SPERA talks Higher Education

SPERA developed a unique submission to the Australian Universities Accord featuring a series of rural case studies. Through these examples, SPERA hope to highlight the very real challenges that students from RRR areasface in pursuing higher education and the importance of providing targeted support to help them achieve their goals. SPERA believe that by sharing […]

Australian Rural Education Awards

Australian Rural Education Awards (AREAs) have been awarded annually since 1994 to recognise excellence in rural education in Australia. Australian Rural Education Awards Categories Regional, Remote, Rural Partnership AwardDemonstrating a successful partnership for students outcomes in a RRR community of praxis Community Centric AwardRecognition of a person/project/organisation who have placed a RRR community at its’ […]

2022 Australian Rural Education Awards

Since 1994, Australian Rural Education Awards (AREAs) have been awarded annually to an individual, institution, organisation or industry to recognise excellence in rural education in Australia. Presented by the Hon. Fiona Nash, Regional Education Commissioner, and SPERA President Chris Ronan, the 2022 AREAs were recently announced at the National Conference for Regional, Rural & Remote Education […]

2022 AREA Case Studies

SPERA is thrilled to publish the 2022 AREA Case Studies! Check out fantastic rural education projects from across the country,  proud finalists of the 2022 Australian Rural Education Awards.

2021 Rural Education Research Portal

Launched at the 2021 National Conference for Regional, Rural & Remote Education (NCRRRE) Webinar, this resource combines 58 rural education abstracts and author contacts, recordings of the Rural Education Webinar and video resources previewed, Heywire vids and 2021 Australian Rural Education Award winning projects. 2021 Rural Education Webinar Monday 24 May 2021 – Recording Heywire […]

AIJRE Journal No 2 2020 – Boarding Schools for rural and remote families: panacea or problem?

The Australian and International Journal of Rural Education has just released Vol 30 No 2 (2020): Boarding Schools for rural and remote families: panacea or problem? Families living in rural and remote communities often face a difficult choice when their children reach high school age. When there is no local high school, or what is […]

2018 Annual General Meeting

AIJRE Journal No 1 2020 – The Importance of Community

The Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, Vol 30 No 1 (2020) Global to Local Policy and Practices: The Importance of Community This edition positions communities of practice as a significant place-based enabler for successful placements, partnerships and practices in rural and remote contexts.   Vol 30 No 1 (2020): Global to Local Policy […]

2019 EPHEA/NAEEA Conference – Enabling Excellence through Equity

In November 2019 equity practitioners and researchers gather in Wollongong to attend the biennial Equity Practitioners in Higher Education in Australasia (EPHEA) and  National Association of Enabling Educators in Australia (NAEEA). This was a key professional development forum for equity and enabling practitioners in a wide range of fields to highlight best student and staff […]

Rural Education International Research Alliance

Professor Simone White (Faculty of Education, Office of International and Engagement (Education) launched the new Rural Education International Research Alliance (REIRA). REIRA is the go to place to find up to date scholarly information about rural education people, places, projects, publications and partnerships. This is an international research alliance dedicated to improving the learning, teaching and […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Grants and Opportunities – 2017 Science and Innovation Awards

  Applications for the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources 2017 Science and Innovation Awards are now open. If you are aged 18 to 35, and focused on Agriculture, Fisheries and/or Forestry by way of research, innovation or science, you are invited to nominate for a grant of up to $22,000 to fund a project […]

Call for Abstracts: 2016 SPERA/ISFIRE Conference

Rural Education: Place, Pedagogies, Partnerships and Possibilities SPERA, in partnership with the SiMERR National Research Centre at the University of New England, invites you to submit abstracts for the 32nd National SPERA Conference and 4th International Symposium for Innovation in Rural Education. Hosted by CQUniversity Australia and supported by the University of Tasmania, the 2016 […]

Transparency needed in teacher recruitment: The smoke may be clearing in the ATAR battle

ACER recently reported that: In recent debates about ATARs we have lost sight of what matters most in teacher recruitment: selecting high-quality candidates to ensure a strong profession, says Lawrence Ingvarson. NSW Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli has been accused of ‘attacking students with shameful elitism’ with his plan requiring new teachers appointed to NSW […]

Labor will need more than scholarships to make teaching science an attractive career

Shaun Belward wrote in The Conversation on 20th May 2016 Labor has proposed to invest $400 million to ensure that all high school science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) teachers are fully qualified. While this education policy may look appealing, there is a distinct lack of breadth in what is on the table. The aim […]

The Federal Budget and Regional Australia

Article published by Regional Australia Institute The Federal Budget 2016-17 has been released with a focus on creating long term growth and jobs. The measures have been described by commentators as modest, with big spending promises or cuts kept to a minimum in this year’s announcement. The Regional Australia Institute (RAI) takes a look at the […]

Federal budget 2016: education experts react

Article written for The Conversation by Glenn C. Savage, Conor King, John Fischetti, Megan O’Connell & Perter Goss The government is spruiking a focus on education to drive innovation in the 2016 budget but it has put off higher education reforms in favour of further consultation. The higher education reforms, which included the deregulation of […]

Call for Papers: Unsettling Place and Space.

Editors: Sarah Pinto, Shelley Hannigan, Emma Charlton and Bernadette Walker-Gibbs This edited collection will examine the ways in which considerations of place and/or space can be unsettling. It will draw together researchers from across the disciplines in order to chart the unsettled landscapes in which we find ourselves. We invite contributions from researchers from a […]