School culture

Absent students miss more than just lesson content; they miss the opportunities to build the habits and skills to succeed at school and in life. New OECD research shows ‘school attendance problems are no longer a marginal issue; they have become a challenge affecting classrooms in nearly every country’.

In her latest Teacher column, Associate Principal Rachael Lehr shares how insights from mindset coach and author Ben Crowe about the ‘dreaded “E” word’ have prompted her to reflect on what it means to hold high expectations in ways that give purpose and build aspiration for students and staff, rather than add pressure or burden.

In ‘The Relational School: From Behaviour Management to Cultural Transformation’ Sue Chandler shares how schools can go from not only valuing relationships but actively supporting them. This abridged extract for Teacher readers is taken from a chapter discussing change fatigue and building staff readiness.

Professor Alex Bowers from New York joins Dominique Beech to discuss his research into school leadership types and teacher professional development needs. The conversation covers the alignment of perceptions between teachers and principals regarding school leadership, his innovative idea for re-organising how we target professional development, and more. 

‘Perhaps the most important realisation for any school community is that culture is never owned by leadership alone.’ In her first column for Teacher, Associate Principal Rachael Lehr explores how strong, positive school cultures are deliberately built through everyday actions and shared responsibility.

Trauma enters classrooms through the invisible backpacks students carry each day. While educators cannot remove that weight, they can help make it more manageable. In today’s article Associate Professor Bryan Matera and Jenna Larsen from Winona State University, in the US, share 3 strategies teachers can use to support students.

In his new book, From Burnout to Breakthrough: The Leadership Reset, educational leader and author Brad Gaynor explores the growing pressures on school leaders and the toll these demands can take on wellbeing. In this extract for Teacher readers, Gaynor draws on his own lived experience of burnout to unpack the warning signs and share why naming it gave him the first foothold toward recovery.

‘Supporting relationship skills often requires empathy, active listening and sustained dialogue.’ OECD Director of Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher shares international insights from TALIS 2024 on how teachers respond when students disengage or struggle with relationship skills.

In today’s article, Professor Jacqueline Ullman from Western Sydney University explores the importance of school-based connection for gender and sexuality diverse students, why teachers’ responses to homo/transphobic attitudes are paramount, and shares details of a new micro-credential she co-designed to support teachers seeking to create gender and sexuality diversity-inclusive school cultures.

The new ‘water classroom’ at All Saints’ College in Western Australia is designed to bring curriculum, culture and wellbeing together in one place. In today’s photo story, we learn more about the physical space, how it encourages students to engage with their natural environment, and the impact on their mental health and wellbeing.