SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION > RESEARCH
We are constantly on the look out for interesting research and opportunities that focus on young people. We are always ready to add new information - contact us if you have resources that you think would be of value on this site.
The Melbourne Declaration of Education
In the 21st Century Australia’s capacity to provide a high quality of life for all will depend on the ability to compete in the global economy on knowledge and innovation. Education equips young people with the knowledge, understanding, skills and values to take advantage of opportunity and face the challenges of this era with confidence. In the 1989 Hobart Declaration and the 1999 Adelaide Declaration, the State, Territory and Commonwealth Education Ministers committed to working together to ensure high – quality schooling for all young Australians. The Melbourne Declaration acknowledges major changes in the world that are placing new demands on Australian education.
Effective Strategies to Increase School Completion
The Effective Strategies to Increase School Completion Report outlines successful intervention strategies that work to improve student engagement and increase rates of school completion. The research identified effective strategies that are being implemented in a number of Victorian government secondary schools and that were identified in national and international literature. The report describes a range of strategies that are most effective at re-engaging and supporting students at risk of early school leaving that can lead to increased rates of schools completion.
Family School Partnerships
Research demonstrates that effective schools have high levels of parental and community involvement. This involvement is strongly related to improved student learning, attendance and behaviour. Family involvement can have a major impact on student learning, regardless of the social or cultural background of the family. Family involvement in schools is therefore central to high quality education and is part of the core business of schools. Below are research articles, partnership frameworks and tools to help in planning and supporting family – school partnerships.
Family School Partnership Framework
Measuring your family school community partnership
Family school partnership for nurturing resilience and wellbeing
Career Development, Transition and Skills Development for beyond school
Research shows that key benefits of career development over the longer term result include; higher workforce participation, lower unemployment (less job search time and less skills mis-match); greater skills development on average; and higher career satisfaction (NCVER). There is also clear evidence that students who understand the relevance of school to their future lives feel more motivated about school. Career education also assists students to make decisions at key transition points and supports their successful transition from school to further education or work.We have sourced a number of useful articles, tools and research for schools to use for Career Development programs and transition planning.
Recap - A resource for career practitioners
Careers Education Quality Framework
Best Practice Transition
Transition Passport
Career Choices
Business - School Connections
Though the types of partnership activities can vary widely, the common goal of virtually all school-business partnerships is to improve the education experience. Partnership programs encompass a wide variety of activities; they may involve staff development, curriculum development, policy development, instructional development, guidance, mentoring, tutoring, incentives and awards, or they may provide material and financial resources. We have sourced a number of useful tools, research and guidelines to help schools forge school – business partnerships.
Supporting Business - School Connections
Unfolding Opportuniites - A baseline study of school - business relationships
Mentoring Resources and Articles
Research shows that mentoring can have a range of positive outcomes for young people and is a positive strategy for youth development. Quality mentoring programs require good planning, clear evaluations, strong governance and solid operating procedures. See below for mentoring guidelines, research and resources.
Foundations of Successful Youth Mentoring
Standing Tall
Mentoring Policy and Procedure Manual
Guide to effective practice for mentoring young people
Other Research articles:
Young people in an economic downturn
This briefing paper considers how young people fared in previous downturns, and discusses how structural labour market changes over the past 20 years have affected the three million young Australians aged between 15 and 24 in the first 12 months of the most recent economic downturn. It also looks at the qualitative evidence from respondents in the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) on how they perceived the economic downturn to have affected their work and study intentions in 2009, and explores the themes arising.
At risk youth: A transitory state?
This briefing paper draws on existing research on 'at risk' youth and some primary data analysis to consider whether being at risk is a permanent or transitory state. Generally, those considered to be at risk fall into three catagories: those who are disengaged from full-time education or full-time employment, those who are unemployed, and those who did not complete their senior secondary education. This paper suggests that rather than counting the numbers of young people at risk, we should instead turn our attention to young people who remain detached from work, study or meaningful activities for extended periods.
Pathways: Developing the skills of Australia's workforce.
This paper was originally developed to help the Training and Skills Commission in South Australia consider the pathways between elements of the vocational education and training (VET) system, how they are working and what improvements can be made. It has been revised to make it national in scope. The authors reveal that quite substantial numbers of VET graduates go on to university level study or further study within VET itself. Significant numbers of university graduates also go on to study in VET. However, not all VET graduates choose to study at a higher level; a substantial proportion of students going on to further study do so at the same or lower level. This suggests that entitlement models need to consider horizontal (skills broadening) as well as vertical (only qualifications at a higher level) in their funding mix.
Work life and VET participation amongst lower paid workers
This monograph is the culmination of a three-year research program undertaken by the University of South Australia's Centre for Work+Life. It considers the barriers, support and benefit of vocational education and training (VET) for workers in the low-paid occupations (that is, those earning around $17 per hour). The research considered a wide range of quantitative data as well as the experience and perspectives of employers, workers, students and vocational educators. The findings challenge any easy assumptions that more VET will automatically enhance the position of lower paid workers, that all VET can be assumed to be similar in positive effect for lower paid workers, or that lower paid workers share similar situations, including their work/life circumstances.
From education to employment: How long does it take?
As Australia's population ages and much of the current workforce heads to retirement, making a smooth transition to the workforce becomes imperative for young people. Using the 1995 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth, this project examines how long it takes for young people to move from education to work, and identifies factors that distinguish people who are able to move quickly into employment from those who take many months to find work. The report finds that, compared to their better educated peers, young people who do not finish Year 12 take significantly longer to get a job.
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