School chaplaincy in Australia is highly contentious. The federal government funds a chaplaincy programme in Australia's secular public schools, which, combined with the declining influence of institutional Christianity, places Christian chaplains at the nexus of debates on the public role of religion. Yet little is known about how these chaplains…

Current social and political arrangements of higher education are inequitable for students from asylum-seeking backgrounds. In many countries, their access to university is limited and if they are accepted, their status as forced migrants puts them at multiple disadvantages. This inequity is in contrast with the universal aim of higher education…

The academic voice related to learning and teaching (L&T) professional development (PD) is an important consideration in supporting universities' pursuit of improving their teaching as a core function of their mission. Framed by a typology of L&T PD in Australian universities, this paper reports on a study that investigated academics'…

Purpose: This paper presents a case study of successful rural school leadership in Victoria, Australia. The purpose of the paper is to identify how particular leadership practices were adapted to secure rural school success. Design/methodology/approach: The author used the International Successful School Principalship Project research protocols to…

In this paper, we report on a participatory oral history study documenting the lives of late-diagnosed autistic adults in Australia. We interviewed 26 autistic adults about their life history and the impact of late diagnosis. All were diagnosed after the age of 35, growing up in an era when autism was not well known. Using reflexive thematic…

Four stories of social learning from one Australian university reflect on communities of practice (CoPs) focused on different aspects of quality in teaching and learning. Each convener writes about their CoP convening experience in the context of Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner's mapping of the "mindset of a systems convener" (2021,…

This article focuses on rural Australian students' decisions to pursue higher education, and compares metropolitan and rural higher education statistics, using select qualitative narratives to highlight rural subjectivities. By analysing school students' belonging process, this article begins to uncover the depth of the perceived influence of the…

The prevalence of low to very low adult English literacy levels in First Nations communities in Australia continues to be an issue, despite ten years of government-supported Foundation Skills training provided through the national vocational education and training system. This study examines an innovative First Nations community-controlled…

This essay details research into feminist digital activism in the Australian context through analysing the themes that emerged from the Teach Us Consent website. It provides a preliminary analysis of its contents as a means to continue and deepen the conversation around issues of gender, consent, and the education system. It also examines the…

There is continuing uncertainty about the nature of teacher professional learning using social networking websites (SNWs) and how using these platforms influences teacher practice. Findings from the authors' small-scale, qualitative study in Australia into English teacher use of one global SNW for professional learning showed participant…

Background: Despite growing recognition of their right for inclusion in society, people with intellectual disabilities are often excluded from mainstream services, or experience poor service outcomes. Method: Taking a relational approach that considers the interpersonal relations and interactions that occur in mainstream service settings in…

This paper proposes a new theory of Conditional Social Equality (CSE) which in some ways challenges the theory of cumulative advantage/disadvantage (CAD), which postulates that inequalities and social divisions necessarily increase over time. Using evidence from informal learning groups in Men's Sheds in three countries, we conclude that some…

"Songspirals are a university for us, they are a map of understandings" (Gay'wu Group of Women, 2019, p. 33). This paper is authored by Bawaka Country, acknowledging Country's ability to teach and share. Country is homeland and place. Country is everything and the relationships that bring everything to life. Country is knowledge. This…

Purpose: Through discussion of research about the leadership of two schools, this paper explores the complexity of school leadership and how various contextual elements interact with the work of principals in schools that are attempting to create inclusive, rich, worthwhile and unique schools. A systems thinking leadership and context model is…

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to outline the collaborative approach used to craft national learning standards for tertiary programs in the field of environment and sustainability in Australia. The field of environment and sustainability is broad and constituted by diverse stakeholders. As such, articulating a common set of learning standards…