Educational Leadership

Students that attend this Queensland school have often completely disengaged from mainstream schools — but programs with community gardens and rearing animals are helping them get back on track.

The single greatest predictor of student retention is the amount of time and energy a student spends engaged in educationally focused activities. This is a bold statement. There are many factors that affect student retention-academic preparedness, finances, jobs, child-care, and health. However, a recent study conducted at San Jose State University found that a large majority of students that dropped out of school during their first year indicated that they were not engaged in their classes and never felt a part of the college community. Simply put, the greater a student’s engagement in academic work and the academic experience of college, the greater are the chances for that student to stay enrolled. 

A learner’s digital education experience can be very different from the seamless user-friendly world of the social internet. Replicating the old classes online isn't good enough. A rethink is needed.

Dominic Glynn urges academics who are just starting out to shout their research from the rooftops