Early childhood educators as agents of intergenerational educational change. The project aims to shed light on how early childhood (EC) educators can address intergenerational educational disadvantage by raising aspirations for their own learning and for the children with whom they work. The project arises from a tension in the current reform agenda for the Australian EC sector. The goal is for all EC educators to be skilled, reflective professionals able to support children's learning, but many ....Early childhood educators as agents of intergenerational educational change. The project aims to shed light on how early childhood (EC) educators can address intergenerational educational disadvantage by raising aspirations for their own learning and for the children with whom they work. The project arises from a tension in the current reform agenda for the Australian EC sector. The goal is for all EC educators to be skilled, reflective professionals able to support children's learning, but many educators are from backgrounds of low educational aspirations and attainment. The project will use a mixed methods approach to investigate this tension. Australian and international career and workforce data will be used to examine characteristics of educators, supplemented by 40 case studies of educators at low qualification levels.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100460
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$368,000.00
Summary
Accountability and global education policy networks in the Indo-Pacific. This project aims to investigate how contemporary education reforms unfold in low-income contexts through contrasting assessment approaches in Bangladesh and Cambodia, Australia’s Indo-Pacific aid partner nations. Globally, 250 million children cannot read or count, and inequities are increasing. In response, global policy networks are investing in assessment and accountability measures to improve outcomes. This study aims ....Accountability and global education policy networks in the Indo-Pacific. This project aims to investigate how contemporary education reforms unfold in low-income contexts through contrasting assessment approaches in Bangladesh and Cambodia, Australia’s Indo-Pacific aid partner nations. Globally, 250 million children cannot read or count, and inequities are increasing. In response, global policy networks are investing in assessment and accountability measures to improve outcomes. This study aims to understand policy relevant to these reform efforts, contributing to Australia’s strategic goal of improving education in the Indo-Pacific. The expected outcome is the development of principles for sustainable, participatory accountability practices with wide relevance in social policy.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100197
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$395,000.00
Summary
National schooling reform and the reshaping of Australian federalism. The aim of this project is to examine how national schooling reforms in curriculum, pedagogy and assessment are reshaping the role of Australian state governments in education policy. It will focus on the impact of reforms on state education departments, and through policy analysis, interviews and case studies in three Australian states, the project intends to generate theoretical insights about the changing nature of Australi ....National schooling reform and the reshaping of Australian federalism. The aim of this project is to examine how national schooling reforms in curriculum, pedagogy and assessment are reshaping the role of Australian state governments in education policy. It will focus on the impact of reforms on state education departments, and through policy analysis, interviews and case studies in three Australian states, the project intends to generate theoretical insights about the changing nature of Australian schooling and federalism.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100086
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Teachers' learning in complex times: theorising teacher professional development practices under globalised policy conditions. This project investigates the effects of national standardised testing on the professional development practices of teachers in rural and urban schools in varied Socio-Economic Status communities in Australia. The project will indicate whether and how such testing influences teachers' learning, and subsequent student learning, in these different types of settings.
Strategies of academic distinction and social distance: aversion and acceptance of comprehensive schooling. Why are some comprehensive school systems so much more equitable and inclusive than others? This international study seeks to understand the factors to which like-status parents respond, the lines of individual and collective action taken in their management of family education strategies and the effects of such strategies on education systems.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101047
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$337,118.00
Summary
The Effectiveness of Global Sexual Rights Policy in Education. This project plans to explore the usefulness and harmfulness of global rights-based policy processes for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer students. New global sexual rights policies for schools and related transnational processes paradoxically appear to have contributed to the criminalisation of (and even capital punishment for) education on homosexuality in several countries. This project intends to map the or ....The Effectiveness of Global Sexual Rights Policy in Education. This project plans to explore the usefulness and harmfulness of global rights-based policy processes for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer students. New global sexual rights policies for schools and related transnational processes paradoxically appear to have contributed to the criminalisation of (and even capital punishment for) education on homosexuality in several countries. This project intends to map the order and movement of transnational discourses about these students in global education policies and processes, consider how they reflect different regions' perspectives, and compare them to localised approaches. The knowledge from the project is expected to inform policy processes.Read moreRead less
Industry-school partnerships: a strategy to enhance education and training opportunities. Australian and state governments have adopted public-private partnerships as a means of providing education systems that meet the long-term knowledge and skill requirements for key industries of the Australian economy. Identifying the elements of industry-school partnerships that enhance educational and economic outcomes will connect students in urban and regional communities to knowledge networks, access t ....Industry-school partnerships: a strategy to enhance education and training opportunities. Australian and state governments have adopted public-private partnerships as a means of providing education systems that meet the long-term knowledge and skill requirements for key industries of the Australian economy. Identifying the elements of industry-school partnerships that enhance educational and economic outcomes will connect students in urban and regional communities to knowledge networks, access to which is essential for a competitive Australian economy. To support this large investment and innovation, policy recommendations and theoretically informed partnership models resulting from the project will contribute to national economic productivity by enhancing the growth and sustainability of communities hosting partnerships.Read moreRead less
Learning catalysts: improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged children. This project will identify what works to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged young people. In so doing, this project will contribute to Australia's prosperity and social well-being, and help address problems such as unemployment and homelessness, that arise when a large proportion of young Australians is denied an effective education.
The provision of education to migrants and refugees: a longitudinal study of newly arrived students' experiences of education in Australia. This project will investigate the education provided to primary school aged newly-arrived students from non-English speaking backgrounds. The outcomes will help ensure that these students do not 'drop out' of school early, that their experiences of education in Australia are positive, and that their chances of securing employment are maximised.
How do teachers learn to enact the Australian Curriculum? A question of policy in practice. This project aims to show how teachers learn to engage with the new curriculum in the context of increasingly standardised national and international educational reforms. This is significant for determining whether the 'Australian Curriculum' will result in its projected benefits. This project aims to reveal how policy support for the new curriculum influences teacher learning in diverse schooling setting ....How do teachers learn to enact the Australian Curriculum? A question of policy in practice. This project aims to show how teachers learn to engage with the new curriculum in the context of increasingly standardised national and international educational reforms. This is significant for determining whether the 'Australian Curriculum' will result in its projected benefits. This project aims to reveal how policy support for the new curriculum influences teacher learning in diverse schooling settings in a broadly neoliberal, global context.Read moreRead less