Abstract: This paper examines the extent to which year-9 performance on the National Assessment Program—Language Arts and Numeracy (NAPLAN) predicts access to higher education as determined by subsequent achievement on year-12 Victoria Certificate of Education (VCE) exams. VCE performance is measured via three binary indicators: achieving an Australian tertiary admission rank (ATAR) above 50 ("ATAR50")...

Labelling kids: the good, the bad and the ADHD By Vicky Plows , Victoria University “ADHD”, “disruptive”, “behavioural difficulties”: labels like these are applied daily to our children. But there is a growing concern amongst educators, parents and pupils that the use of such labels has the potential to damage young lives. What’s in a...

A growing body of scientific evidence suggests mindfulness is an essential life skill. Mindfulness practices help focus attention and have the potential to enhance both teacher and student well being. Techniques focus on the development of the whole person – awareness of the mind, body and emotions. Mindfulness is practiced widely around the world and...

This study finds that Australian 15-year-olds are more likely to persevere with challenging problems than some of their peers in high-performing countries. Abstract In every Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey, students from every participating country are assessed in the core domains of mathematics, science and reading literacy. In addition to assessing these literacy...

Graduates, especially women, can expect a substantial increase in the time taken to pay off their student loans under proposed changes to Australia’s higher education sector University, according to this paper. Abstract This brief explores the potential impact on the time students take to repay their tuition loans of changes proposed by the Australian Government...