than choosing a vocational school. And it decreased incidents of bullying. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390012/original/file-20210317-21-1rl9mfk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Man's hands holding mobile phone in front of open laptop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390012/original/file-20210317-21-1rl9mfk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390012/original/file-20210317-21-1rl9mfk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390012/original/file-20210317-21-1rl9mfk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390012/original/file-20210317-21-1rl9mfk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390012/original/file-20210317-21-1rl9mfk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390012/original/file-20210317-21-1rl9mfk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390012/original/file-20210317-21-1rl9mfk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Using any form of technology in class could be seen as a form of multitasking.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/side-view-shot-mans-hands-using-268450487">Shutterstock</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Evidence from <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/kykl.12214?casa_token=Suyowk5wjT8AAAAA%3AOLsCQOB4FXad_mQqgez2PpOxGAhcZcRl749eAeAkZTwWEzeFAp63yrwpFsVzWoItlYskdMs8y3PljBI">Belgium</a> suggests banning mobile phones can be beneficial for college student performance. This context might be different, but still informative as students are of similar age to those in high school. </p>
<p>Research from <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272775719303966?casa_token=GRmr3vHvbZ8AAAAA:rxP1rcaYwFSNkqqYEuD1GfCygj6qhIZS49hqG3TvU33UcGeL9QcnvrckFldDxGqCS8_PTt-6IA">Sweden</a>, however, suggests little effect of banning mobile phones in high school on student performance. It is worth noting, however, the study did not find any detrimental effect of banning mobile phones.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-blame-the-teacher-student-results-are-mostly-out-of-their-hands-124177">Don't blame the teacher: student results are (mostly) out of their hands</a>
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<p>A similar conclusion can be drawn from the literature on the effect of computers used at school. Evidence from <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272775716307129?casa_token=XPKWuMLtDfQAAAAA:Kgma8uaSuiDJsI-jowomsz2ltDAr4AAJsExfdR4VgY1g01mDjvX1qvXRF0Jw57uXhwP_-9IySQ">the US</a> suggests using laptops in class is detrimental to learning, and the effects are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272775716303454?casa_token=RA9CuU-d89oAAAAA:NT86LqbLuWGV1FPdxv-lbamuIc9t7_4CLR9_QZUct9jgc7dH0O__tBfeHKnyh7JAf2cJDKWdmQ">large and more damaging</a> for low-performing students.</p>
<h2>Potential psychological mechanisms involved</h2>
<p>The psychological literature might shed lights on the potential mechanisms as to why mobile phones and other technology in school might affect student performance. This literature finds multitasking is detrimental to learning and task execution. </p>
<p>Many recent experimental papers present evidence mobile phone use while executing another task decreases learning and task completion. Research also shows <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/106/37/15583">computers might be</a> a <a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/cyber.2010.0129">less efficient</a> way <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03634523.2013.767917">to take notes</a> than pen and paper. </p>
<p>It may be that taking notes by hand allows you to remember the material better than typing those notes on a computer. This may be because students are not just typing out every word said, but thinking of how to summarise what they’re hearing.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-best-way-to-take-notes-on-your-laptop-or-tablet-43630">What's the best way to take notes on your laptop or tablet?</a>
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<p>These findings do not discount the possibility mobile phones and other technology could be a useful structured teaching tool. However, ignoring or misunderstanding the evidence could be harmful to students and lead to long term negative social consequences.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/153792/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Louis-Philippe Beland does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A study compared students’ performance in schools that had banned mobiles and schools that hadn’t. They found students who weren’t allowed to use mobile phones in class had higher test scores.Louis-Philippe Beland, Assistant Professor of Economics, Carleton UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1555492021-02-18T04:05:32Z2021-02-18T04:05:32ZWhy the curriculum should be based on students’ readiness, not their age<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/384907/original/file-20210218-17-17ekukj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/back-school-education-concept-girl-kids-1478660396">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>I handed down the <a href="https://nswcurriculumreview.nesa.nsw.edu.au/home/siteAreaContent/524abec1-f0f9-4ffd-9e01-2cc89432ad52">final report</a> of a two-year review of the New South Wales school curriculum in June 2020. One of the review’s key recommendations was to introduce what I called “untimed syllabuses”. This is where students who need more time for their learning are given it, and those ready to move on to the next stage are able to do so. </p>
<p>The NSW government has <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/schools-will-trial-untimed-syllabuses-before-ambitious-statewide-reform-20210216-p572v7.html">agreed to trial</a> this recommendation over the coming years.</p>
<p>I made this recommendation in response to a problem teachers had identified. They explained the current curriculum lacks flexibility. It expects every student of the same age to learn the same things at the same time. This sounds fair, and it might be if all students began the school year ready for the year’s curriculum.</p>
<p>In reality, as the <a href="https://www.dese.gov.au/uncategorised/resources/through-growth-achievement-report-review-achieve-educational-excellence-australian-schools">Gonski report</a> observed, evidence from <a href="https://www.nap.edu.au/">testing programs</a> shows the most advanced students in each year of school are about five to six years ahead of the least advanced students. Instead of beginning on the same starting line, students begin each school year widely spread on the running track. </p>
<p>Despite this, they are all judged against the same finish line: the year-level curriculum expectations.</p>
<h2>Some students are behind, others ahead</h2>
<p>The differences we see in students’ performances mean many students begin each school year one, two or three years behind average for their year group and struggle. At the end of each year, they are required to move to the next curriculum, often not having mastered the content of the current curriculum. </p>
<p>For some, the year-level curriculum becomes increasingly beyond their reach and they fall further behind each year. The low grades they receive fail to reveal the progress they are making and reinforce their belief they are poor learners.</p>
<p>By 15 years of age, according to the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (<a href="https://research.acer.edu.au/ozpisa/34/">PISA</a>), one in five Australian students has failed to achieve even a minimally acceptable level of reading or maths. Another one in five has failed to achieve a “<a href="https://www.nap.edu.au/results-and-reports/how-to-interpret/standards">proficient</a>” standard (that is, a challenging but reasonable expectation) in these basics. Many of these students have struggled with year-level curricula throughout their schooling. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/aussie-students-are-a-year-behind-students-10-years-ago-in-science-maths-and-reading-127013">Aussie students are a year behind students 10 years ago in science, maths and reading</a>
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<p>Worse, the students most affected are those also disadvantaged by their socioeconomic circumstances.</p>
<p>At the same time, some more advanced students, who are ready for more challenging material, are prevented from advancing to the next curriculum until the allotted time has elapsed.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/384915/original/file-20210218-21-13lmmkw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Students on a starting line on a race track." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/384915/original/file-20210218-21-13lmmkw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/384915/original/file-20210218-21-13lmmkw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384915/original/file-20210218-21-13lmmkw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384915/original/file-20210218-21-13lmmkw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384915/original/file-20210218-21-13lmmkw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384915/original/file-20210218-21-13lmmkw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/384915/original/file-20210218-21-13lmmkw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Not all students start the school year on the same starting line.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/students-boy-get-set-leaving-starting-571351051">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>This is not an observation about teachers; they do the best job they can to meet the needs of individual students. But teachers work within the constraints of a timed, lock-step and sometimes crowded curriculum that expects them to deliver the same content to everybody.</p>
<h2>A 21st century approach</h2>
<p>The 21st century requires a more flexible and personalised approach. Learners of the future will learn anywhere at any time, progressing at their own rates, often with the support of technology. In this world, there will be no place for determining what individuals are ready to learn from their age.</p>
<p>My proposal is for a curriculum consisting of a sequence of levels through which every student progresses, but not necessarily at the same pace. This provides teachers with a frame of reference for establishing where individuals are in their learning and ensuring every student is taught and challenged at their current level.</p>
<p>Under this proposal, schools would continue to be organised into year groups and students in each year group normally would work in mixed-ability classes. The difference is that students in the same year group could be working at different curriculum levels.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1275206896031416321"}"></div></p>
<p>This is not the same as streaming. When students are assigned permanently to different instructional groups, they usually become “locked in” to those groups, with the result that ceilings are set on how far some students can progress. Under my proposal, every student progresses over time through the same sequence of curriculum levels.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/could-academic-streaming-in-new-zealand-schools-be-on-the-way-out-the-evidence-suggests-it-should-be-145617">Could academic streaming in New Zealand schools be on the way out? The evidence suggests it should be</a>
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<p>Rather than simply judging all students against the same finish line, this approach recognises and rewards the progress individuals make over the course of a year, regardless of their starting points. Every student is expected to make excellent progress every year.</p>
<h2>Is this backed by research?</h2>
<p>It has long been established — including through the work of American psychologist <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1968-35017-000">David Ausubel</a> and Soviet psychologist <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books/about/Mind_in_Society.html?id=RxjjUefze_oC&redir_esc=y">Lev Vygotsky</a> — that the way to maximise learning is to stretch or challenge learners in a way that is appropriate to the points they have reached in their learning.</p>
<p>Students do not learn effectively when given material for which they are not ready or material well within their comfort zones. However, this is the experience of many students in our schools.</p>
<p>A number of countries have recognised the importance of providing every student will well-targeted learning challenges. Some, such as high-performing <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/lessons-from-pisa-for-the-united-states/finland-slow-and-steady-reformfor-consistently-high-results_9789264096660-6-en">Finland</a> and Estonia have dedicated teachers or small-group teaching for students who slip behind in their learning. Others, such as <a href="https://education.gov.scot/education-scotland/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers/cfe-building-from-the-statement-appendix-incl-btc1-5/what-is-curriculum-for-excellence">Scotland</a> and <a href="https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/the-donaldson-report-an-at-a-glance-guide-8713671">Wales</a>, have restructured their curricula into levels or “steps” through which all students progress. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/estonia-didnt-deliver-its-pisa-results-on-the-cheap-and-neither-will-australia-128455">Estonia didn't deliver its PISA results on the cheap, and neither will Australia</a>
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<p><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/ditching-unworkable-fantasy-cooked-up-by-out-of-touch-academics-a-win-for-students-and-teachers-20210215-p572k1.html">Arguments</a> against my proposed approach sometimes claim it is “fair” to hold all students to the same age-based expectations. But fairness is not achieved by treating all students equally — it depends on recognising individual differences and meeting each student’s current learning needs.</p>
<p>It is also often argued the best way to improve performance is to hold all students to the same standards. But this is what is currently done in Australian schools, with no evidence of improvement in either <a href="https://theconversation.com/naplan-results-reveal-little-change-in-literacy-and-numeracy-performance-here-are-some-key-takeaway-findings-70208">NAPLAN</a> or <a href="https://theconversation.com/aussie-students-are-a-year-behind-students-10-years-ago-in-science-maths-and-reading-127013">PISA</a>. The best way to lift standards is to ensure every student is presented with appropriately challenging material. </p>
<p>My review recognised that restructuring the school curriculum would be a major undertaking that would require time to test and get right. As many teachers observed, increased curriculum flexibility is essential if every student is to learn successfully and achieve their potential.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/155549/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The Australian Council for Educational Research was funded to undertake the review of the NSW school curriculum.</span></em></p>The NSW curriculum review recommends students be assigned tasks based on their ability, rather than their age. This approach recognises the progress individuals make over the course of a year.Geoff Masters, CEO, Australian Council for Educational ResearchLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1541712021-01-31T18:55:34Z2021-01-31T18:55:34ZRemote learning didn’t affect most NSW primary students in our study academically. But well-being suffered<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381240/original/file-20210129-17-18gt884.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/9-year-old-girl-doing-her-1307611723">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There have been some reports students fell behind during the remote learning period in 2020. </p>
<p>For instance, a report by the <a href="https://www.cese.nsw.gov.au//images/stories/PDF/Check-in-assessment-AA.pdf">NSW education department</a> found NSW students in year 3 were up to four months behind in reading in 2020 compared to their 2019 counterparts. And year 9 students were two to three months behind in numeracy.</p>
<p>Modelling by the <a href="https://theconversation.com/3-education-questions-the-victorian-government-should-answer-at-the-covid-19-inquiry-144933">Grattan Institute</a> estimated disadvantaged students — including those from low socioeconomic families, Indigenous backgrounds and remote communities — had lost around two months learning during the remote learning period in Victoria.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/3-education-questions-the-victorian-government-should-answer-at-the-covid-19-inquiry-144933">3 education questions the Victorian government should answer at the COVID-19 inquiry</a>
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<p>Our <a href="https://www.newcastle.edu.au/research/centre/teachers-and-teaching/impact-of-covid-19-on-nsw-schools">research</a> found only year 3 students from the least advantaged schools fell behind academically during the remote learning period. </p>
<p>But there was no difference in learning progress between 2020 and the year before in all the other year 3 and 4 students in our sample.</p>
<h2>We were able to compare 2019 and 2020</h2>
<p>We <a href="https://www.newcastle.edu.au/research/centre/teachers-and-teaching/quality-teaching-rounds/building-capacity-for-quality-teaching-in-australian-schools">collected data</a> on student achievement in NSW government primary schools during terms 1 and 4 in 2019 and during term 1 in 2020.</p>
<p>Students in year 3 and 4 in 2019 sat <a href="https://www.acer.org/au/pat">progressive achievement tests</a> in maths and reading in term 1 in 2019, and then again in term 4, to see how they had progressed over the year. </p>
<p>We then had year 3 and 4 students sit the same test in term 1 of 2020. But then COVID struck.</p>
<p>So we approached the NSW education department about funding collection of the term 4 data in 2020. We wanted to see if the interruption to normal schooling during the year had affected average student progress from term 1 to term 4.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/to-learn-at-home-kids-need-more-than-just-teaching-materials-their-brain-must-also-adapt-to-the-context-149823">To learn at home, kids need more than just teaching materials. Their brain must also adapt to the context</a>
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<p>We were uniquely positioned to compare the annual growth in student achievement in 2020 (where the year was interrupted) with our results from 2019. </p>
<p>Students in years 3 and 4 in 2020 took the same tests as we gave students in 2019. The total of 3,030 students across both years, from 97 schools, allowed us to examine the actual effects of the eight-to-ten week system-wide disruption to schooling in NSW caused by the pandemic.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381241/original/file-20210129-13-1oob44j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Primary school students sitting a test." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381241/original/file-20210129-13-1oob44j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381241/original/file-20210129-13-1oob44j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381241/original/file-20210129-13-1oob44j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381241/original/file-20210129-13-1oob44j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381241/original/file-20210129-13-1oob44j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381241/original/file-20210129-13-1oob44j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381241/original/file-20210129-13-1oob44j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Students sat tests in term 1 and then again in term 4 to monitor their progress.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-young-students-school-focus-pretty-211292287">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>We made sure to compare the results of students who attended schools with a similar Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (<a href="https://www.myschool.edu.au/media/1820/guide-to-understanding-icsea-values.pdf">ICSEA</a>). This score takes into account factors such as socioeconomic advantage and whether schools are in a rural area, as well as the proportion of Indigenous students in the school. </p>
<p>We also made sure to compare students with similar baseline test results.</p>
<h2>Here’s what we found</h2>
<p>We found no significant differences, on average, between the 2019 control group and 2020 cohort in student growth in maths or reading. </p>
<p>However, there were some differences when it came to particular groups of students. </p>
<p>Specifically, we looked at the effects for Indigenous students, students in different locations and from different socioeconomic levels (using their school ICSEA). </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.myschool.edu.au/media/1820/guide-to-understanding-icsea-values.pdf">average school ICSEA</a> in Australia is 1,000. Schools in our sample ranged from less than 900 to greater than 1,100.</p>
<p>When it came to maths, our results showed:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>year 3 students from less advantaged schools (ICSEA less than 950) showed two months less academic progress in 2020, compared with the students in the 2019 group </p></li>
<li><p>year 3 students in mid-range schools (ICSEA 950 – 1050) actually showed two months’ additional progress </p></li>
<li><p>years 3 students showed no significant difference in the more advantaged schools (ICSEA greater than 1,050)</p></li>
<li><p>year 4 students showed no significant difference in progress regardless of school ICSEA. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>When it came to reading, we found no significant differences in academic progress between 2019 and 2020, regardless of school ICSEA. </p>
<p>We saw no significant differences in progress in both maths and reading for Indigenous students or those in regional locations. But the smaller sample of students in these groups means these results should be interpreted with caution.</p>
<h2>What this means</h2>
<p>Our study provides a counter-narrative to widespread concern about how much students fell behind during the remote learning period. </p>
<p>Indeed, the results are cause for celebration. Most students are, academically, where they are expected to be.</p>
<p>However, the lower achievement growth in maths for year 3 students in lower ICSEA schools must be addressed as a matter of urgency to avoid further inequities.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/victoria-and-nsw-are-funding-extra-tutors-to-help-struggling-students-heres-what-parents-need-to-know-about-the-schemes-153450">Victoria and NSW are funding extra tutors to help struggling students. Here's what parents need to know about the schemes</a>
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<h2>Student well-being did suffer</h2>
<p>We also interviewed 18 teachers and principals, asking them about things like student progress and well-being during the remote learning period. These interviews <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-learning-more-important-than-well-being-teachers-told-us-how-covid-highlighted-ethical-dilemmas-at-school-144854">echo concerns raised by others</a> about the well-being of both students and teachers.</p>
<p>They described the learning from home period as one of significant stress, anxiety and frustration in many families. </p>
<p>They also expressed concern about student well-being, even after the return to face-to-face schooling.</p>
<p>Supporting student mental health substantially increased the workload of school counsellors, where available, and of teachers and principals in addressing student behaviour. </p>
<p>One principal said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We’ve got massive amounts of anxiety in our students. From physical behaviour, oppositional behaviours, kids not wanting to come to school. They’re melting down at school … I’m only a primary school, so I have no idea how the high schools are handling it.</p>
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<p>They told us the exponential increase in workload during 2020 has taken its toll on teachers, including a significant drop in morale. Teachers and principals described the pressure of supporting remote learning, regardless of students’ access to the internet or a computer, combined with teaching children of essential workers who remained at school. </p>
<p>Their work also included developing and delivering online lessons and providing various forms of support to parents. When schools reopened, staff worked to support student well-being and reestablish relationships with their classes. They did this without the support of parent volunteers or the balance that comes from non-classroom activities like school assemblies and excursions that typically punctuate life in schools.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/exhausted-beyond-measure-what-teachers-are-saying-about-covid-19-and-the-disruption-to-education-143601">'Exhausted beyond measure': what teachers are saying about COVID-19 and the disruption to education</a>
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<p>Our research highlights a need to provide ongoing support to all teachers and students to ensure their well-being as the 2021 school year commences. Let’s start with expressing immense gratitude to teachers for ensuring student learning despite the unprecedented circumstances of 2020.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/154171/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jenny Gore receives funding from the Australian Research Council, Paul Ramsay Foundation and NSW Department of Education. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Miller receives funding from the NSW Department of Education and the Paul Ramsay Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jess Harris receives funding from the NSW Department of Education, the Australian Research Council and the Paul Ramsay Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Leanne Fray receives funding from the NSW Department of Education and the Paul Ramsay Foundation</span></em></p>We compared the educational progress in years 3 and 4 in 2019 with 2020 – the year normal schooling was disrupted by the pandemic. Overall, students progressed at the same rate in both years.Jenny Gore, Laureate Professor of Education, University of NewcastleAndrew Miller, Senior Lecturer in Education, University of NewcastleJess Harris, Associate Professor in Education, University of NewcastleLeanne Fray, Senior Research Fellow, University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1534502021-01-24T18:51:50Z2021-01-24T18:51:50ZVictoria and NSW are funding extra tutors to help struggling students. Here’s what parents need to know about the schemes<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380084/original/file-20210121-17-v31gho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/high-school-college-students-studying-reading-770131126">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>School is back for 2021, and some students will get extra help this year. Students who fell behind in their learning during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 will be eligible for extra tutoring in Victoria and New South Wales.</p>
<p>Governments have invested more than half a billion dollars in our two biggest states to help kids bounce back. Data released late last year showed after almost two months of learning from home, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/education/simply-staggering-nsw-students-fall-months-behind-due-to-covid-19-20201126-p56ibk.html">NSW students had fallen</a>, on average, three to four months behind in year 3 reading, and two to three months behind in year 5 reading and numeracy. Year 9 students were up to four months behind in numeracy.</p>
<p>Disadvantaged students are likely to have been hardest hit. A Grattan Institute <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/covid-catch-up/">report</a> estimated the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and the rest widens three times more quickly during remote schooling. </p>
<p>Here’s what we know about these new tutoring schemes.</p>
<h2>Evidence shows tutoring works</h2>
<p>A lot of money has been invested in the new schemes: <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/careers/teacher/Pages/tutors.aspx">$250 million in Victoria</a> and <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/students-get-free-tutoring-after-falling-behind-during-covid-19-remote-learning-20201109-p56cy7.html">$337 million in NSW</a>. They will be rolled out in both primary and secondary schools, and are expected to reach about <a href="https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/thousands-tutors-bring-students-speed">200,000 students in Victoria</a> and <a href="https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/covid-learning-support-program/about">290,000 in NSW.</a> </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1315798361102974977"}"></div></p>
<p>The new programs should be worth it. Evidence from the UK and US suggests a good tutoring program can provide students with around <a href="https://www.evidenceforlearning.org.au/the-toolkits/the-teaching-and-learning-toolkit/all-approaches/small-group-tuition/">four months</a> of additional learning over one to two school terms. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/kids-shouldnt-have-to-repeat-a-year-of-school-because-of-coronavirus-there-are-much-better-options-134889">Kids shouldn't have to repeat a year of school because of coronavirus. There are much better options</a>
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<p>And they can help to close the pre-existing achievement gap for disadvantaged students, which is much greater than the gap caused from the losses during COVID-19 disruptions. In Australia, <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/widening-gaps/">disadvantaged students</a> from families where parents’ education is low are, on average, about three years behind their more privileged peers by Year 9. </p>
<h2>How the new schemes will work</h2>
<p>All government schools — and a small number of non-government schools — have been given funding for tutoring, with <a href="https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/tutor-learning-initiative-2021/guidance/funding">more</a> money <a href="https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/free-tutoring-to-support-students">going to disadvantaged schools</a> with many students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. </p>
<p>About <a href="https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/tutor-learning-initiative-2021/guidance/student-assessment-and-selection-support">one in five</a> students — targeted to those who need it most — will get tutoring. </p>
<p>Small groups of up to five students will work with tutors each week at school. Schools will determine whether sessions are run either in or outside of class time, and in NSW we understand there is a possibility of after-school sessions as well. </p>
<p><a href="https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/tutor-learning-initiative-2021/guidance/student-assessment-and-selection-support">Teachers</a> <a href="https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/covid-learning-support-program/about">will</a> select the students, which means parents don’t need to think about whether their child needs the tutoring or not. </p>
<p>If parents have concerns about their child either missing out or not wanting to participate, they should discuss this with their school.</p>
<h2>How to get the most out of the tutoring program</h2>
<p>Teachers will need to accurately identify which students have been struggling and why. They will need to make judgements using a range of assessments, including student tests, classroom observations or student interviews. </p>
<p>Even though teachers make these assessments every day in regular teaching, it is hard to do well. Some teachers will need extra support to do this, such as guidance from expert teachers or assessment specialists. It is a key step to get right.</p>
<p>Next, rigorous selection of tutors, and <a href="https://www.evidenceforlearning.org.au/the-toolkits/the-teaching-andlearning-toolkit/all-approaches/one-to-one-tuition/">good training</a> for them, will be key. </p>
<p>Evidence shows <a href="https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/teaching-learning-toolkit/small-group-tuition/">intensive tutoring</a> <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/COVID-Catch-up-Grattan-School-Education-Report.pdf">will</a> work best, with short (for example 30 minutes) but regular sessions (between 3-to-5 times a week), over a sustained period (between 10-to-20 weeks).</p>
<p>Close working relationships between tutors and teachers will help ensure students get the support they need. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380093/original/file-20210121-21-13abczt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A group of five young kids learning." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380093/original/file-20210121-21-13abczt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/380093/original/file-20210121-21-13abczt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380093/original/file-20210121-21-13abczt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380093/original/file-20210121-21-13abczt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380093/original/file-20210121-21-13abczt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380093/original/file-20210121-21-13abczt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/380093/original/file-20210121-21-13abczt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Small groups of up to five students will work with tutors each week at school.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-elementary-school-pupils-classroom-on-268165148">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>And perhaps most importantly, the quality of the teaching by the teacher and tutor will be critical. Teachers are likely to be swamped this year, and education departments should provide extra support to help teachers guide tutors as needed. </p>
<p>Guidance could include information on structured <a href="https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/FWW/Results?filters=,Literacy">literacy</a> and <a href="https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/FWW/Results?filters=,Math">numeracy</a> programs to help teachers and tutors adopt good practice, especially for students who have complex learning needs. </p>
<p>Programs include well-specified training, materials and teaching approaches. For literacy, for example, these programs can provide extra support on proven ways of teaching oral language skills or certain aspects of reading. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/victorias-money-for-tutors-is-necessary-but-there-are-5-things-it-needs-to-do-to-ensure-theyre-successful-147990">Victoria’s money for tutors is necessary, but there are 5 things it needs to do to ensure they're successful</a>
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<p>Education departments will need to keep an eye on the quality of candidates coming forward for tutoring roles, given a big workforce is being recruited fast with tight constraints on who can apply. If the pool of tutor candidates needs to be made bigger, evidence shows <a href="https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/projects/graduate-coaching-programme/">university</a> <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w27476">graduates</a> from a range of fields, not just education, can be good tutors too.</p>
<p>Schools will also need to take care to ensure students do not feel stigma about being identified for tutoring. Teachers will need to pay attention to student confidence, and avoid negative messaging or separating students on an ongoing basis, which can have negative impacts (also known as <a href="https://www.evidenceforlearning.org.au/the-toolkits/the-teaching-and-learning-toolkit/all-approaches/setting-or-streaming/">streaming</a>). </p>
<p>Parents can explain to their child that extra tutoring support will help them catch up and feel more confident at school. </p>
<h2>The tutoring schemes are an opportunity for governments to learn</h2>
<p>The NSW and Victorian governments have taken on a mammoth task. Almost 10,000 tutors will be mobilised at short notice. And there are still many aspects of the tutoring program design where the evidence is not clear, such as around the exact nature of tutoring training. </p>
<p>It will not be a failure if some of the programs don’t work well. But it will be a problem if we don’t learn why. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-ww2-to-ebola-what-we-know-about-the-long-term-effects-of-school-closures-146396">From WW2 to Ebola: what we know about the long-term effects of school closures</a>
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<p>Australia now has an opportunity to trial a promising initiative and to understand how it can work best. The tutoring schemes of the 2021 school year should be rigorously evaluated. Where possible, education departments should also run small-scale trials which test different tutoring approaches. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/education/free-maths-tutoring-for-sa-students-in-learning-pilot-program/news-story/3f9b954ce6114d363f2258ace6321c51">South Australia</a> has also announced a small ($3.6 million) maths tutoring program, which provides a good opportunity for teachers to compare the tuition approaches in different states.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/153450/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julie Sonnemann is a Board Director of The Song Room, a not-for-profit organisation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jordana Hunter does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>New South Wales and Victoria are investing $250 and $337 million respectively for disadvantaged students who fell behind in 2020 to have extra tutors.Julie Sonnemann, Fellow, School Education, Grattan InstituteJordana Hunter, Program Director, School Education Program, Grattan InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1514782020-12-16T23:38:57Z2020-12-16T23:38:57Z5 evidence-based ways teachers can help struggling students<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375268/original/file-20201215-19-1y77iaw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/female-teacher-helping-child-assignment-school-1136264273">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>New South Wales recently introduced a draft <a href="https://education.nsw.gov.au/student-wellbeing/attendance-behaviour-and-engagement/student-behaviour/behaviour-strategy/a-new-student-behaviour-strategy-draft-for-review">Student Behaviour Strategy</a>. This was released on the <a href="https://www.miragenews.com/schools-unfairly-targeting-vulnerable-children-with-exclusion-policies/">heels of a report</a> suggesting Indigenous students and students with disabilities are more likely to experience exclusionary practices, such as suspension from school, in response to challenging classroom behaviour. </p>
<p>The behaviour strategy recognises the need for all students to be able to access </p>
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<p>safe and respectful learning environments, the support of a skilled workforce and access to evidence-based interventions targeted to their diverse needs. </p>
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<p>The strategy noted behaviour support is critical for creating effective and engaging classrooms. But it also noted the urgent need to build the capacity of teachers to better support students with their behaviour at school.</p>
<p>Last week, the Victorian government pledged <a href="https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/inclusive-education-making-sure-our-kids-can-be-their-best">$1.6 billion</a> to transform the way students with disabilities receive support in schools. More than $100 million dollars will go directly toward increasing the capacity of teachers to adopt and use evidence-based practices to support the meaningful inclusion of students with disabilities in their local schools. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/victoria-is-boosting-disability-support-in-schools-by-a-1-6-billion-here-are-4-ways-to-make-the-most-of-it-150633">Victoria is boosting disability support in schools by A$1.6 billion. Here are 4 ways to make the most of it</a>
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<p>Although new initiatives from the two states are welcome, it will take time before we see their effects in the classroom. But we don’t need to wait for for reforms to be rolled out to start to change the way we support struggling students.</p>
<p>There are a number of evidence based practices that have shown to dramatically reduce challenging student behaviour at school. Here are five of them.</p>
<h2>1. The whole school must be involved</h2>
<p>First, all schools should adopt a prevention mindset. If there are concerns about a student’s behavioural, academic or emotional skills, there is overwhelming evidence for the benefits of assessing them early to find which areas they need help with.</p>
<p><a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1210611.pdf">A recent US study</a> showed schools that put in place a framework called <a href="https://www.monash.edu/education/teachspace/articles/five-ways-to-use-positive-behaviour-support-strategies-in-your-classroom">School-Wide Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports</a> reported significantly fewer student suspensions than schools that did not. Under this framework, every student receives behavioural support. Students at risk are given extra support and their progress is monitored.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/teachers-shouldnt-have-to-manage-behaviour-issues-by-themselves-schools-need-to-support-them-76569">Teachers shouldn't have to manage behaviour issues by themselves – schools need to support them</a>
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<p><a href="https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/5/e1136.short">Other studies</a> have found this kind of system approach, adopted by the whole school, is associated with improved student social behaviour, and reduced suspensions and disciplinary referrals. It also improves staff well-being and teacher self-efficacy, as well as relationships between teachers and students. </p>
<h2>2. Set positive expectations early</h2>
<p>Teachers can create <a href="http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/105124/chapters/Establishing-Clearly-Defined-Parameters-of-Acceptable-Classroom-Behaviors.aspx">specific and clear behavioural expectations</a> for all students early in the school year. For instance, teachers can set out that students should stop and listen when the teacher is talking, and show students best way to get their attention when they need help.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kevin_Luczynski/publication/327514833_Preschool_Life_Skills_Toward_Teaching_Prosocial_Skills_and_Preventing_Aggression_in_Young_Children/links/5b92ea29299bf1473923c32e/Preschool-Life-Skills-Toward-Teaching-Prosocial-Skills-and-Preventing-Aggression-in-Young-Children.pdf">Studies have shown</a> preschoolers who learn a variety of social and classroom behaviours early on demonstrate better social behaviour, and less challenging behaviour at school. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375320/original/file-20201216-23-18lfnm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Kindergarten kids listening intently to the teacher." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375320/original/file-20201216-23-18lfnm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375320/original/file-20201216-23-18lfnm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375320/original/file-20201216-23-18lfnm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375320/original/file-20201216-23-18lfnm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375320/original/file-20201216-23-18lfnm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375320/original/file-20201216-23-18lfnm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375320/original/file-20201216-23-18lfnm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Preschoolers who learn positive behaviours are less likely to demonstrate challenging behaviours at school.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/elementary-school-kids-sit-on-floor-1177740700">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Creating clear expectations can go a long way toward preventing challenging behaviours in the classroom. These expectations should be strengths-based and emphasise what students can and should do.</p>
<p>Professor of Psychology and Child Psychiatry at Yale University, <a href="https://alankazdin.com/for-parents/">Dr Alan Kazdin</a>, says adults should avoid using “stop”, “no” or “don’t” when giving kids instructions. They should instead tell the child what they <em>should</em> be doing (this is known as the “positive opposite”). </p>
<p>For instance, instead of saying “don’t run in the hallway”, explain to students they are expected to walk calmly in the hallway, and then model this behaviour. </p>
<h2>3. Reward the positives</h2>
<p>Teachers can <a href="https://theparentcue.org/catch-them-doing-it-right/">identify specific positive or praiseworthy behaviours</a>, such as helping others, completing work quietly and taking turns with items. When a teacher sees a student doing something positive, they can “<a href="https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/metrocenter/perspectives/catch-em-being-good-2017">catch them</a>” by issuing the student with a hand-written note (or “caught you” card) that describes what they did well. </p>
<p>The student’s family could also be updated regularly. This would create a positive partnership between home and school. </p>
<p>A study showed classroom behaviour management strategies that focused on <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01443410802206700">recognising and rewarding positive behaviours</a> were more effective than reactive and punitive strategies. They helped increase student academic engagement and sense of teacher well-being. </p>
<h2>4. Break down tasks</h2>
<p>If your student struggles or shows challenging behaviours during certain activities, then the <a href="https://www.unconditionaleducation.org/blog/task-difficulty-strategies-for-supporting-student-towards-work-independence">task may be too difficult</a>. Break it down, practise the skill yourself, and write down each individual step toward the end goal. </p>
<p>Start by teaching the first step in the sequence. Provide the level of assistance your student needs to complete the step, and then fade out your assistance as the student becomes more independent. Once the student is independently completing the first step, add the next and so on. </p>
<p>This strategy is called <a href="https://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/sites/autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/files/TaskAnalyis_Steps_0.pdf">task analysis</a>, and it can be an incredibly useful way to change the difficulty level of a task and provide some targeted support to students having trouble learning a new skill. </p>
<h2>5. Find out why kids are acting out</h2>
<p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40617-018-00291-9">Decades of research</a> has shown the best way to help students with challenging behaviour is by understanding the reason behind this behaviour. And then, by altering the environment and teaching new skills that allow the student to have their needs met in a safer and more understandable way.</p>
<p>Challenging behaviour in the classroom is like an iceberg. On the surface it might look like hitting, screaming, running out of the classroom, ripping up materials or refusing to participate. Under the surface, students are responding to an environment they find challenging. </p>
<hr>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nsw-wants-to-change-rules-on-suspending-and-expelling-students-how-does-it-compare-to-other-states-144676">NSW wants to change rules on suspending and expelling students. How does it compare to other states?</a>
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<p>A <a href="https://www.monash.edu/education/teachspace/articles/how-to-find-the-underlying-reasons-for-challenging-behaviour-with-functional-behaviour-assessment">functional behaviour assessment</a> is a process that helps teachers discover what’s going on below the surface for the student.</p>
<p>It’s a problem-solving strategy designed to inform behaviour support strategies to address individual students’ needs and skills. <a href="https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/behaviour-students/guidance/7-functional-behaviour-assessment">Education departments</a> across Australia are increasingly <a href="https://www.communities.qld.gov.au/resources/dcdss/disability/service-providers/centre-excellence/practice-guide-no-1.pdf">recognising the value</a> of such assessments and offering guides for teachers and students.</p>
<p>We know schools find addressing challenging behaviour in their classrooms one of the most difficult aspects of their job. It can result in <a href="https://theconversation.com/teachers-are-more-depressed-and-anxious-than-the-average-australian-117267">teacher burnout</a> and can <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/oct/28/children-with-disabilities-suffer-severe-neglect-and-abuse-in-australian-schools">substantially harm the student</a>. </p>
<p>Education departments have begun investing in <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/learningneeds/Pages/disability-inclusion.aspx">professional learning in evidence based behavioural practices</a>. But teachers and school leaders must see the value of training in this area and elect to participate, as it is not currently mandatory.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/151478/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erin Leif is affiliated with Monash University.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pearl Subban is affiliated with Monash University. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Umesh Sharma receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Russell Fox does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There are a number of evidence based practices that have shown to dramatically reduce challenging student behaviour at school. Here are five of them.Erin Leif, Senior Lecturer, Educational Psychology & Inclusive Education, Monash UniversityPearl Subban, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Education, Monash UniversityRussell Fox, PhD Student, Monash UniversityUmesh Sharma, Professor and Academic Head, Special Education and Educational Psychology, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1448542020-11-08T19:04:56Z2020-11-08T19:04:56ZIs learning more important than well-being? Teachers told us how COVID highlighted ethical dilemmas at school<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/361534/original/file-20201005-16-1l9jvwt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-woman-teacher-she-sitting-looks-351401795">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As an <a href="https://educationalethics.org/">educational ethicist</a>, I research teachers’ ethical obligations. These can include their personal ethics such as protecting students from harm, respect for justice and truth, and professional norms like social conformity, collegial loyalty and personal well-being.</p>
<p>Moral tensions in schools can come about when certain categories of norms conflict with each other. For example, sometimes students’ best interests are pitted against available resources. These present difficult decisions for the teacher, the school community and its leaders. </p>
<p>As part of a <a href="https://www.justiceinschools.org/event/educational-ethics-during-global-pandemic-discussion-group-research-study-educators">global study</a> on educational ethics during the pandemic, I conducted focus groups with Australian childcare, preschool, primary and secondary school teachers to find out what ethical issues were most pressing for them.</p>
<p>Below are three ways in which the pandemic highlighted existing tensions between ethical priorities.</p>
<h2>1. Student well-being versus learning</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/national-policy-framework/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers.pdf">Australian Professional Standards for Teachers</a> emphasise student well-being is important to learning. But they note teachers’ main priority is making sure the student learns at their stage of the <a href="https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/">Australian National Curriculum</a>. </p>
<p>During COVID, this flipped and well-being took precedence. A primary school teacher told me:</p>
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<p>It’s the first time in my teaching career where the learning became a low priority, and well-being took over … if we could keep them chugging along, that was good enough.</p>
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<p>An Aboriginal-identifying teacher who shared their strong cultural background with students said: </p>
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<p>… a lot of the Aboriginal students … didn’t have access to … resources. And so there was already this disconnect that became even wider by the time they had to learn from home … Some students were not able to complete the work that I was putting on the online forum because they were caring for little brothers and sisters when they were at home … or home life was extremely volatile …</p>
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<p>A secondary school teacher said:</p>
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<p>There were certain students that we were made aware of by the well-being coordinators that we weren’t to make contact with. If there were more extenuating circumstances in the life of the child then we weren’t to … exacerbate that by sending emails home about them not completing work … </p>
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<p>Some teachers found it particularly difficult to identify students at heightened risk and to put in place their duty of care requirements. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-workload-was-intense-what-parents-told-us-about-remote-learning-146297">'The workload was intense': what parents told us about remote learning</a>
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<p>A public primary school principal in a low socioeconomic area said:</p>
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<p>We had a couple of instances where we would have had more contact with family, community services and since (then) we have heard stories of what happened when the children weren’t coming to school … we would have made an instant call to DOCS [Department of Community Services], but because we weren’t having that day to day contact we didn’t know. A lot of those things were hidden, very serious issues.</p>
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<h2>2. Government policy versus staff well-being</h2>
<p>Leading teachers and principals found the tension between their personal safety and that of their colleagues were often in conflict with a lag in institutional directives. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367891/original/file-20201106-21-10m6vv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Textbooks, a mask and sanitiser on a teacher's desk." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367891/original/file-20201106-21-10m6vv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367891/original/file-20201106-21-10m6vv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367891/original/file-20201106-21-10m6vv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367891/original/file-20201106-21-10m6vv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367891/original/file-20201106-21-10m6vv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367891/original/file-20201106-21-10m6vv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367891/original/file-20201106-21-10m6vv5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Education departments often put out instructions long after principals felt the safety of their staff was compromised.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/search/schools+social+distancin">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>For instance, on March 25 The <a href="https://news.nswtf.org.au/blog/media-release/2020/03/media-release-normal-school-operations-must-end-put-health-and-safety-students-and-staff-first">NSW Teachers’ Federation</a> urged the education department to immediately prioritise the safety of staff and students. </p>
<p>But the department took time to mandate social distancing measures, school closures and learning from home. In the meantime principals were on alert for risk management, anticipating directives for extensive social distancing, such as cancelling school assemblies, before being instructed to do so. </p>
<p>One public school principal said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The federation is telling us this. The department is telling us that … I would make a decision and then a couple of weeks later … the department would come up with the same strict instructions … it was the well-being of the staff first for me … even to the point where we sent the kids home for the first week with no learning … the second that one child comes to school and catches COVID, then I’m not going to be able to live with myself.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-had-no-sanitiser-no-soap-and-minimal-toilet-paper-heres-how-teachers-feel-about-going-back-to-the-classroom-138600">'We had no sanitiser, no soap and minimal toilet paper': here's how teachers feel about going back to the classroom</a>
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<p>But it wasn’t the same in all schools. A primary school teacher in a bushfire affected area reflected on the decisions made by the principal.</p>
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<p>I’m trying to be diplomatic … We were very slow to engage with kids who were starting to be kept home from school. And we were very slow for teachers to be able to work from home and we were very quick to come back to … school … We have a parent who worked at the local high school saying, ‘Oh, yeah, we’ve been working at home all week’. We haven’t even been told that’s a possibility …</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>3. Personal well-being versus professional integrity</h2>
<p>A teacher’s professional integrity is how they evaluate the alignment between the expectations of their role and their values. When a schism arises, it throws into question some core professional values. </p>
<p>One public school principal’s integrity had an extremely high bar.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I’ll be really honest, despite all of the warnings and all of the advice, my own well-being was my last priority. And the ethical dilemma for me was, I can’t look after myself because I’ve got so many other people to look after first, despite all the warnings, despite all the advice.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Teachers reported the personal cost of changing work arrangements into remote settings, concerned about how they were to fulfil their professional integrity to provide the kind of meaningful interactions students needed. </p>
<p>A secondary Catholic school teacher said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Remote learning really threw me off balance and I struggled to find myself and how I fit into that situation … I had to learn to let go and … work out what is really important.</p>
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<p>For the next generation of teachers, the dilemma was more about how to set boundaries in an emerging professional identity. </p>
<p>One early career public secondary teacher said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I did go out of my way to with my Year 11s, them being my most senior year … Which did bring up the ethical thing … there were times I would get a message at one o'clock and I’d be up but I’d say, I’m not answering that, I’m not looking at it. I’m looking at it in the morning. That’s too much in each other’s heads. And, yeah, the barriers were tough.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>An experienced secondary teacher in an International Baccalaureate school said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I was working sending emails at midnight, and getting up three hours before my lessons to try and make sure that the platform is working … and obviously all my lessons that I plan had to be then turned into online lessons. So that takes a whole other weekend for everything … I got WhatsApp messages at all hours … </p>
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<p>She said students sent her emails to thank her for the commitment. She realised it was a toxic message to send, and that implied this should be the norm for teachers. While teaching is a generous profession, COVID highlighted the expectations on their generosity.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/exhausted-beyond-measure-what-teachers-are-saying-about-covid-19-and-the-disruption-to-education-143601">'Exhausted beyond measure': what teachers are saying about COVID-19 and the disruption to education</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144854/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniella J. Forster does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>An educational ethicist talked to teachers about what ethical issues were most pressing during COVID. Here are the three that featured most.Daniella J. Forster, Senior Lecturer, Educational ethics and philosophies, University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1489122020-10-27T23:08:14Z2020-10-27T23:08:14ZOne quarter of Australian 11-12 year olds don’t have the literacy and numeracy skills they need<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/365721/original/file-20201027-18-18r807h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/kids-fun-children-playful-happiness-retro-419142034">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Children from disadvantaged backgrounds, very remote areas, and Indigenous Australians are up to two times more likely to start school developmentally vulnerable than the national average.</p>
<p>In 2018, 21.7% of Australian five year olds (70,308 children) were not developmentally ready when they started school. And in Year 7, nearly 25% of students (72,419) didn’t have the required numeracy and literacy skills.</p>
<p>Our report, <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/sites/default/files/educational-opportunity-in-australia-2020.pdf">Educational Opportunity in Australia 2020</a>, is the first to examine Australia’s performance against the goals set out in the <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/documents/alice-springs-mparntwe-education-declaration">Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Declaration</a>, a national statement agreed to by Australian education ministers in 2019. </p>
<p>The statement aims for a quality education system for all young people, that supports them to be creative and confident individuals, successful learners and active and informed members of the community.</p>
<p>But our report finds students’ location and family circumstances continue to play a strong role in determining outcomes from school entry to adulthood.</p>
<p>While this crisis in educational inequality isn’t new, it’s likely to get a lot worse, as COVID-19 <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/mitchell-institute/schooling/children-living-in-employment-stressed-households-double">increases levels</a> of student vulnerability and remote learning <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/mitchell-institute/schooling/impact-of-learning-from-home-for-disadvantaged-children">widens gaps in achievement</a>.</p>
<h2>Disadvantaged children missing out as school progresses</h2>
<p>The Alice Springs declaration sets two ambitious goals: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>the Australian education system promotes excellence and equity. In part, this is about ensuring all young Australians have access to high-quality education, inclusive and free from any form of discrimination</p></li>
<li><p>all young Australians become confident and creative individuals, successful lifelong learners, and active and informed members of the community. This includes all children having a sense of self-worth, self-awareness and personal identity that enables them to manage their emotional, mental, cultural, spiritual and physical well-being.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>The declaration was signed last year, and builds on previous ones signed in Hobart, Adelaide and Melbourne over three decades. It recognises the role education plays in preparing young people to contribute meaningfully to social, economic and cultural life.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-melbourne-declaration-on-educational-goals-for-young-australians-what-it-is-and-why-it-needs-updating-107895">The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians: what it is and why it needs updating</a>
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<p>Our report uses the best available data to paint a comprehensive picture of Australia’s performance against the above important goals. </p>
<p>It shows the gap in academic learning as well as other key areas, such as creativity and confidence, is clear from school entry and usually grows over time. </p>
<p>Analysis in our report tracked students’ learning from when they started school in 2009 to when they were in Year 5 in 2014. It showed that in literacy and numeracy for instance, the gap between the proportion of children from the most disadvantaged and advantaged families meeting relevant standards grew from 20.6 percentage points at school entry to 27.2 percentage points in Year 5.</p>
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<p>The report also shows too many students in the senior years of school are not developing key skills. In 2018, 27.8% of 15 year olds (88,314) didn’t meet or exceed the international benchmark standards in maths, reading and science.</p>
<p>While some students receive the support they need to catch up to their peers, many don’t.</p>
<p>A lot of young people are also not developing the qualities needed to confidently adapt to challenges in adulthood and contribute to their communities. </p>
<p>The report shows that in 2017, 28.1% (110,410) of 23 year olds were not confident in themselves or the future and 29.9% were not adaptable to change and open to new ideas. It shows 38.1% (145,056) of 23 year olds were not actively engaged in their community and 33.2% were not keeping informed about current affairs.</p>
<p>Additionally, many young Australians are not being well prepared and supported to find and secure meaningful employment. Overall, according to the 2016 census, nearly 30% of 24 year olds (112,695) weren’t in full-time education, training or work. </p>
<p>Around half of all 24 year old Indigenous Australians, and one in three of the most disadvantaged Australians, were not engaged in any work or education, compared to 15% nationally.</p>
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<p>This failure to address educational inequality reproduces and amplifies existing poverty across generations. It saps productivity, undermines social cohesion and costs governments and communities <a href="http://vuir.vu.edu.au/33523/1/Counting-the-costs-of-lost-opportunity-in-Australian-education.pdf">billions of dollars</a>.</p>
<p>On an individual level, it hampers young people’s search for secure employment and is connected to <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031816-044628">poorer health and lower quality of life</a>.</p>
<h2>What should we do?</h2>
<p>There are no quick ways to fix educational inequality, but there are several key improvements that will make a difference.</p>
<p>Closing gaps in participation and lifting the quality of early childhood education services — particularly in disadvantaged communities where <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/mitchell-institute/early-childhood-education/quality-is-key-in-early-childhood-education-in-australia">services tend to be lower quality</a> — should be one of our highest priorities. Early childhood education is critical to giving every child the best possible start. <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/sites/default/files/educational-opportunity-in-australia-2020.pdf">Evidence shows</a> preschool raises children’s chances of being developmentally ready for school in key areas by around 12 percentage points.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/preschool-benefits-all-children-but-not-all-children-get-it-heres-what-the-government-can-do-about-that-117660">Preschool benefits all children, but not all children get it. Here's what the government can do about that</a>
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<p>Despite efforts through the Gonski reforms, there is still significant room to improve how Australia targets funding and support to schools with the highest level of need. We need to address the imbalance in resources between advantaged and disadvantaged Australian schools, <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/916-Commonwealth-Orange-Book-2019.pdf">which is the worst in the OECD</a>.</p>
<p>This is not just about money, but building strong leadership and teaching capability in every school. High quality teaching is proven to be <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272775709001289">critical to improving student outcomes</a>. We also need to support <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/why-it-is-time-to-target-teaching-to-the-needs-of-every-australian-child/">high quality use of data and assessment</a> to tailor teaching to students’ needs, provide feedback and measure progress.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-get-quality-teachers-in-disadvantaged-schools-and-keep-them-there-71622">How to get quality teachers in disadvantaged schools – and keep them there</a>
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<p>Government projections show <a href="https://lmip.gov.au/default.aspx?LMIP/EmploymentProjections">90% of employment growth in the next four years</a> will require education beyond school. This means we must prepare young people for an economy requiring higher levels of skill than ever. We need to rethink existing models of tertiary education to make it accessible to all students.</p>
<p>Addressing educational inequality is as much about <a href="https://growingupinaustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/asr2014.pdf">what happens outside the classroom as inside</a>. Nurturing every child’s development and well-being is best achieved through a partnership between schools, families, communities and other support services.</p>
<p>Australia cannot afford education systems that fail so many students. That’s not just in economic terms – because the cost of lost opportunity is even greater down the track – but also in human terms. We know the social and health costs of disengaging in education are significant.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/148912/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Our report examines Australia’s educational performance against equity and excellence benchmarks. It finds the inequality gap is large and growing.Sergio Macklin, Deputy Lead of Education Policy, Mitchell Institute, Victoria UniversitySarah Pilcher, Policy Fellow, Mitchell Institute, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1479902020-10-13T08:02:06Z2020-10-13T08:02:06ZVictoria’s money for tutors is necessary, but there are 5 things it needs to do to ensure they’re successful<p>Victorian Education Minister, James Merlino, <a href="https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/thousands-tutors-bring-students-speed">announced A$250 million on Wednesday</a> for 4,100 tutors to be deployed across Victorian schools from the first term in 2021. </p>
<p>The vast majority of Victorian students spent much of terms two and three learning remotely — this is about half the school year. The government expects this money will support more than 200,000 students across the state who have been left behind during the remote learning period. </p>
<p>In announcing the package, the minister said about one in five students will need extra support. Our report (from the <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/covid-catch-up/">Grattan Institute</a>) in June found a large cohort of disadvantaged students — especially those from the poorest families, with learning difficulties, or where languages other than English are spoken at home — will have fallen much further behind than their classmates during the school closures. </p>
<p>Our analysis shows disadvantaged students in Victoria are likely to have lost somewhere between two and six months of learning over the remote schooling period. The equity gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students grows at triple the rate during remote schooling. </p>
<p>These learning losses compound an existing equity problem in schools, and increase the risk of students disengaging. </p>
<p>The Victorian government’s funding is critical. Without it, schools would not have the resources needed to help students catch up. But the government needs to take several extra steps, including ensuring the quality of tutors, so this funding has its desired effect.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/victorias-year-12-students-are-learning-remotely-but-they-wont-necessarily-fall-behind-143844">Victoria’s Year 12 students are learning remotely. But they won't necessarily fall behind</a>
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<h2>What’s in the package?</h2>
<p>James Merlino’s <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-13/victoria-to-hire-tutors-to-help-students-after-home-learning/12760838">promise to parents is</a>: “If your child has fallen behind, we will bring them back up to speed”.</p>
<p>To bring these students up to speed, the package includes:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>A$209.6 million for every government school (primary, secondary and specialist) to attract and employ 3,500 tutors across the 2021 school year, to deliver small group learning to students who need it</p></li>
<li><p>tutoring for small groups from one to five students</p></li>
<li><p>$30 million towards employing 600 tutors at non-government schools</p></li>
<li><p>$8.6 million towards schools working with families to lift student outcomes and re-engage students with learning.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>The package not only benefits students, but also provides employment for young people and women who have been most impacted financially by the pandemic. The <a href="https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/thousands-tutors-bring-students-speed">government estimates</a> 80% of tutor roles will be filled by women.</p>
<h2>Is it enough?</h2>
<p>Tutoring is expensive, but can provide big benefits in quick time. Tutoring programs overseas have consistently proven beneficial, with some students gaining an additional <a href="https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/teaching-learning-toolkit/small-group-tuition/">three to five months of learning</a> over just one to two terms of schooling. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/disadvantaged-students-may-have-lost-1-month-of-learning-during-covid-19-shutdown-but-the-government-can-fix-it-140540">Disadvantaged students may have lost 1 month of learning during COVID-19 shutdown. But the government can fix it</a>
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<p>If implemented well, this package would be enough to stem much of the predicted learning losses for disadvantaged students. But the Victorian government should take five extra steps to ensure it gets its money’s worth:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>the initiative relies on teachers to correctly identify students who are struggling, and why. The government should ensure some of the money is spent on extra training for teachers who need it</p></li>
<li><p>successful tutoring depends on selecting high-quality, well-trained tutors. Schools can’t be expected to screen the quality of tutor recruits by themselves. The government should set the quality standards, and could commission a third party to ensure only the best tutors are hired </p></li>
<li><p>The government should give schools guidance on effective literacy and numeracy programs that involve small-group or one-on-one tuition. There are existing programs that, <a href="https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/">on</a> <a href="https://evidenceforlearning.org.au/assets/Thinking-Maths/E4L-Thinking-Maths-Evaluation-Report.pdf">evaluation</a>, <a href="https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Projects/Evaluation_Reports/Mathematical_Reasoning.pdf">show</a> they can have large impacts in specific areas such as maths, oral language skills or certain aspects of reading</p></li>
<li><p>the government should evaluate the impact of the catch-up tutoring to give insight on what works for a COVID response, but also to close the much larger existing equity gap for disadvantaged students long-term. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that must not be missed</p></li>
<li><p>the government should require accountability from schools on how the extra funds are spent. For example, schools should be expected to invest in tutoring where it is relevant, or to explain the nature of investments in other initiatives which the school believes are needed.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Victoria’s plan to find high-quality tutors from existing retired, casual, or student teachers is a good start. But if it proves difficult to find enough quality candidates from this pool, other options should be considered. University graduates from all disciplines and teaching assistants can have large benefits, as well as large tutoring providers. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1315824822140563457"}"></div></p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-catch-up-premium">UK’s new national tutoring scheme</a> has a lot of quality assurance built into it. For example, schools can either choose to employ a tutor directly who has been trained and screened, or use a tutor from a “quality assured” tutoring provider. Financial incentives encourage schools to choose tutoring providers that have demonstrated high evaluation standards. </p>
<h2>What about other states?</h2>
<p>Although remote schooling did not last as long in the other states and the territories, disadvantaged students would still benefit from a similar package — just a smaller one to Victoria’s.</p>
<p>Extra support should be available so students across Australia don’t slip through the cracks. Victoria’s tutoring announcement this week should become a model for all Australian states and territories.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/147990/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julie Sonnemann is a Board Director of The Song Room, a not-for-profit organisation.
We thank the Origin Energy Foundation for their generous and timely support for our COVID catch-up report.</span></em></p>The Victorian government’s funding is critical to helping disadvantaged students catch up. But the government needs to take several extra steps to ensure their funding has its desired effect.Julie Sonnemann, Acting Program Director, Grattan InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1449332020-08-24T20:05:12Z2020-08-24T20:05:12Z3 education questions the Victorian government should answer at the COVID-19 inquiry<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354315/original/file-20200824-24-diewcb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-students-huddle-together-654250039">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Today, Victorian Education Minister James Merlino will front the <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/paec/inquiries/inquiry/1000">state parliamentary inquiry</a> into the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He should answer these three questions on the handling of schools. </p>
<h2>Q 1. How will the government help disadvantaged students catch up?</h2>
<p>Victorian children have now been in remote schooling for about 17 weeks or almost two terms — virtually half of their 2020 school year. Many will have fallen behind in their learning, but the most vulnerable students will have been hit hardest. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/covid-catch-up/">analysis shows</a> the equity gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students grows at triple the rate during remote schooling. Even in the best case scenario — where remote schooling was delivered well — disadvantaged students are likely to have lost at least two months of learning over the period. In schools where remote schooling was of average quality, disadvantaged students are likely to have gone backwards.</p>
<p>The government should be providing extra resources to help vulnerable children catch up fast. This can be done through small-group tutoring and targeted literacy and numeracy programs. The Grattan Institute analysis recommended an investment in these two areas of A$1.2 billion nationally — including over A$350 million in Victoria – at the end of term two. With more remote schooling in term three, the need is now even bigger.</p>
<p>For small-group tuition programs, disadvantaged students would receive regular short sessions in reading and maths, three or four times a week over 12 weeks. Tuition is expensive, but it can increase student learning by an additional five months over one or two terms of schooling.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/disadvantaged-students-may-have-lost-1-month-of-learning-during-covid-19-shutdown-but-the-government-can-fix-it-140540">Disadvantaged students may have lost 1 month of learning during COVID-19 shutdown. But the government can fix it</a>
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<p>Young university graduates and student teachers should be hired as tutors where possible. They make good tutors, and will also be hit harder by the recession than older Australians, which will make them more likely to spend the extra income quickly, stimulating the economy at the same time. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/education-53100881">UK government</a> has already announced £1 billion (A$1.8 billion) of extra support for disadvantaged students, with investments in a new <a href="https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/covid-19-resources/national-tutoring-programme/">national tutoring scheme</a>. Our governments should spend big, and quickly.</p>
<h2>Q 2. What extra money will the government provide to improve students’ mental health?</h2>
<p>Many students, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7195413/">especially those with pre-existing mental-health issues</a>, will have found social isolation hard during remote schooling. And many children have had to deal with family hardships due to loss of income, as well as the added stress of remote learning.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/paec/COVID-19_Inquiry/Report/PAEC_59-07_Vic_Gov_response_COVID-19_Interim_report.pdf">interim inquiry report into the government’s response to COVID-19</a> highlights that around 25% of secondary schools now have a mental health practitioner on staff, but many are still concerned about inconsistency in accessing support across schools. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354319/original/file-20200824-22-piq78i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A side view of a girl on the couch, with knees to her chest and chin on hand looking away from camera." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354319/original/file-20200824-22-piq78i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/354319/original/file-20200824-22-piq78i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354319/original/file-20200824-22-piq78i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354319/original/file-20200824-22-piq78i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354319/original/file-20200824-22-piq78i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354319/original/file-20200824-22-piq78i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/354319/original/file-20200824-22-piq78i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Mental health issues have increased among young people during the pandemic.</span>
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<p>Given the increase in demand from young people for <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/new-mental-health-clinics-support-victorians-during-covid-19-pandemic">mental-health services</a>, the minister should clarify what the average wait times are for students referred, along with plans to ensure they are reasonable in the near future. </p>
<p>Importantly, the minister should demonstrate how the government will support primary school students, not just secondary students. <a href="https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/mental-health/prevention-and-promotion/early-intervention-in-mental-health">Early mental-health support</a> for children is key to preventing ongoing problems down the track, and primary school is notoriously overlooked in this area.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/to-safeguard-childrens-mental-health-during-covid-19-parents-must-look-after-their-own-143897">To safeguard children's mental health during COVID-19, parents must look after their own</a>
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<p>More broadly, the minister should demonstrate plans for teachers to have adequate training in how to identify and refer students who may be struggling. This is also highlighted as an area of need in the <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/paec/COVID-19_Inquiry/Report/PAEC_59-07_Vic_Gov_response_COVID-19_Interim_report.pdf">interim report</a>. </p>
<p>In addition, all students will need extra support to readjust from the period of social isolation. <a href="https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/tools/guidance-reports/social-and-emotional-learning/">Evidence</a> shows what the teacher does in the classroom, in their routines and everyday teaching, is key to helping students build social and emotional skills. </p>
<p>It’s a sophisticated art, and students can be harmed if teachers don’t do this properly. For example, asking students to talk about the challenges they faced during home learning can be damaging if they suffered negative experiences or trauma. Teachers need to be well trained in these areas.</p>
<h2>Q 3. How will the government better support students if there is a third or fourth wave?</h2>
<p>We’ve all been caught off guard by the pandemic. But what lessons has the government learnt about remote learning? What will be done better if there is a “next time”? </p>
<p>Asking this question is not a swipe at the minister or anyone else. The Victorian department and teachers have gone above and beyond to support learning from home. But we must be better prepared next time.</p>
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<p>
<em>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/students-in-melbourne-will-go-back-to-remote-schooling-heres-what-we-learnt-last-time-and-how-to-make-it-better-142550">Students in Melbourne will go back to remote schooling. Here's what we learnt last time and how to make it better</a>
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<p>Australia can learn from high-performing countries that were better prepared, even before the first wave hit. As discussed in our June report <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/recovery-book/">Recovery Book</a>, Singapore had a fully online curriculum ready to go. And Hong Kong had many more digital resources aligned to the curriculum that could be easily shared. Our systems can, and must, improve.</p>
<p>It will not be good enough for the minister to suggest we don’t yet know enough to make changes. It is OK to have made mistakes, but it is not OK if we’re not learning from them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144933/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julie Sonnemann is the Acting Program Director, School Education, Grattan Institute. She is also a Board Member of The Song Room. </span></em></p>The government should have a plan for how to help disadvantaged students catch up from learning lost during the pandemic, and how to better support students with mental health issues.Julie Sonnemann, Acting Program Director, Grattan InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.