ABRA: improving foundational literacy through technology in regional and remote schools through a randomized controlled trial. Education outcomes in regional and remote Australia, particularly for Indigenous students, are worsening, to the point of constituting a national crisis. Skilled educators are not consistently available in sufficient numbers to arrest this trend in the early years by giving the intensive, continuous expert instruction required. Under limited pilot conditions, a web-base ....ABRA: improving foundational literacy through technology in regional and remote schools through a randomized controlled trial. Education outcomes in regional and remote Australia, particularly for Indigenous students, are worsening, to the point of constituting a national crisis. Skilled educators are not consistently available in sufficient numbers to arrest this trend in the early years by giving the intensive, continuous expert instruction required. Under limited pilot conditions, a web-based instructional tool known as ABRACADABRA has shown considerable promise as a means of conferring the foundational skills in literacy for emerging learners, despite high workforce turnover. Testing the effectiveness of ABRACADABRA under more stringent experimental conditions is an essential precursor to offering tested solutions based on evidence, not advocacy.Read moreRead less
Let's Start Indigenous Preschool Evaluation Project: Links between behaviour and outcomes. Indigenous education and social outcomes lag far behind those of other Australians. The situation can be considered a social emergency. This research will provide evidence of the benefits of investment in preventive strategies to respond to difficulties faced by Aboriginal preschool children who struggle to negotiate the transition through preschool into early primary school. It provides immediate assista ....Let's Start Indigenous Preschool Evaluation Project: Links between behaviour and outcomes. Indigenous education and social outcomes lag far behind those of other Australians. The situation can be considered a social emergency. This research will provide evidence of the benefits of investment in preventive strategies to respond to difficulties faced by Aboriginal preschool children who struggle to negotiate the transition through preschool into early primary school. It provides immediate assistance to families and children in difficulty and direct support to the education industry by developing a program of supportive interventions to assist schools. It will provide national benefits by contributing to evidence on determinants of indigenous child development and school outcomes. Read moreRead less