News & Events

Educational access and quality is a cornerstone of social impact in a fast-paced globalising and urbanising world. Given the changing context of education in the 21^st century, we are faced with new challenges on top of long-existing issues in rural places. How do we ensure quality education for young people in regional areas and remote Indigenous communities?

The Centre for Social Impact at the University of Western Australia will be hosting a discussion led by Matt Brett, Averill Piers-Blundell and Lynne Beckingham offering new and evidence-based perspectives.

Matt Brett (La Trobe University)

Regional student participation and migration: Analysis of factors influencing regional student participation and internal migration in Australian higher education 

Recent research quantified with unparalleled precision the drivers of regional student participation in higher education and extent of migration to major cities.

Key research findings of this research include:

• The primacy of school achievement as a determinant of regional school student aspiration and subsequent successful completion of higher education qualifications.
• The extent to which conventional indicators of regional student participation fail to capture data around increases in the number of regional students who migrate to major cities to under take their study.

This session examines the significance of these research findings for contemporary regional policy challenges. Skills are critical for supporting the transition of regional communities to the demands of the new economy. However, the positives of expanding access to opportunities at major city universities may contribute to widening disparities between regional and major city skills profiles.

Averill Piers-Blundell and Lynne Beckingham

Implementation of the Abecedarian Approach Australia (3a) in remote communities of WA and NT

The Abecedarian Approach has been proven to achieve substantial social impact for disadvantaged populations across the world with demonstrated outcomes in raising and maintaining higher IQ, increased social competence, increased college completion, higher employment and lower rates of teen pregnancy, smoking, drug use, special education placement and grade repetition. With such strong results, it was no surprise that Australian policy makers and academics turned their attention to the possible use of the Abecedarian Approach in remote Indigenous settings to promote improved life outcomes for children and families.

This presentation examines the original results of the Abecedarian Project and discusses the challenges and benefits of implementation projects in remote Indigenous communities in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. The complex social environments in WA and NT have required a culturally sensitive and inclusive approach while maintaining program fidelity and generating new research results.

The session will appeal to those with experience or interest in the challenges of remote implementation.

For more information on this and other events, visit the Social Impact Festival 2017 website.