Staying on at school: strategies for increasing high school completion rates in low-retention regions of NSW. Leaving school early has been shown to have detrimental effects on the life chances, well being and health of young people and their communities. Despite this, a significant portion of today's youth chooses to leave school early. Unfortunately, little is understood about the processes and factors involved in the decision to leave school, and hence schools and systems are uncertain about ....Staying on at school: strategies for increasing high school completion rates in low-retention regions of NSW. Leaving school early has been shown to have detrimental effects on the life chances, well being and health of young people and their communities. Despite this, a significant portion of today's youth chooses to leave school early. Unfortunately, little is understood about the processes and factors involved in the decision to leave school, and hence schools and systems are uncertain about how to decrease dropping out. Understanding the processes and factors involved in the decision to leave school early, and identifying the basis for between-school differences, will assist in the development of programs and curricula that will be more successful in increasing retention rates, hence enhancing the skill base of Australia's youth.Read moreRead less
Living and Learning in a Knowledge Society: The implications of young adults' knowledge-creating practices for higher education. As society moves into a new era, knowledge creation has become vital to Australia's participation in global society. Knowledge creation fuels innovation and economic prosperity, and fosters social cohesion through new forms of community engagement. Young adults play an important role in our society as the next generation of knowledge workers, with many already active k ....Living and Learning in a Knowledge Society: The implications of young adults' knowledge-creating practices for higher education. As society moves into a new era, knowledge creation has become vital to Australia's participation in global society. Knowledge creation fuels innovation and economic prosperity, and fosters social cohesion through new forms of community engagement. Young adults play an important role in our society as the next generation of knowledge workers, with many already active knowledge creators in their everyday and academic lives. By investigating how young adults create knowledge across these diverse contexts, this research will provide important practical insights for educators and policy-makers who are trying to determine the role of higher education in a knowledge society.Read moreRead less
Changing work, changing workers, changing selves: a study of pedagogies in the new vocationalism. Changes in the form of work have led to an emphasis on the development of new kinds of working identities. This project aims to map, analyze and theorize the way in which pedagogical strategies in vocational education produce new worker identities. It examines contextual differences across different sectors and industries as well as forms of inclusion and exclusion. For policy-makers it provides ....Changing work, changing workers, changing selves: a study of pedagogies in the new vocationalism. Changes in the form of work have led to an emphasis on the development of new kinds of working identities. This project aims to map, analyze and theorize the way in which pedagogical strategies in vocational education produce new worker identities. It examines contextual differences across different sectors and industries as well as forms of inclusion and exclusion. For policy-makers it provides a new mapping and evaluation of different types of institutional programs; for practitioners it brings new insights about effective practices; for theorists it offers a new, empirically-grounded theorisation of workplace knowledge.Read moreRead less
Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Student Retention and Success in High School. This longitudinal study of the implementation of an Aboriginal secondary student retention and achievement program in ten centres in Western Australia will result in a policy and program framework for better education of Indigenous students. Policy formulation and the development of theoretical propositions regarding the ways schools and agencies work with Indigenous students will be an outcome of the project. This is ....Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Student Retention and Success in High School. This longitudinal study of the implementation of an Aboriginal secondary student retention and achievement program in ten centres in Western Australia will result in a policy and program framework for better education of Indigenous students. Policy formulation and the development of theoretical propositions regarding the ways schools and agencies work with Indigenous students will be an outcome of the project. This is a significant project because it will provide evidence of the success of potentially valuable strategies to encourage Indigenous students to remain at school, complete Year 12 and enter further education or the work force.Read moreRead less
A critical analysis of the increase in diagnosis of special educational needs in New South Wales government schools. Enhancing the ability of schools to respond to students with diverse needs has been shown to reduce student disengagement and early leaving. This research will identify ways to achieve this important goal, while reducing incentives for schools to label and segregate students who experience difficulty in schools and with learning. This will have long term benefits not only for indi ....A critical analysis of the increase in diagnosis of special educational needs in New South Wales government schools. Enhancing the ability of schools to respond to students with diverse needs has been shown to reduce student disengagement and early leaving. This research will identify ways to achieve this important goal, while reducing incentives for schools to label and segregate students who experience difficulty in schools and with learning. This will have long term benefits not only for individual students, but for communities and for the nation as a whole. The project will contribute to the Commonwealth government's national agenda linking positive educational outcomes to successful employment, broader economic participation, and enhanced social inclusion.Read moreRead less
A sociological analysis of ethnicity and compulsory schooling in NSW. Building social cohesion is a national priority. We directly address this priority through our focus on young people of low SES, ethnically diverse backgrounds in a region with a public reputation for inter-ethnic tensions and low school retention. We aim to generate insights that will shape a suite of policies and practices that teachers report effective in meeting the needs of schools and ethnically diverse students in the c ....A sociological analysis of ethnicity and compulsory schooling in NSW. Building social cohesion is a national priority. We directly address this priority through our focus on young people of low SES, ethnically diverse backgrounds in a region with a public reputation for inter-ethnic tensions and low school retention. We aim to generate insights that will shape a suite of policies and practices that teachers report effective in meeting the needs of schools and ethnically diverse students in the context of the collapse of the youth labour market.Read moreRead less
Changing schools in changing times: Stabilising and sustaining whole school change in schools serving low-income communties. This project addresses an enduring issue in educational research: how to achieve whole school change (WSC) to support improved student learning in communities experiencing significant social dislocation, educational disadvantage and student disengagement from learning. It tackles the industry partner's policy commitment to delivering substantive equity outcomes by research ....Changing schools in changing times: Stabilising and sustaining whole school change in schools serving low-income communties. This project addresses an enduring issue in educational research: how to achieve whole school change (WSC) to support improved student learning in communities experiencing significant social dislocation, educational disadvantage and student disengagement from learning. It tackles the industry partner's policy commitment to delivering substantive equity outcomes by researching a sustainable approach to WSC. We will work collaboratively with four schools to utilise a new technology of WSC that conceptualises the work of classroom teachers and school administrators as primarily pedagogical in nature. The findings will provide theoretical and practical insights on effective schooling in low income communities throughout Australia.Read moreRead less
Parent involvement goes online: New ecologies of school-home relations. This project aims to: identify forms of digital exclusion and inclusion impacting on parents’ ability to support their children’s education; produce a new conceptual model of technologically mediated school-home relationships; and provide a comprehensive map of school-home connected digital tools and services. Combining a detailed survey of 500 school leaders with innovative networked case studies across three schools and 18 ....Parent involvement goes online: New ecologies of school-home relations. This project aims to: identify forms of digital exclusion and inclusion impacting on parents’ ability to support their children’s education; produce a new conceptual model of technologically mediated school-home relationships; and provide a comprehensive map of school-home connected digital tools and services. Combining a detailed survey of 500 school leaders with innovative networked case studies across three schools and 18 families, this will be the first national study to comprehensively describe and analyse home-school partnerships in the digital age. It will provide policy and educational leadership with a roadmap for addressing barriers to digital inclusion, as schools advance their integration of digital platforms. Read moreRead less
'Digital Natives': Growing up with new and old media in Australia. Developing a sophisticated digital literacy is important for both the future of children, the cultural, social and economic well-being of the nation. Digital literacy requires not only communications infrastructure but targeted investment in human skills. Investing in the development of a digitally literate Australian population has become an explicit means for promoting the future economic and social well-being of the nation. Th ....'Digital Natives': Growing up with new and old media in Australia. Developing a sophisticated digital literacy is important for both the future of children, the cultural, social and economic well-being of the nation. Digital literacy requires not only communications infrastructure but targeted investment in human skills. Investing in the development of a digitally literate Australian population has become an explicit means for promoting the future economic and social well-being of the nation. The information provided by this project has the potential to contribute significantly to giving children 'a healthy start to life' in their early years. Read moreRead less