student health and safety

Elementary school kids raising their hands in class to answer a teacher's question.

Professor Kristin Laurens on ABC Radio: Are we over-reliant on suspensions in schools?

This week, Professor Kristin Laurens was featured on ABC Radio National Life Matters speaking in a panel discussion on the complexities of suspensions, whether it’s ever an appropriate response, and what alternatives exist to manage student behaviour.   Listen to the full segment or access the transcript.   Read the C4IE led study…

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Debt relief is a start but Indigenous research students need other support now

By Thu Pham, Peter Anderson, C4IE member Angela Baeza Pena and Levon Blue “Debt relief is welcome, but it won’t keep students in programs where they feel unsafe, unsupported, or invisible.” The Albanese Government’s recent move to wipe out 20% of student HECS-HELP debt is a welcome financial reprieve, a symbolic and practical gesture…

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Inclusive education: What will it take?

In this C4IE blog, QUT’s Professor Suzanne Carrington and Dr Glenys Mann warn against segregating children with disability. The recent announcement that six more special schools are to be built in Queensland reminds us that progress on inclusive education can never be taken for granted. International conventions on the right to an…

A student sits on the curb of a road with arms crossed and resting on his knees, looking away.

Professor Kristin Laurens on ABC Radio: Impacts of Disciplinary Exclusion

Listen to C4IE Health and Wellbeing Program Co-lead, Professor Kristin Laurens, on ABC NSW Drive discussing the negative impacts of suspension and the need to support students to develop skills for participating and engaging in the school environment. Access the interview on ABC Listen [segment begins at 1.10.29] Access the transcript

Professor Linda Graham on ABC Radio: School Suspensions in NSW Public Schools

C4IE Director, Professor Linda Graham, recently spoke on ABC New England North West Breakfast about our latest study which revealed the alarming rates of school suspensions in NSW public schools. Listen to the research explaining why suspensions are problematic, the specific challenges faced by regional and remote schools, and…

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C4IE leads first longitudinal study tracking individual students’ disciplinary exclusions over a decade

Findings from a new study led by C4IE researchers has been featured in the media, tracking NSW public school students for over a decade. The study revealed repeated suspensions for many students, with disadvantaged students more likely to be suspended or expelled. In an article on The Conversation, C4IE Health and Wellbeing Program…

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Students in Year 10 are set to choose senior subjects. Those with disability miss out. Why?

In this blog, Dr Lara Maia-Pike from C4IE highlights how Year 10 students across Australia face anxiety during career events and subject-selection interviews for Years 11 and 12, and explains that while making decisions about their future is challenging for most, it becomes even more complex for those in equity groups—especially students…

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On AERO: Read this now. The critiques are well-founded

In the latest AARE blog, Professor Linda Graham from C4IE,  shares timely reflections on the KPMG review of the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO). KPMG is conducting a review of the Australian Educational Research Organisation (AERO), a ministerial-owned company funded by the Commonwealth, state and territory…

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‘Woke’: Australian teaching must hold tight to the fair go

In this blog, Professor Linda Graham addresses the politicised label of “woke” in Australian education, arguing that such rhetoric poses a threat to the nation’s foundational value of a “fair go” and undermines essential principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in schools and universities. When asked last week what he would…

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Building joined up policy now, across and beyond the education sector

C4IE member Professor Martin Mills, in his second post for the AARE blog on education priorities for the 2025 federal election, explains why Australia needs “connected solutions” and  “stronger alignment across sectors and policy portfolios”.  Education Crises: Teacher Shortages and Student Attendance One of the most pressing issues is…