Financial literacy is about more than personal responsibility – wealth and inequality should be part of the new curriculum
seb_ra/Getty Images Financial literacy will become a core element of the New Zealand social sciences curriculum for Year 1-10 students from 2027. But what is being proposed presents a limited picture of the factors influencing people’s financial wellbeing. The specifics of the curriculum have yet to be released. However, the government’s announcement emphasised a focus […]
Boys are more resilient than girls to school setbacks. Here’s how you can help
Monkey Business Images/ Shutterstock As educational psychology researchers, we are very interested in how students deal with setbacks and challenges in their schooling. Research has found resilient students tend to have more positive academic outcomes. These include making greater effort with their work, having better study skills and enjoying school more than students who are […]
There is a growing number of ‘super-sized’ schools. Does the number of students matter?
LBeddoe/Shutterstock Earlier this week, The Sydney Morning Herald reported one of Sydney’s top public high schools had more than 2,000 students for the first time, thanks to the booming population in the area. This follows similar reports of other “super-sized” schools in Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland. Parents may be wondering if a school’s size […]
‘Outdated and irrelevant’: what do young Australians think of their schooling?
LBeddoe/Shutterstock Australia’s school system – and whether it is doing its job – is often under the microscope from politicians, experts and parents. The most recent NAPLAN results in 2024 triggered a wave of heated discussions after about one in three students were not meeting literacy and numeracy benchmarks. Education Minister Jason Clare is among […]
‘No pain, no gain’: why some primary students are following intense study routines
MNStudio/ Shutterstock Every year, thousands of New South Wales students sit a test to determine places for highly sought-after selective high schools. These are academically selective public schools often associated with high Year 12 scores. While there has long been a level of expectation around selective school entrance, the most recent round of testing has […]
With a new minister for early childhood education, what can the federal government do to make centres safer?
This week, more reports emerged of horrific abuse of children at childcare centres. An ABC investigation reported young children had suffered burns and been verbally abused. In another case, a baby was repeatedly slapped by an early childhood educator. This follows claims of sexual abuse and neglect earlier this year. On Tuesday, we also saw […]
So your primary school child has a ‘boyfriend’ or ‘girlfriend’. Should you be worried?
Karhut/Shutterstock If you have a child in primary school you may not be expecting to help them manage romantic relationships. Surely this is an issue for the high school years? While young children do not experience romantic love in an adult sense, they can still express interest in having a “boyfriend” or “girlfriend”. Some children […]
Kiwi kids once led the world in reading – this 1950s primary school syllabus still has lessons for today
Getty Images There is a well-known whakatauki (Māori proverb) that goes: “Ka mua, ka muri” – “walking backwards into the future”. It applies to many areas of life, but in education the idea of looking to the past to inform our way forward seems more relevant than ever. New Zealand was once a world leader […]
Why it’s important to read aloud to your kids – even after they can read themselves
Mart Production/Pexels , CC BY Is reading to your kids a bedtime ritual in your home? For many of us, it will be a visceral memory of our own childhoods. Or of the time raising now grown-up children. Perhaps it involves a nightly progression through the Percy Jackson series or the next Captain Underpants book. […]
Labor has promised fast action to cut student debt, but arts students will have to wait for lower fees
Labor’s federal election win means university fees and costs are set to change. But some of these changes will not be immediate. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has already said planned cuts to student debt will be a top priority for the new parliament. A new student debt repayment system will follow soon after. But humanities […]