As community assets, schools are central to community development and are best suited to provide a learning community that can build the whole community's capacity to address educational disadvantage. Community capacity building means strengthening a community's ability to become self-reliant by increasing social cohesion and social capital. In…

Short descriptions and contact information for the 14 programs nominated for the 1996 Australian Rural Education Award. The winner's acceptance speech describes the Students at Risk Program at East Kalgoorlie Public School (Western Australia), a transportation and health support program developed from discussions with children and parents that…

There is recent, widespread activity in Australian education and training sectors to improve the transition of young people from initial education to further education and training and employment. Many jurisdictions have conducted high-level reviews of the institutional arrangements underpinning the transition process. The focus has been mainly on…

This book presents a framework and model for the development of policy and practice in the care, education, and support of young people. It aims to help professionals implement positive programs and strategies to strengthen the environmental protective factors within families, schools, and communities that enhance the resilience of young people.…

Uses outcomes of case study research in socioeconomically disadvantaged education contexts to examine accomplishments of (Australian) educators who have significantly affected their communities' quality of life. Highly successful classroom practitioners' work has some connection with prominent educational leadership theories. Questions approaches…

These proceedings document some of the work and the stories of literacy teachers who work with youth outside the school system and help to paint the educational and policy context of their work. "Professionalism and Passion: A Report on Teachers Working with the Literacy Needs of Unemployed Youth" (Beverley Campbell) introduces the…

Evaluation of a 3-year transition education program at the Pingelly School in Western Australia used data from 29 students and staff interviews, direct observation, and document analysis to compare 4 projects established to improve the employability of students (in particular, Aboriginal students and girls who were at highest risk of being early…

Australia's National Indigenous Literacy and Numeracy Strategy acknowledges that extra effort and resources will be required for Indigenous Australian children to achieve the recently enacted national educational goals. The principal objective of the strategy is to achieve English literacy and numeracy for Indigenous students at levels comparable…

Argues for a sociological analysis of effective schools as opposed to the positivist paradigm. Maintains that the practice of schooling cannot be separated from the broader social, cultural, and political aspects of the local community. Profiles four high schools and their educational philosophies. (MJP)

Social partnerships provide communities with the capacity to address problems, such as community breakdown, unemployment and social exclusion. This report analyses the types of social partnerships that involve education in community contexts. It identifies that partnerships are complex and multi-layered and successful partnerships require:…

This report presents synopses of case studies highlighting workable local strategies to improve employment, education, training, and children's services in rural and remote Australia. Common features of each study include a description of the local context, the targeted group for each program, significant features, sustainability factors, major…

A study of three rural high schools in northern Tasmania (Australia) examined why vocational education and training (VET) programs had been established and what made them work. Three principals, four VET coordinators, and nine students were interviewed and two student focus groups were conducted. Results indicate that VET programs were established…

The Rural and Remote Education Advisory Council of Western Australia developed a 4-year plan to improve educational access, participation, and achievement by rural people of Western Australia. The plan outlines seven priorities: (1) ensuring that rural students are able to participate in quality education and training; (2) ensuring a broad…