A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Hugh Gundlach, The University of Melbourne Schools and students around Australia continue to face a teacher shortage. This means some schools have gone back for term two unable to offer certain subjects. Some might have composite classes, larger classes or disrupted units of study. This also means some students will not have the best possible [...]
Tanya Stephenson, Research Officer and Teaching Associate, Faculty of Education Adolescence is a time of self-discovery and identity formation, when young people begin to establish a sense of who they are, what they believe in, and where they fit in the world. This makes adolescence a sensitive developmental window, characterised by [...]
Genevieve McArthur, Australian Catholic University Australian children are facing some big challenges. NAPLAN data shows about one in three students in years 3 to 9 are behind in reading-related skills. It is also estimated about one in seven children have poor mental health. Until recently, most people assumed these were separate problems. However, there is [...]
Lucas Walsh, Monash University New research released today by The Smith Family shows how leaving school can be a difficult and complex time for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. It also shows how COVID has made this more difficult and complex. The new report includes a survey of more than 1,000 young people who were [...]
Nigel Howard, Flinders University and Andrew Bills, Flinders University A significant proportion of young Australians still do not finish high school. According to data released by the Productivity Commission on Tuesday, about one in five students leave before they reach Year 12. In 2022, about 79% of students started Year 12, the lowest in the [...]
Clare Littleton, Torrens University Australia and Caitlin Reader, Torrens University Australia The “social determinants of health” is a fancy way of describing a simple idea: that a person’s health is influenced not just by what they eat or do but also by social factors. These include: access to education (including in early childhood) your parents’ [...]
Richard Jolley, Staffordshire University and Sarah Rose, Staffordshire University When the weather’s bad and there’s no prospect of a trip to the park, we might well reach for crayons, pencils and paper as a way to keep our children entertained. But drawing is much more than a fun activity. It has wide-ranging benefits for children’s [...]
Download PDF here! This is the fifth & final paper in this series. Previous papers discussed the ‘forming’, ‘storming’ ‘norming’ & ‘performing’ stages of classroom lifecycles. Transitions are times of loss as well as times of opportunities. We often don’t mark the ending or the completion of our important relationships well. This can [...]
Paul Ginns, University of Sydney Around Australia, Year 12 students are heading into the final stretch of study before exams start in early term 4. This is typically seen as a very intense period of preparation. But, as our research shows, it is also important to rest during this time if you want to [...]
Lise Ludwig Mogensen, Western Sydney University Leaving school and figuring out what’s next is challenging for young people. For those with disability, it is even harder. It is often a time when supports are withdrawn as they leave the heavily structured school environment. We asked young people with intellectual disability about their experiences of transitioning [...]
