Australia Association for Research in Education
COVID-19 and schools
The White Paper: old, tired and lacking evidence
In the months before the pandemic gripped the world, the NSW Productivity Commission released a presciently titled discussion paper, Kickstarting the Productivity Conversation. Its recently released followup White Paper sets out its plan for rebooting the economy. Lifting school results is part of the plan. The Commission acknowledges the ‘pandemic has shown how quickly schools, …
COVID coaches: tutoring only works when backed by quality teaching directed at the students who really missed out
The injection by NSW and Victorian State Governments of more than half a billion dollars on tutoring programs to help students catch up after Covid-19-related disruptions to normal schooling is welcome. However, there is a need to ensure the intervention is more than an economic ‘sugar hit’ and that it leads to sustained improvement in …
More help needed for vulnerable learners in the age of COVID-19 school closures
During lockdowns due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak, school closures were hotly debated. Complete school closures were perceived …
TikTok teachers go viral in these #COVID-19 times
TikTok is one of the world’s fastest growing apps, with an estimated two billion total downloads since its …
Pandemic Collection: Reflections on inequities amplified by the COVID-19 global crisis
The pieces in this collection are our reflections on the ongoing inequities in education that have been amplified …
The shock of dealing with Covid-19 has made teachers even stronger and better at their craft
Cast your mind back to the end of the first school term for 2020: Australian states and territories were rapidly moving into lockdown because of COVID-19. Political leaders were signaling – often using mixed signals – the likelihood and need to close schools and transition to distance learning. Here in New South Wales schools switched …
How teaching online during COVID-19 lockdown made me think deeply about how physical presence matters
There’s a general feeling among teachers of pride and relief that we got through the recent few months when were teaching online. And at the moment, all of us are feeling for our school teacher colleagues in Melbourne who face returning to the challenges of teaching remotely again in just a week with their city …
Speculating on teacher attrition in Australia: Might COVID-19 be ‘the straw that breaks the camel’s back’?
It is worth considering the potential impact COVID-19 might have on teachers, many already feeling devalued and over-worked, …
Will mass schooling-at-home lead to the death of schools?
All over the country families are trying to cope with the consequences of helping educate their children at home. The immediate short-term problems are trying to keep children engaged in learning activities provided by teachers, but already medium-term challenges are casting terrifying shadows. Centre-stage is the inequality around digital access which affects all of us …
Messages from teachers at the coalface as COVID-19 changes everything
I am a university teacher and researcher who studies the art and science of good school leadership. Most …