Research conducted since COVID-19 pandemic has shown that Australians have been most negatively impacted socially (42%), more than the proportion who have been most impacted financially (28%), in their mental health (17%) or physically (13%).
With loneliness being a growing concern in Australian society, it is important that individuals feel connected to their communities. Schools have a critical role to play in fostering a sense of belonging in young people, and a new landmark report has revealed they’re doing a very good job of this.
The study, titled: “Australian Schools and the Common Good” and conducted by The Cardus Education Survey Australia Project, revealed that a majority of students agreed that their schools emphasised academic excellence, leadership, interaction with society and culture and character development.
The aim of the researchers, Dr Albert Cheng and Dr Darren Iselin, was to measure the contribution of Australian secondary school graduates to the “common good” of society, rather than only the academic success of the individual.
Dr Cheng and Dr Iselin then analysed the influence of the Government, Catholic, Independent, and Christian schooling sectors in Australia on the academic, vocational, social and civic development of their graduates.
Dr. Iselin explained that while these four schooling sectors were analysed comparatively, the goal of the survey wasn’t to competitively rank these sectors but to reveal how each sector was shaping graduates who contribute in various ways to the good of their communities.
“Schools have a vital role to play, alongside of families and community, in building character, leadership and the qualities in students that see them hopefully contribute to the overall common good of society,” he said.
“We sought to identify what type of people our graduates become many years after they leave their schools. Did schools form them well as persons who positively contribute to their communities, contemporary society and culture? We hope the survey will stimulate meaningful conversation about the purpose of education.”
The study also found that Christian (80%) and Catholic (87%) school graduates were more likely to report an emphasis on religious values than Government (21%) and Independent (65%) school graduates.
Christian school graduates were also most likely to feel their school prepared them to find a sense of meaning and purpose in life (74%).
Catholic school graduates had the highest annual household incomes, whilst Independent school graduates completed the highest levels of post-secondary school qualifications.
Across all sectors, graduates from metropolitan areas were more likely to complete bachelor’s degrees, be employed, and earn more compared to those living in non-metro areas – though these gaps were less pronounced among Government school graduates.
Three out of every five graduates from all school sectors donated money to charity. Volunteering was less common, practiced by one third of graduates, but Independent (48%) and Christian school graduates (40%) were more likely to volunteer in a variety of organisations such as those that care for the poor or environment.