Recently, writes Sally Larsen, Australia woke up to a barrage of reports about the latest NAPLAN results. Media coverage described an “epic fail”, “plummeting” performances and a “bleak picture”. Education experts spoke of “grim reading”, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the results “alarming”. But many of these...
Linda McIver comes to the conclusion that sometimes, near enough is good enough. This morning, I picked a fight with my six-year-old, Chloe. I didn’t set out to fight, of course, but she was really pushing my buttons. Her claim that she had finished her writing...
A new app is helping us find out, write Kate Anderson, Taleah Carson and Tasha Cole Australian children are among the healthiest in the world. However, First Nations children continue to be left behind. To break the cycle of disadvantage, we need to foster First Nations children’s well-being...
The federal government has only ‘noted’ a call to end special schools, reports Linda J. Graham. What does this mean for students with a disability? We have just received the long-awaited response from the Australian government to the disability royal commission’s final report. One of the most...
Recent debates suggest yes, but students and schools are much more complex, report Jane Louise Hunter and Don Carter. New South Wales has just announced a curriculum “shake-up” for primary schools to start in 2027. Along with new content about the human body, consent, and screen time,...
Nearly half of Australian young people are dissatisfied with the way their body looks, writes researcher Rachel Hogg Social media have only made body image issues worse for young people, leading them to compare themselves with others and strive for often unattainable – and unhealthy –...
by Alberto Filgueiras, Children all over Australia have been watching the Olympics. At school and at home, they have seen athletes win medals, waving flags and doing victory dances. For many, this will be the first time they remember seeing the games. For some kids, this may...
Art offers us different, and sometimes challenging, perspectives to consider in our lifelong relationship with the human form, writes Naomi Zouwer Since they were babes in arms I have taken my two children to museums and galleries. Because of this frequent exposure to art, seeing representations...
Will all states agree to sign on? asks Glenn C. Savage The Albanese Federal government has released details of the next funding agreement for Australian schools. The Better and Fairer Schools Agreement is a new ten-year agreement that will have significant power to shape what happens in...
We reviewed 100 studies about little kids and screens, reports Sumudu Mallawaarachchi and Dylan Cliff Here are 4 ways to help your child use them well Screen time is one of the top worries for Australian parents. In a national February 2021 poll by the Royal Children’s...
