Considerable progress has been made in defining 21st Century skills, but curriculum implementation is the next hurdle. That was one of the messages to come out of the first webinar revisiting the ‘big five’ education challenges facing Australian schools.

Staff at Cedar College in South Australia are determined to improve the proportion of female students choosing to study Science, Technology, Mathematics and Engineering (STEM) subjects in senior high school. Here, we speak with Digital Technologies and Maths teacher Trudi Wynn about the strategies they’ve employed to entice more girls to consider studying STEM.

The ability to make sound financial decisions and manage money is important, but it can also be challenging. Here, we speak to Dr Jack Noone, a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Impact at UNSW about the importance of financial wellbeing, the factors that can influence it, and the people that may find themselves most at risk.

Reducing the disparities in the schooling experiences of students was one of the issues identified by Teacher columnist Professor Geoff Masters AO in his influential series on the ‘big five’ education challenges facing Australian schools. What does the latest evidence say, and where do we go to from here?

What would happen if you listened to your staff and students about what their reality is like, and then wrote a school-wide wellbeing framework and curriculum that responded specifically to their needs? At Indie School Elizabeth in South Australia, a targeted approach to addressing the complex wellbeing needs of students led to a brave reimagining of staff wellbeing strategies and processes.

Data show young people in Australia are becoming increasingly concerned about equity and discrimination, particularly on the topic of gender. Here, we share five resources which relate to gender issues including equity and identity.

Music Teacher and Deputy Principal Sarah Donnelley was named winner of the Telstra ARIA Music Teacher Award last term for the impact she has had on students at Wilcannia Central School through her use of music as a tool for engagement, and her creativity during periods of remote teaching and learning.

Charlotte Forwood, Director of Learning Design and Development at Camberwell Girls Grammar School in Victoria has penned a review of British comedian, musician, actor and presenter Bill Bailey’s latest book, Bill Bailey’s Remarkable Guide to Happiness.

Professor Geoff Masters AO shares details of a special ACER five-webinar series, where expert practitioners, researchers and policymakers will revisit the major challenges in school education he wrote of six years ago, and ask what progress has been made on each, and what needs to happen next.

Data consistently shows that students are dealing with high levels of stress and other mental health issues, and that many choose to turn to their teachers for support with these struggles. A new report published in the Australian Journal of Education (AJE) looks at how teachers manage student wellbeing concerns and academic stress.