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Effective strategies for strengthening school attendance
School attendance matters because every day students miss represents lost learning time. The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) has investigated factors that influence school attendance and evidence-based strategies that can support and strengthen attendance.
The report, School Attendance: New Insights from AERO, outlines factors influencing school attendance and suggests evidence-based strategies to boost attendance, such as Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports (also known as ‘PBIS’).
To read the full article, visit the AERO website.
Image source: AERO
National Assessment Program – Civics and Citizenship report
The latest National Assessment Program report from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) shows that Australian students continue to value the importance of learning about our country’s history and civic institutions. However, despite this, the report also shows that students’ knowledge and understanding of Australia’s democracy, our political system and civic processes has fallen.
Commenting on the report, ACARA’s CEO Stephen Gniel said, 'The results ... highlight how we need to continue to support our teachers and educators with high-quality training and resources to help them effectively deliver engaging civics and citizenship education in classrooms across the country.'
To read the full media release, visit the ACARA website.
Image source: ACARA
New research shows lifelong benefits of Catholic schooling
New research using the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey data has found that people who attended Catholic schools are likely to see lifelong benefits in employment status, general health and life satisfaction.
The research was undertaken by a team in the Centre for International Research on Education Systems (CIRES) at Victoria University and commissioned by the Victorian Catholic Education Authority (VCEA). The research found that on average, there are both personal and community benefits of Catholic schooling. People who attended Catholic schools are on average more likely to be employed, and to earn higher wages, are more likely to work in an industry or sector that directly benefits the public and were more likely to donate to charity.
To read the full media release, visit the VCEA website.
Image source: VCEA
Release of the full National Report on Schooling
The full National Report on Schooling 2023 has now been published on behalf of Australian education ministers. It outlines the national policy for school education in Australia and reports against key performance measures for schooling. ACARA progressively releases chapters of this report throughout the year in a commitment to support transparency and accountability by making information more accessible.
This release includes a new chapter covering government funding of schools, as well as information on school income and school expenditure. Each section of the report includes corresponding data portal pages which provide interactive data visualisations to enable data breakdowns, including by state, territory and equity group.
To read the full report, visit the ACARA website.
Image source: ACARA