Have you ever helped out a school sausage sizzle, bought a tray of lamingtons, or attended a P&C meeting? Whatever your involvement, research shows that strong family engagement with a child’s school can actually improve educational outcomes? As our guest Barbara Barker says, “Parents and families matter.” But how do we improve and strengthen these partnerships? This episode aims to identify some of the barriers to family engagement, such as cultural and linguistic diversity or socio-economic backgrounds, and present some ways to overcome these challenges for the benefit of students and families. 

In this episode we visit one school that has a unique “School as community centre” program that creates strong relationships with families well before their children start attending school. We speak to Di Giblin, the CEO of the Australian Council of State School Organisations and Barbara Barker, a researcher at ARACY into the benefits of increased family and community engagement.

Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth research on family engagement: www.aracy.org.au/publications-resources/area?command=record&id=302

Australian Council of State School Organisations The parent engagement implementation guide: acsso.org.au/index.php/ourwork/cosmos-theme-57/family-engagement-school/family-engagement-reflection-and-planning-tools

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The Covid19 Pandemic saw the greatest disruption to traditional schooling since world war two? How has this affected childrens’ learning? What about their social development and well being? And are teachers ok? Despite our worst fears, the good news is that literacy and numeracy has largely stayed on track. Research also shows that students from disadvantaged backgrounds didn’t fall further behind academically due to extra funding support. 

In this episode we meet a mother of six who juggled working from home and learning from home during lockdown. We speak to Professor Jenny Gore from the University of Newcastle about her research on the surprising academic outcomes during Covid and we talk to Malcolm Elliot from the Australian Primary Principals Association about student well-being.

Research by Jenny Gore and her team from the University of Newcastle into the impact of Covid19: newcastle.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/704924/Evaluating-the-impact-of-COVID-19-on-NSW-schools.pdf

The Australian Primary Principals Association research paper - The Impact Of Childhood Anxiety On Primary Schooling: appa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/APPA-PROJECT-FINAL-REPORT-Feb-2020.pdf

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Every child should have access to a high quality education but in Australia, many of our most vulnerable kids are missing out. Children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds are up to three years behind the most advantaged students. So how do we close this education gap? Schools and principals are already working hard to cover up these disparities, providing extra  support: uniforms, breakfast programs and extra tutoring. How could we do better? What could we learn from countries like Finland that consistently top the charts when it comes to educational outcomes? 

In this episode we meet students and their principal Denise Lofts from Ullladulla, a regional south coast NSW town. Despite its low socio-economic status, the school has above average education results. We also speak to Pasi Sahlberg, a world-renowned Finnish educator with big ideas about how to overcome disadvantage in schools.  

Pasi Sahlberg’s website and books: Pasisahlberg.com

Public Education Foundation research paper on disadvantage in education: publiceducationfoundation.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Issues-Paper_What-Price-The-Gap.pdf

OECD Equity in Education report: oecd.org/pisa/Equity-in-Education-country-note-Australia.pdf

New South Wales Secondary Principals Council nswspc.org.au/

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The Australian curriculum is continuously contested and countless interest groups want to add new things in. So it’s a big win for the ‘Teach Us Consent’ campaign to have consent education added to the curriculum from 2023. In this episode, we speak to the founder of the campaign, Chanel Contos, who collected thousands of signatures and testimonials from school students who had experienced sexual harrassment or assault while at school. How has consent been taught at school and why is it so important to teach consent earlier and in a more comprehensive way. And what are students and young people calling for?

We’ll hear from university students who keenly remember their sex education classes, and former Dolly Doctor, Dr Melissa Kang, who has recently co-authored a book for children and parents called ‘Welcome to Consent’.

*Trigger warning: This episode talks about sexual assault and sexual violence and may not be suitable for younger listeners.

Domestic and sexual assault helpline: 1800respect.org.au

Lifeline counselling support: lifeline.org.au

Chantel Contos’ online petition Teach Us Consent: teachusconsent.com

Where to buy Welcome to Consent by Yumi Stynes and Melissa Kang: hardiegrant.com/au/publishing/bookfinder/book/welcome-to-consent-by-yumi-stynes/9781760507497

NSW Education Department Statement of Intent: education.nsw.gov.au/student-wellbeing/whole-school-approach/statement-of-intent-our-shared-commitment

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Did you know some teachers are too busy to eat lunch during a typical work day? You might think that teaching is a cruisy job with early knock-offs and long holidays, but the reality is far from it. Teachers’ administrative workload has grown to the point where they often need to work overtime, and on weekends. But their wages haven't increased in line with extensive new requirements placed on them. So what does this mean for the future of teaching? Why are both experienced and new teachers leaving the profession in droves? How can we attract smart, creative and enthusiastic people to teaching and what to do about the endless administrative tasks?

In this episode on the Future of Teaching, we meet Alice Leung, a high school science teacher who takes us through a typical day and we speak to former principal and education expert Lila Mularcyzk. We also hear from former WA Premier and author of the Gallop inquiry into the State of Teaching, Geoff Gallop.

NSW Teachers Federation ‘More Than Thanks’ campaign: Morethanthanks.com.au

Gallop inquiry into the state of Teaching: www.nswtf.org.au/files/gallop_inquiry_fact_sheet.pdf

Alice Leung’s Twitter handle @aliceleung

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Welcome to ‘Hands Up’ , a new podcast by the Public Education Foundation that answers all your burning questions about our public schools. It’s like a school parent’s Whatsapp chat, but without any ranting and with a lot more facts. What is the solution to the teaching crisis? How has all the disruption from Covid-19 affected kids’ learning? Why are students calling for consent education in the curriculum? How should families best engage with schools?

Hands Up is a podcast to help families and carers navigate school life. It’s for teachers, school leaders and anyone interested in education who want to dig deeper into the complexities, challenges and the unique advantages of Australia’s public education system.

The Public Education Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing life changing scholarships to young people in public education, as well providing support to their teachers and principals. Hands Up is hosted by David Hetherington from the Public Education Foundation who takes this podcast back to school, to the homes of students and parents before school drop-offs, we talk to teachers, principals and experts as we tackle the big debates around schooling.

Subscribe now, wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

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