Teacher editor Jo Earp talks to Western Sydney University academic and researcher Dr Sharon Wagner about engaging parents from refugee backgrounds in their children’s education. The episode explores the differing perspectives of parents and teachers on topics such as parent-teacher interviews, system expectations and language barriers.

A new study has investigated the classroom emotional experiences of boys and girls undertaking integrated STEM projects to understand the role this has on girls’ interest in STEM. To do this, researchers needed to develop and validate a research tool. We unpack the study in this episode of The Research Files.

‘Girls were more willing than boys to participate in school-based civic activities … but do not plan to be politically active.’ New data show female students are consistently outperforming males in the area of civic knowledge, yet they have lower political ambition. Find out more in today’s article.

School absence has an impact on student outcomes, so being aware of attendance rates for your class, year group, or whole school, and understanding the reasons behind the absence is important. With this information to hand, what will make a difference? That’s the topic of Dr Kirsten Hancock’s research.

How can we support the teaching and learning of mathematics in ways that can enhance student engagement, participation and thus learning? In this reader submission, David Chinofunga shares findings from a 3-year study he’s been leading at James Cook University focused on supporting the teaching and learning of maths in Queensland secondary schools.

Students with academic resilience persist and thrive in their studies, despite the odds being stacked against them. In our latest reader submission Associate Professor Nani Tieg, from the University of Oslo, Norway, explores findings from her UNESCO GEM Fellowship study into the role teachers play in fostering academic resilience in maths and science classrooms.

As a school leader, a key consideration when implementing a new approach, or evaluating existing practices, is the effective use of data. A new support resource outlines 7 steps to guide school leaders in using data for monitoring and evaluation. Find out more in today’s article.

In this episode of The Research Files, we speak with Suzanne Rice from the University of Melbourne about her new research paper which explores the current diversity of Australia’s teacher workforce, the positive impact a diverse teacher workforce can have on student outcomes, and practical strategies for school leaders on retaining a diverse staff.

In today’s article, we speak with the winner of the Teacher Awards’ Leadership Award for Driving School Improvement, Melissa Shepherd from Laura State School in far-north Queensland, about how she is committed to improving outcomes for all students.

The design and implementation of a new whole-school or subject specific curriculum is a big undertaking, and relies on collaboration, consultation, monitoring and evaluation. In today’s article, we catch up with the winning team of the Teacher Awards 2023 in the Excellence in Curriculum Design and Implementation category.