Parent participation

As a school leader, have you consulted your students, staff and community members on the topic of student attendance and engagement? New research has explored First Nations student engagement and attendance in remote Australian schools by gathering valuable insights from those on the ground.

In the first edition of Researching education: 5 further readings for 2025, we share 5 further readings that focus on post-pandemic learning – including a report on the impact of small-group tutoring, a case study into migrant parents’ experiences during emergency home-schooling, and more.

A national survey from Australian children’s charity The Smith Family has asked families about their hopes for their child’s school education. The top theme from responses was ‘good or improved academic achievement’, while 6% gave answers related to ‘affording resources and having access to opportunities’. Find out more in this infographic.

In this Teacher Awards 2024 winners’ profile, we chat with the executive team at Cessnock High School in NSW. Winners of our Leadership Award for Driving School Improvement, we hear about how they’ve transformed school culture and improved academic achievement.

In Series 3 of our School Assembly podcast, we’re following Dan McShea – Foundation Principal of the new P-12 Notre Dame College on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Episode 2 is all about student enrolments – from juggling the many enrolment interviews, to some eye-catching ways of selling a vision for a school that doesn’t exist yet.

Researchers from Edith Cowan University have recently highlighted the ongoing importance of explicitly teaching both handwriting and keyboarding skills to students, starting in the primary years. Dr Anabela Malpique joins Teacher editor Jo Earp to discuss findings of the meta-analysis and follow-up study, and tips for helping students become hybrid writers.

In this podcast episode, Glenn Kayes, Deputy Principal at Kellyville High School in New South Wales, shares how the school’s average student attendance rate has increased, thanks to an evaluation and review of existing policies and procedures, and a raft of new measures.

How can schools work with parents effectively to support student attendance? New research suggests families can be unaware of the extent of their child’s absences and aren’t concerned about them missing school. We speak with Dr Anna Saavedra about the study findings and practical strategies for highlighting the importance of attendance with parents.

Parents and families are integral members of a school community, and working with them to improve student outcomes is a key part of an educator’s role. In our latest expert Q&A we speak to ACER Research Officer Simone Griggs and colleagues Greta Rollo, who leads the Primary, Early Childhood and Inclusive Research team, and Research Fellow Dr Kellie Picker, about a resource they’re developing to help practitioners build strong partnerships with families, including how to navigate difficult conversations.

Research shows parents want more frequent communication about their child’s learning, and that communicating both a student’s individual achievement, and learning growth is important. In this article, we speak to one school about their new approach to student reporting.