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.

Two Australian educators have been named in the top 50 finalists for the 2021 Global Teacher Prize. Deputy Principal of Bonnyrigg Public School in New South Wales, Rebecca West, and English and History teacher from Brunswick Secondary College in Victoria, Steven Kolber are in the running to win the US$1 million prize.

More than half of Australia’s population is under COVID-19 lockdowns, which means many of you are right in the thick of a long period of remote learning, maybe while trying to homeschool your own children at the same time. In today’s episode I run through some of the recent wellbeing pieces we’ve published, as well as some other highlights from a busy month here at Teacher.

With ACER’s Research Conference 2021 fast approaching, at Teacher magazine, we’ve been catching up with some of the keynote speakers that are on the line-up for the five-day online conference. In today’s episode we’re going to get you up to speed on these exciting stories at Teacher, and also some more of our highlights.

Researchers from the School of Law at Western Sydney University have looked at the regulation of teacher behaviour on social media in Australia. In this episode of The Research Files, we’re joined by the researchers to find out more about social media policies in schools and the ramifications for teachers.

Do teachers in state schools encounter the same work stressors as their colleagues working in the private sector? And if so, what are those stressors? Jude Brady and Dr Elaine Wilson from the University of Cambridge in the UK have collected and analysed data from 40 teachers to find out more.

At Skillset Senior College, a senior secondary school educating young people experiencing barriers to schooling, Dr Martin Hughes has been investigating the efficacy of the wellbeing and mental health strategies they have in place. Here, he shares more about his research and some of the early findings.

Research has found that educators working in primary schools in Australia lack the confidence and competence to address racial issues in the classroom. As well as this, white normative teaching and the belief that minimising discussions about racism is better than drawing attention to them are common behaviours. In this podcast, we discuss the role of school leaders in addressing these behaviours, and how teachers can confront their own biases.

‘Commitment to the teaching profession refers to teachers’ sense of connection and investment in the occupation.’ Rebecca Collie, of the University of New South Wales, shares findings of a new study into job supports that appear to help boost teacher commitment.

In his latest Teacher column, OECD Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher shares preliminary findings from the organisation’s Special Survey on how systems have responded to the pandemic – from school closures and remote learning, to teacher vaccination and gradual returns to in-class instruction.