Elvira Kalenjuk reports that recent data from the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) shows that many Year 9 students are writing at standards well below expected levels. Several commentators have attributed low writing achievement to illness and high rates of absenteeism because of the pandemic,...
Randa Abdel-Fattah demystifies the values and practices of Australia’s Islamic schools, of which she was a pioneering student. I graduated from St Clement of Rome Primary School in Melbourne in 1990. I was one of a small number of Muslim students, but my parents didn’t feel...
Researchers Ross Gordon, Gordon Waitt and Theresa Harada look at the many ways to keep cool over summer With energy prices and temperatures both rising, keeping cool in summer is an increasingly costly challenge for many Australians. Energy bills are predicted to increase by 50% over the...
Visual artist and lecturer Naomi Zouwer advises how to set up a kids’ art studio at home (and learn to love the mess) Many parents want to encourage their children to be creative. This is not just about training the next Archibald Prize winner. Young people...
A Senate inquiry is calling for a new ‘behaviour curriculum’ to try and tackle classroom disruptions reports researcher Erin Leif A Senate inquiry has found Australian students need specific lessons in how to behave. The inquiry, which has been looking at “increasing disruption in Australian school classrooms,”...
If you read the label, you may be pleasantly surprised, report researchers Lauren Ball and Katelyn Barnes The cost of groceries in Australia has sky-rocketed this year. So people may be tempted to switch to home-brand foods to save on their weekly food bill. Home-brand foods are...
Do they get it? Asks Rachael Sharman. And where’s the line? We all lie to our kids. Some lies – telling them their artwork is wonderful, or that Wiggles band-aids are infused with anaesthetic – benefit the child. Others are just a bit of fun. Shutterstock Take the...
A National study by medical researchers from UNSW Sydney and multiple leading research institutions has found the current vaccine, targeting 13 serotypes of the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, is not providing optimal protection to Australian children with the current routine 'childhood immunisation program'. Using three years of...
Researchers Violet Kieu and Kate Stern remind you that you should discuss fertility first! Not all Australians with cancer are getting the fertility care they need. In 2022, it is predicted more than 8,200 Australians under 40 – in their reproductive years – will be diagnosed with...
How this Canadian program could help address Australia’s childcare staff shortage, write researchers Marg Rogers, Laura K. Doan and Navjot Bhullar. On Wednesday, federal parliament passed Labor’s bill to reduce childcare fees for many Australian families. More affordable childcare for families is great, but it will not...
