Imagine being the principal of a school with just two students. But if that wasn't bad enough, imagine the school had a poor reputation, too. That was the predicament facing new acting principal Chris Burgess of Taradale Primary School, 100km ...
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Can’t we just get along? Managing teacher-parent relationships
Violent encounters between parents, teachers and principals regularly hit the headlines, with politicians bemoaning a perceived lack of respect for teachers in society. Indeed, in a recent article for Monash Lens by educational and developmental psychologist Sally Kenney and Monash University’s Dr ...
More »The school inside an aged care home: Adelaide launches an Australia-first in intergenerational learning
Two years ago, the Kalyra Woodcroft aged care facility in Adelaide was giving another one of its regular site tours. Neither the guide, Terry Wilby, Kalyra’s Director of Care, nor the people being led through the grounds had any idea ...
More »How to create a sustainable school
A recent study found that while over 90 per cent of Australians are concerned about environmental sustainability, only half believe they are doing their fair share to save our planet. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) describes our predicament ...
More »‘Leaders who read’: Teacher librarians on how we can get kids reading for pleasure
How can we foster a school culture where reading isn’t seen by kids as just a chore, or something that only ‘nerds’ would enjoy? In a new research paper, teacher librarians have their say. The article, published in the Australian ...
More »Future schools need thoughtful design, with teacher involvement crucial
The spaces in which we live and move have profound – if often invisible – impacts on our wellbeing, our psyche, our behaviour and how we relate to each other. If you’ve ever listened to 99% Invisible, or read Foucault, ...
More »What does effective professional learning for teachers look like?
Parents routinely roll their eyes any time a school announces a student-free professional learning day for its teachers. Many parents consider these days an inconvenience and struggle to see their purpose. High quality, continuous professional learning (as opposed to one-off, snapshot professional ...
More »Australia’s principal crisis: How to improve mental health and mentally prepare principals for the top job
Amid growing concerns about the mental health of those in the teaching profession, a recent article in The Age underscored a looming crisis: a critical shortage of principals in Australian schools. With research consistently pointing to high levels of stress ...
More »NSW parents angered by schools’ ‘high-pressure tactics’
Has a parent ever complained to you about voluntary school contributions – whether they be excursion, textbook or extracurricular activity-related? If so, you're far from alone. Parents and Citizens Associations of New South Wales, the peak body for NSW school parents, believes ...
More »Common image privacy traps for schools
As an educator, you’re responsible for a great deal of information about the students in your care, from contact and demographic details to information about their religious affiliation or sexuality. This can affect everything from a student’s support needs and ...
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