Principal Mike O'Connor makes attendance data a 'big deal' at Brisbane's Browns Plains State High School and is only too happy to shine a spotlight on student absence.

Rapid change takes its toll on teachers and school leaders. All the more reason, says Robyn Collins, to address your own wellbeing, not least to ensure your longevity and sustainability in your challenging role.

We all know that our best teaching and learning programs respond to the prior knowledge and experiences of students, but how can we ensure personally tailored and responsive programs extend across a whole school?

Do you think game-thumbing young people are stupid, antisocial zombies, while skaters are just, well, stupid, antisocial teenagers on skateboards? It might be time to think again.

If we over-inflate our students’ self-esteem, we run the risk that the air will quickly come out of the balloon when they hit the wide world, says Stephen Dinham.

Research shows that professional learning has a powerful effect on the skills and knowledge of teachers. The tricky question is how to measure the impact of that professional learning on classroom practice and, as a result, on student learning.

If we really want to improve student achievement we need to focus on the person who closes the classroom door and performs the teaching act – the teacher - but to do that we need to open classroom doors.

Undertaking postgraduate study, particularly a doctorate, is a big commitment, but as Terry Evans explains, there are ways to make part-time study complement your work and home lives.

Catherine Scott reports on research that shows people from any ability range or age group can increase their capacity to learn.

Dave Tout explains why Australia’s 2012 PISA results in mathematics and numeracy paint a worrying picture.