Food environments around secondary schools are a strong influence on adolescents’ food purchasing habits1. We conducted a repeat cross-sectional study using Google Street View to examine school food environments in regional and metropolitan NSW, Australia over 17-years. Findings showed that unhealthful food outlets such as fast-food franchises, consistently dominated school food environments over 2007-2023. Increasing levels of poor nutrition among youth has been raised as a concern2 by the Health Advisory Panel for Youth at the University of Sydney [HAPYUS] - an established group of 16 adolescents aged 13-18 years residing in NSW3. To gain further insight into the study findings and how it may impact adolescents’ health, it is critical to include voices of adolescents in this research. The aim of this sub-study was to engage with members of our youth advisory group and conduct a consultation exercise on these study findings, drawing upon their lived experiences of school food environments. In Aug-2023, we engaged four youth advisors from HAPYUS. Study authors provided an overview of the study and its findings to the youth advisors via a Zoom call. Youth advisors formulated a 500-word statement on their perspectives and lived experiences of food environments surrounding their high schools over the subsequent 4 weeks. Adolescents agreed that physical proximity to unhealthy food outlets around schools was a key contributor to unhealthy eating habits however also recognised social and economic factors which play a significant role in shaping poor diets. The following quotes from their combined statement reflect social and economic concerns: i) “[We] observed on a daily basis young people were opting to travel to the closest food court for fast food, or in some extreme cases, even order fast food via a meal delivery app, to be delivered to the school - as opposed to choosing the closest outlet” ii) “Overpriced foods in schools with some drinks costing 2x more than a heavily discounted KFC meal, no meaningful difference between foods sold at canteens and those sold at fast food outlets - heavily processed, packaged snacks, pre-made reheated foods” iii) “Most unhealthy food outlets choose a location that is not only close to schools but also close to major shopping centres and food courts… ideal for an after-school social catchup as it appears to accommodate the needs of a large group of people.” Consultation findings revealed the importance of social and economic factors that must be analysed in addition to adolescents’ physical proximity to food outlets around their schools. Youth advisors call for governments to take immediate action to implement policies that ensure schools have cheap and healthy foods at canteens to mitigate against the purchase of foods from nearby unhealthy food outlets.

Food environments surrounding secondary schools are a known influence on the purchasing and consumption habits of adolescents(1). Understanding their obesogenic potential is important for informing strategies to create more healthful food environments for adolescents, particularly for those living in regional areas, and is a key component of Australia’s National Obesity Strategy(2). This repeated cross-sectional study examined the food environment surrounding secondary schools in regional and metropolitan New South Wales from 2007-2023. Google Street View was used to collect data regarding food outlets within a walkable distance (1.6 km) of all secondary schools in Wagga Wagga and Blacktown, our regional and metropolitan case study areas respectively, over 17 years. A Food Environment Score(3) tool was used to characterise the healthfulness of food environments by categorising food outlets into Food Outlet Type categories (e.g. Cafés, Fast-Food Franchises, Restaurants etc.) and Healthfulness categories (“Healthful”, “Less Healthful”, “Unhealthful”). Descriptive statistics were used to characterise changes in the food environments by Food Outlet Type and Healthfulness categories from 2007-2023. Chi-Squared tests were used to determine any significant differences in the proportion of healthful, less healthful and unhealthful food outlets between the regional and metropolitan study areas and between 2007 and 2023 in both areas. In both Wagga Wagga and Blacktown, the most common food outlet types surrounding secondary schools from 2007-2023 were classified as less healthful or unhealthful. As of 2023, less healthful food outlets [restaurants (19.4%), cafes (16.8%)] and unhealthful food outlets [fast-food franchises (15.1%), independent takeaway (14.1%)] were the most common food outlet types in Wagga Wagga, making up 52% and 36% of all identified food outlets respectively. These outlet types have remained the most prevalent over the 17-year period, though restaurants and cafes have since surpassed fast-food franchises and independent takeaway stores, by proportion, which were the most common in 2007. Similarly in Blacktown, 2023, less healthful [restaurants (21.1%), cafés (11.1%)] and unhealthful [fast-food franchises (17.4%)] were the most common food outlets, making up 41% and 37% of all identified food outlets. Restaurants, cafés and fast-food franchise outlets were consistently observed to be the most prevalent in Blacktown food environments over the 17-year study period. No significant difference was found when comparing the healthfulness profiles of regional and metropolitan food environments nor were significant changes observed between 2007 and 2023 in Wagga Wagga and Blacktown (p > 0.05 for all). The prevailing high proportion of less healthful and unhealthful food outlets near secondary schools in regional and metropolitan areas upholds the need for public health policies and planning strategies to address the obesogenic potential of school food environments.

Schools have an increased focus on implementing schoolwide initiatives (e.g., multi-tiered systems of support; MTSS) to address risk factors related to dropping out. These interventions can involve multiple domains, including academic, behavioural, and social and emotional supports. Although researchers suggest that schoolwide interventions are effective, school staff may need help implementing various content (e.g., academic, behaviour) domains into a cohesive plan. This preliminary study focused on nine schools in the Midwestern United States that implemented schoolwide interventions as part of a statewide technical assistance approach. The research included using survey and extant data for all students to determine the connections between schoolwide interventions, school improvement, and student outcomes. Schools in this study that were higher on both school improvement and MTSS implementation had, in general, better student outcomes associated with predictors of dropping out of school. These findings indicate that school improvement and MTSS may be mutually beneficial enterprises that help school staff address factors related to dropping out.

This paper explores the merits of learning classical languages in an informal environment. It is argued that voluntary clubs offer a variety of benefits for students and teachers and may help promote the longevity of the discipline. For teachers, clubs can be a flexible way to teach Greek or Latin to the next generation in schools that may not be willing to offer one or both languages as subjects in the formal curriculum. For students, clubs can be an opportunity to learn freely and forgivingly in a relaxed and non-pressurised environment; an informal Greek club can help develop the skills of students formally learning Latin. Language clubs can also be used to make Classics more accessible into the future, as dated ideas of Classics being exclusive to only the most privileged and bright students can be disposed of. In this paper the author shall draw on her own experience as well as the experiences of students and teachers in Australia and abroad.1

Preparing adolescents for transitioning from school to work has become a priority across all developed countries due to the increasingly difficult labour market conditions and changes related to technological advances. Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has created additional uncertainties in the world of work. This article reviews the concept of career-related teacher support (CRTS) and illustrates the different roles that school teachers can have in influencing students’ career planning and decision making. The information should be beneficial to teachers, counsellors, researchers and policy-makers seeking to optimise school-based career guidance and counselling practices. Brief suggestions are also provided for future research and practice.

The year 1976 was a violent one in Nicaragua. In an effort to quash the Sandinista guerrillas, the dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle had declared a state of siege, suspending constitutional guarantees, muzzling the press, and unleashing the Guardia Nacional. Despite the dangers of dissent, thousands of students across the country walked off their secondary school campuses that year to protest poor funding, inept teachers, and oppressive administrators. This article examines this series of strikes to uncover the ways in which teenagers managed to organize their schools and communities in spite of the repression that marked the final years of the Somoza regime. Analyzing student documents, Ministry of Education records, and newspaper reports, this article argues that in the context of a decades-long dictatorship, student demands for more democratic schools opened a relatively safe pathway for cross-generational activism that forced concessions from the Somoza regime. By the 1970s, secondary schools had come to reflect the state's authoritarianism and mismanagement, and widespread educational deficiencies brought students and parents together in a joint project to demand better schools. Battles over the quality of education, thus, showcased the power of an organized citizenry and laid the groundwork for the revolutionary mobilizations that were to come.

This paper explores the unique challenges, experiences and circumstances that enable and/or constrain non-Aboriginal teachers involved in teaching the Stage 6 Aboriginal Studies syllabus in the New South Wales (NSW) curriculum (2010). Drawing on the yarning inquiry methodology of Bessarab and Ng'andu, seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Aboriginal Studies teachers to open a powerful and insightful dialogue pertaining to the complexities and challenges for non-Aboriginal teachers teaching in the Aboriginal Studies space. Interview data identified key issues, strategies and themes relating to how non-Aboriginal teachers of Aboriginal Studies negotiate and operate in highly contested knowledge spaces, their roles and responsibilities as social justice educators and their capacity to enact substantive change within and beyond the Aboriginal Studies classroom. Nakata's cultural interface theory provides a useful tool for data analysis as Aboriginal Studies sits squarely at the centre of this interface. The findings provide valuable insights and practical recommendations for aspiring and current non-Aboriginal Aboriginal Studies teachers seeking to develop a clearer understanding of their, thus far under-researched, roles within the classroom, whilst opening an intriguing dialogue pertaining to the future of Aboriginal Studies in schools and its place within Australia's broader movement for conciliation.

This research was commissioned by the (then) Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) to provide recommendations on how to best support Western Australian (WA) secondary schools to engage in education for sustainability (EfS). The research aims were to identify barriers and benefits to being involved in EfS, the support systems required for schools to participate in EfS at secondary school level, and the difficulties that secondary schools experience when implementing EfS programs. A variety of research methods were utilised: semi-structured interviews with non-teaching stakeholders; online questionnaires for teachers, school administrators and students; focus groups and semi-structured interviews with teachers and school administrators; and an expert panel workshop to discuss data and recommendations prior to completion of a final report. Data were collected from 29 schools, 45 teachers and school administrators, 186 students, and various EfS external providers and stakeholders across metropolitan and regional WA. This article focuses on three issues identified in the data that we consider important and under-represented in discourses of EfS in Australia: lack of understanding about what EfS means among educators; lack of meaningful student involvement in EfS in secondary schools; and differing quality in EfS programs offered by external providers. We conclude this article by offering ways to improve EfS in WA secondary schools.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the integration of tiered interventions and supports in secondary schools, sometimes referred to as multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). The interventions include academic, behavioural, social, and emotional supports for all students. A description of the connections across specific MTSS systems, datasets, and practices is discussed. The article addresses the implementation of MTSS through the lens of school improvement and implementation science. A case example of a school implementing MTSS is provided to highlight the strengths and challenges of MTSS in secondary settings.

In Victoria, Australia, one of the major roles of the teachers’ aide (TA) is to assist students with disabilities to access their education. Researchers have identified the inconsistencies in defining the roles of the TA, in a variety of settings, by TAs, teachers, parents, and other research participants. Four main themes that have been frequently reported in educational research related to the role of TAs formed the basis for this study: (a) inclusion in the school community, (b) curriculum, (c) classroom management, and (d) student support.

Drawing on the results of a questionnaire administered to teachers and TAs at a government nonselective secondary school in Victoria, Australia, data were collected to explore the differing perspectives on the role of the TAs by the teaching staff and the TAs. In all, 65 individuals participated in this study. The participants formed 3 groups: TAs (n = 10), teachers (n = 49), and T/TAs (n = 6; participants in this group had worked as both a teacher and TA). The results of the study showed a diversity of views across the 4 themes. In 3 of the 4 themes that included inclusion, classroom management, and student support, the 3 groups agreed on the role of the TA. In the remaining theme, curriculum, opinions varied significantly. The results of the study reveal that a concerted effort to clarify the role of TAs would be beneficial to all stakeholders.

An exploratory qualitative study was conducted to examine the perceptions and attitudes of both school counsellors and students to online counselling. Focus groups were conducted with two groups of school counsellors and six groups of secondary students. It was found that counsellors were hesitant to use online counselling because they were not convinced that it was effective, and without the necessary online skills, they were concerned they would not be competent to deal with potential litigious and security pitfalls. Students were generally positive about the opportunity to access the school counsellor online. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.