Best Practice in Regional Study Hub Symposium

Regional Study Hubs are a vital resource in supporting regional students–delivering access to campus-like facilities in regional and remote areas; educational support; technology; and most importantly, a network of fellow students. In 2019, there will be more than 23 Regional Study Hub locations across Australia. We invite the RSH community and stakeholders together to discuss […]

35th National Spera Conference Brisbane

National SPERA Conference Brisbane 2-4 October 2019 Queensland University of Technology Kelvin Grove Campus Brisbane Australia The 35th National SPERA Conference was proudly hosted by the Faculty of Education, Queensland University of Technology. SPERA Conference Full Program Improving Rural Education: Connectedness, Communities & Collaboration Subthemes Building digital connections for rural communities Ensuring rural communities’ well-being Sharing innovations […]

2019 AREAs Announced

2019 Australian Rural Education Awards Congratulations to all our 2019 Area winners, presented at the 2019 SPERA conference in Brisbane on 3 October 2019! Country University Centres The Country Universities Centre is a community owned network of regional study hubs, designed to increase access and success in higher education for regional students. The CUC centres […]

Australian and International Journal of Rural Education – November edition

The Australian and International Journal of Rural Education (AIJRE) [Online ISSN 1839-7387; Print ISSN 1036-0026] is an international medium for educators with an interest in the provision of education in rural contexts. The Journal is interdisciplinary and publishes integrative reviews, scholarly accounts of educational research relevant to rural education, research reports, book reviews and feature articles likely to be […]

Australian Rural Education Awards 2019

Call for Nominations Since 1994, the Australian Rural Education Award (AREA) has been awarded annually to an institution, organisation or industry to recognise excellence in rural education in Australia. Category 1 Existing projects that demonstrate a proven link between a rural, regional and/or remote school or learning context and the local community, and benefiting a […]

Australian Rural Education Awards 2019

Attracting Teachers to Schools in Rural and Remote Areas in Australia

Region-related disparities are among the main factors that explain differences in access and equity in education (Lee, 2001). Schools in remote and rural areas often have difficulty in recruiting and retaining staff with certain qualifications and experience, and preparing them to address the educational complexity in these areas, such as multi-grade settings and specific student […]

Attracting Teachers to Schools in Rural and Remote Areas in Australia

Region-related disparities are among the main factors that explain differences in access and equity in education (Lee, 2002). Schools in remote and rural areas often have difficulty in recruiting and retaining staff with certain qualifications and experience, and preparing them to address the educational complexity in these areas, such as multi-grade settings and specific […]

‘Shaping the Future: Learning from Indigenous Higher Education Research in the Northern Territory’

A presentation on research projects related to ‘Better understanding and responding to the needs of regional and remote Indigenous Higher education students in the NT’ These research projects were recently awarded a 2018 Australian Rural Education Award by the Society for the Provision of Rural Education in Australia (SPERA) for five intersecting Indigenous higher […]

AIJRE Special Issue Proposals Invited

We are calling for a Special Issue topic and special editor. If you are interested please, identify the theme of the proposal and highlight the significance for the advancement of rural education research Include the following: Name of Special Issue Editor/Editors An outline of the proposal highlighting the theme and discussion why it is important […]

AIJRE Vol 29 No 1 (2019): Rural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education

Why the need for a special edition on First Nations ruraleducation? Surprisingly,there is almost no literature within Australia that discusses the significance of ruralityin First Nations education.Many research articles describe the significance of remotenessin First Nations education. Much of the extant research is built on a premise that remoteness goes hand in hand with disadvantage […]

2018 SPERA Annual General Meeting

SPERA Annual General Meeting 2018 was held at Curtin University Perth on 30th November 2018 The following were nominated and accepted for Executive. President: Brian O’Neill Vice President: Sue Ledger Treasurer: Chris Reading International Liaison: Jayne Downey Meeting/Minutes: Bronwyn Relf Membership and Social Media: Sonal Singh Website: Samantha Avitaia and Jaimey Facchin AAAE representative: Melyssa […]

2018 AREA Winners

Congratulations 2018 Australian Rural Education Award Winners!
At the 2018 SPERA Conference, three fantastic AREAs were presented.

34th National SPERA Conference, Perth

29 – 30 November 2018 Access for All: Equity Matters SPERA, in partnership with the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education based at Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia held the 34th National SPERA Conference. Subthemes based on Halsey’s 2018 Independent Review on Rural, Regional and Remote Education: Global Directives [OECD & UN SDG4] Asset […]

Developing a Rural Compass: Recalibrating for Success An overview of rural education policy in Australia

Dr Susan Ledger’s recent article featured in spanish magazine ‘Guix – Aula d innovacion educativia’. Although home to over 32% of the nation, regional Australia is often overlooked in terms of research, planning and investment. This is a call to recalibrate the rural compass for policy decisions in Australia. It is timely as the OECD […]

Independent Review into Regional, Rural and Remote Education

In 2017, the Australian Government commissioned an Independent Review into Regional, Rural and Remote Education (IRRRRE). The Review was part of the Australian Government’s commitment to improve the education of country students so they can reach their full potential and participate in Australia’s economy. Emeritus Professor John Halsey from Flinders University conducted the review to examine […]

The educational needs in non-metropolitan areas have been explored in a recent report.

In 2018 the Federal Government released the Independent Review into Regional, Rural and Remote Education, commissioned in 2017 and led by Emeritus Professor John Halsey of Flinders University. Experts respond in MCERA: Continue Reading …MCERA_Independent Review into Regional Rural and Remote Education5

Media Release: Independent Review into Regional, Rural and Remote Education

13th April 2018 The report on an extensive review to guide efforts to overcome the educational divide between capital cities and regional and rural areas is now available to the public. The Coalition Government today released the final report of the Independent Review into Regional, Rural and Remote Education, led by Emeritus Professor Dr John […]

2017 Annual General Meeting

The 2017 Annual General Meeting took place on Thursday 28th September 2017 at the University of Canberra. The following members were admitted to the Executive: Brian O’Neill Sue Ledger Don Boyd Philip Roberts Sue Trinidad Dot Donovan Chris Reading Natalie Downes Melyssa Fuqua SPERA AGM Minutes 2017

33rd National SPERA Conference

(includes Rural Educators Day) 27- 29 September 2017 Rethinking Rurality: Writing the Rural into Policy and Practice CLICK HERE TO REGISTER SPERA, in partnership with the Faculty of Education, Science, Technology & Mathematics at the University of Canberra, invites you to join us for the 33rd National SPERA Conference. Hosted by University of Canberra, the […]

SPERA wants to hear from you.

SPERA is conducting a survey of members and supporters. The survey is aimed at helping SPERA revise its mission and aims, help shape its future work, and draft a submission to the Independent Review into Regional, Rural and Remote Education. The questions are a mix of open text response, multiple choice and ranking exercises and should take approximately […]

Australian Rural Education Awards 2017

2016 SPERA Annual General Meeting

SPERA Annual General Meeting 2016 was held at CQUniversity Mackay, Ooralea Campus on Thursday 29th September 2016. The following were nominated and accepted for Executive. Don Boyd Natalie Downes Christine Reading Philip Roberts Dorothy Donovan Melyssa Fuqua Sue Ledger Brian O’Neill Sue Trinidad Charles Bradley – Public Officer Following the AGM the following were nominated […]

Country school principals take leadership challenge

An Article in Adelaide’s Independent News Country education and regional schools around Australia are benefiting from the ‘first crop’ of rural Masters graduates, with Flinders University calling for enrollments for the second program from mid-2017. The new Master of Education (Leadership and Management) degree offers valuable career and professional advancement to current and aspiring educational leaders from […]

Congratulations! 2016 Australian Rural Education Awards (AREA) & ISFIRE Award Recipients

Since 1994 SPERA has awarded, the Australian Rural Education Awards to an institution, organisation or industry, in recognition of excellence to Australia’s Rural Education sector . It was the first national award recognising both excellence in rural education and promoting creative ways of meeting the educational needs of rural families and their communities. At the recent 32nd Annual […]

THE FUTURE OF WORK: SETTING KIDS UP FOR SUCCESS

Making sense of the competing messages surrounding the future of work can be a daunting and difficult task, particularly for parents and friends wanting to ensure their children’s success. In response, nbn and the Regional Australia Institute have partnered to build a set of practical online resources for parents and children to use today to […]

33rd National SPERA Conference, Canberra

27- 29 September 2017 Rethinking Rurality: Writing the Rural into Policy and Practice CLICK HERE TO REGISTER SPERA, in partnership with the Faculty of Education, Science, Technology & Mathematics at the University of Canberra, invites you to join us for the 33rd National SPERA Conference. Hosted by University of Canberra, the 2017 conference will bring together […]

Call for Editors: The Australian and International Journal of Rural Education

The Australian and International Journal of Rural Education (AIJRE) is seeking enthusiastic members of the rural education community to join its editorial board. The Australian and International Journal of Rural Education is the Journal of the Society for the Provision of Education in Rural Australia (SPERA). It serves as an international medium for educators and […]

Improving teaching in rural schools – we need to stop borrowing approaches from overseas

Simon White wrote in The Conversation on 6th September 2016 While statistics might show Australia has an oversupply of teachers, this masks the reality that many rural schools find it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain teachers. This has dire consequences for the life opportunities for rural students, and contributes to the widening gap in […]

May 2016 Newsletter

From the President Mr Brian O’Neill Welcome to the first edition of our newsletter for the 2016. A great deal has been happening with SPERA and I am happy to highlight these activities in this edition. Highlights featured in this Newsletter include the 31st National SPERA Conference which was held at Deakin University’s Waterfront Campus […]