-
Prison job programs help ex-convicts stay out of trouble
Open Forum | June 9, 2018New research shows that vocation and education training in prison can play an important role in reducing rates of recidivism when offenders are released back into the community.
-
How Australia got so many law schools
Gwilym Croucher | June 5, 2018Law is cheap to teach and promises high career rewards, but Australia’s boom in law schools after policy changes in the 1980s left too many students chasing too few careers.
-
Lab coats help students see themselves as future scientists
Megan Ennes | June 4, 2018Australian educators have tried, and largely failed, to encourage more students to study STEM subjects. Could a simple step like giving students lab coats in classes encourage more young people to pursue careers in science?
-
Almost a third of Australian children suffer disadvantage
Open Forum | June 3, 2018Almost a third of Australian children experience some form of disadvantage that can have a lasting impact on their development, a new study of more than 5,000 children has found.
-
What should parents expect from early childhood education?
Wendy Boyd | May 25, 2018Parents often worry about their young child’s development, but what are the milestones which they, and the childcare facilities they may attend, should aim for?
-
Gonski review calls for a fresh approach to improve Australia’s schools
Michelle Grattan | May 1, 2018The newly published Gonski review attacks the quality of current Australian schooling and urges a more dynamic and individualised teaching approach to ensure our children reach their full potential.
-
Understanding university drop-out rates
Open Forum | April 30, 2018More than 50,000 students who started university in Australia this year will drop out, according to a new Grattan Institute report. However not every incomplete degree should be seen as a waste of time and money.
-
The problem with staffing rural schools
Daniela Acquaro | April 26, 2018Attracting new teachers to country schools remains one of the biggest challenges in Australian education and encouraging student teachers to complete placements in rural schools as a way to address the chronic shortage of teachers in the bush isn’t working.
-
The costs of raising children continues to soar
Luisa Saccotelli | April 18, 2018Researchers from UNSW Sydney have found the costs of raising children in Australia have risen substantially over the past two decades due to changing community expectations of what children need to live a healthy life.
-
Confucius Institutes – Innocent strawberries or poisoned fruit?
Jeffrey Gil | April 16, 2018Confucius Institutes are again proving controversial both in Australia and abroad. Can they be compared to western institutions such Alliance Française, the Dante Alighieri Society or the British Council or are they something more sinister?
-
5 ways to seed STEM skills in young children
Kym Simoncini | April 6, 2018Parents can help their young children develop the curiosity and thinking skills they’ll need to succeed in STEM subjects by cultivating the right approach early in life.
-
Education in the spotlight on International Women’s Day
Robert Dunn | March 8, 2018International Women’s Day on 8 March offers an opportunity to reaffirm the pivotal role of education plays in helping the most marginalised women and girls progress out of poverty.