Children with a chronic health condition perform below the basic academic requirements in literacy and numeracy when compared to their peers, a study of more than 397 000 children in New South Wales has found.

As COVID-19 vaccination rates increase and schools here in Australia and around the world return to on-site learning, teachers and students will need to reestablish face-to-face relationships and routines, take time to reflect on their home learning experiences and think about where to from here. Dr Gail Brown and Dr Carl Leonard offer some advice and questions for reflection in today’s reader submission.

Australian students report greater levels of respect for people from other cultures and more positive attitudes towards immigrants than the OECD average, according to a new report from the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). Find out more in today’s article.

A blob trying to break into the Underworld, a scientist jumping through size-altering portals, and a man who wakes up dazed and confused in a scrapyard – these are some of the protagonists from winning games in this year’s Australian STEM Video Game Challenge.

Today’s article, written by Professor Fiona White from the University of Sydney, explores the research pilot she led as a consultant for the new television series airing in Australia on the ABC, The School That Tried to End Racism. The pilot involved 20 students in Year 6 completing a range of activities to challenge their racial biases.

Teachers, Students and the Law, written by barrister and educator Vivien Millane, is a plain language guide to the main areas of law relevant to the teacher-student relationship in Australian schools. This exclusive extract offers advice on duty of care requirements and the welfare and safety of students during periods of remote learning, and their return to classrooms.

‘Every student should be on the same (inclusive) path of learning, [and] every student should make excellent ongoing progress and eventually achieve the same high standards,’ Professor Geoff Masters AO writes in his latest Teacher column, adding that the challenge is in creating the conditions to enable this to happen.

‘Racism impacts profoundly on the lives of children and young people with major effects on health and wellbeing, and on education and social outcomes.’ In this Q&A, the lead author of a rapid evidence review on the prevalence of racism and racial discrimination experienced by young people in Australia, shares the findings and implications for educators.

There has been a growing trend of people following a gluten-free diet for its supposed ‘health’ benefits. But, what is gluten? How does it affect our bodies? And, does restricting gluten from your diet make you healthier? In today’s Q&A, we speak to Sophie Mahoney and Dr Heidi Staudacher from Deakin University’s Food & Mood Centre to find out more.

Our annual reader survey has just closed for another year. In this article, we share some of the topics you’d like to see us cover in the future, the advice you’d share with your fellow educators, and, of course, the winner of the prize for completing the survey.