Andrea Travers wonders if over-protecting our children is harmful. From advertising to the evening news, the message is ‘Be afraid’. We can never let up, never let go. Our children are always at risk in so many aspects of their lives, from educational underachievement to stranger...
Personalised learning is billed as the ‘future’ of schooling, writes Maya Gunawardena: what is it, and could it work? It is not uncommon for kids to complain about school, but studies show significant numbers of Australian students are actually disengaged with their education. A 2017 Grattan Institute...
Jessica Holloway, Glenn C. Savage and Steven Lewis search for some answers. Australia’s education ministers have recently announced changes to NAPLAN that will start right away (2023). These include bringing the testing date forward and changing the way results are reported. According to the ministers: These new...
It's why we need to track intergenerational school performance, write researchers Robert Breunig and Matthew Taylor The notion of the “fair go” is meant to be central to Australia’s national ethos. It’s not easy to define, but most of us would agree it means the chance to...
I’m at my wit’s end, what can I do? Clinical child psychologist, John McAloon has some thoughts for families aiming to achieve a desirable outcome Everyone with young children experiences parenting challenges. And these are often exacerbated by parental exhaustion, financial or relationship difficulties, and work stress. I’m...
Breaking bones in childhood more than doubles the odds of it happening again as an adult, researcher Kim Meredith-Jones finds. Breaking a bone in childhood is not just a rite of passage. It could be a warning sign of future fracture risk and osteoporosis. A history of...
Toy libraries across Australia are booming as more families turn to borrowing toys to save money, reduce waste and reconnect with their communities after COVID-19. Memberships at Australia’s 380-plus toy libraries have surged over the past two years, with new figures showing that over 130,000 families...
Newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy improves chances of walking and quality of life A study by the Sydney Children's Hospital Network (SCHN) and UNSW (Sydney) researchers shows that early diagnosis means early treatment. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a childhood-onset motor neuron disease. Left untreated, it...
Catherine Page Jeffery looks at the pros and the cons The surgeon general is the “nation’s doctor” in the United States. They are tasked with giving Americans the “best scientific information” about their health. Late last month, the current US surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, warned 13 is...
Kelly-Ann Allen looks at the special place schools have in the process of belonging. Every March, in every corner of Australia, schools, workplaces and communities gather in various ways to celebrate Harmony Week*, and whether it’s through shared food, music, songs or stories, this is a...
