The Age Science Communication prize
Visions after death: Scientific explanation for near-death glimpses into afterlife.
NEWS
Indigenous education group's funding cut by Abbott government
JOSEPHINE TOVEY The Abbott government has taken funding from a key indigenous education advisory group, citing the "tight fiscal environment" and the need to cut red tape.
Abbott government is considering taking control of Australian universities
Abbott government eyes universities
Student shines in trying times: ATAR score likely to secure first choice
Benjamin Preiss Danielle Broadhurst felt a rush of relief when she opened her results and saw an ATAR of 87.75. But she had no parents hovering by her shoulders or waiting by a phone to share the moment.
After a triumphant year, Kim pulls a rank ahead
JOSEPHINE TOVEY It was a year any HSC English student would recognise as a journey: making a groundbreaking short film that went viral around the world, receiving praise from celebrities for your work, and all the while conquering the gruelling Higher School Certificate.
The more things change
Geoff Maslen A tumultuous year in education has seen governments review priorities.
Classroom noise linked to poor results
JOSEPHINE TOVEY Australian students report high levels of noise and disruption in their classroom and at rates worse than the US or Britain, a factor which education experts say is linked to low levels of literacy and numeracy and is contributing to the country's worsening performance.
Melbourne classroom gridlock: 50,000 extra pupils coming by 2021
Aisha Dow and Nick Toscano Melbourne's overcrowded state schools must absorb 50,000 new pupils before 2021.
Excellence in education the aim of PISA, test's developer says
Geoff Maslen Results show what's possible and underscore the importance of shared responsibility.
Maths results a concern in PISA schools study
Benjamin Preiss, Craig Butt Australian 15-year-olds are falling behind in maths amid a sizeable gap between rich and poor students, an international test has shown.
Under John Howard's funding model, reading, writing skills faltered
GARETH HUTCHENS Australians' ability to read and write has continued to decline over the lifespan of the former Howard government's school funding model, introduced in 2001.
Academic publishing slammed by scams
Andrew Masterson An upheaval in publishing hasn't stopped the flow of good work, experts say.
Children's learning in country behind that of city peers study finds
Daniella Miletic Country schoolchildren have poorer cognitive abilities and are less likely to do well at school than children from major cities, according to a new Australian study.
Principals face 'peer review' in state school shake-up
Benjamin Preiss Principals will be responsible for reviewing the performance of fellow schools under a state government shake-up of school accountability.
Today's youth work beyond 'basics'
Dan Haesler Australians compete globally for jobs and need skills to match, experts warn.
Foreign aid
Geoff Maslen Without fees from overseas students, many of our universities would lose departments.
NAPLAN testing disguises illiteracy, says Labor MP
BIANCA HALL Labor backbencher Alannah MacTiernan has hit out at the NAPLAN testing, saying it masks the true illiteracy rate in Australia.
Students flock to online uni courses
Geoff Maslen An offshoot of OUA has attracted students from more than 180 nations.
Future leaders face final hurdle
Konrad Marshall If you felt a fleeting moment of pity for all those VCE students embarking on their final school exams last week, spare a slightly longer thought for Luqman Haruwarta.
Prospects still bleak for indigenous youth
Daniel Hurst The gap between well-off school leavers and their disadvantaged peers has grown, with four in 10 from a low-socio-economic background not fully involved in work or study.
Meet the man who rules VCE exams, but don't call him an invigilator
Konrad Marshall The blank examination papers reach each school under lock and key, delivered by secure courier, and that's when Brian Foster gets to work.
Teachers little help to brightest students
Benjamin Preiss Teachers need help to lift the performance of top students because their lesson plans generally cater to only one level of ability.
Principals 'horrified' by new evaluation process
Geoff Maslen The new performance evaluation process takes in every person who works in a school.
Remote classes enter blended reality
Cynthia Karena Macquarie University has introduced an online virtual world to engage remote students in live lectures on campus.
Empty classrooms in schools of the future
Cynthia Karena They're big, mostly free, and have the potential to revolutionise education.
Students learn about debt the hard way
Geoff Maslen Below the poverty line and in the red is where more students find themselves.
Startling results in OECD report
Geoff Maslen Aussie kids get a slow start in school but catch up in later years.
Universities pursue donations to offset cuts
Leah Young Australian schools hope to achieve fund-raising gains seen in Britain and the US.
Features
Get the kids reading this summer
The popular author and academic guides parents in encouraging their kids to read.
Are the Chinese cheating in PISA or are we cheating ourselves?
Mr Schleicher responds to criticisms about the validity of high scores from Shanghai.
Resilience recipe breaks learning barrier
Patience, positivity, support helped trailblazer cope while living with a disability.
Home-grown solutions needed
Copying the methods of successful countries isn't the way to lift PISA test results.
Too many losers in divided education system
Australia's ranking in international education league tables only tells you so much, because in truth there are many Australias.
How Gonski kept teachers going
The Education Minister should not use his portfolio as a political football.
Women take the lead at school
Policies to boost female opportunities have seen them rise to the majority.
Gap years fill voids in students' lives
More than a quarter of the students receiving university offers next year will defer.
Teacher training "from inadequate to appalling"
Raising the standards of teacher training programs should be an urgent priority.
Holmesglen chief leaves enduring legacy
Bruce Mackenzie is tipping tough times ahead for technical and further education.
My say
Better schools mean better outcomes
School culture is just part of the story of ATAR achievement.
