The challenge

Bushfires, floods, droughts, plagues, and COVID-19 have challenged the resilience of schools in regional, rural, and remote New South Wales. This project sought to identify holistic policy options to boost the resilience of those schools, so that they can proactively weather challenges, prepare for those in the future, and contribute to the resilience of the broader community – in order for schools and communities to thrive.

Collaborative Project

Local links and learning: resilience in rural, regional and remote schools

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Collaboration

JMI brought together a project team to undertake research, collect evidence and identify practical policy opportunities. Comprised of Institute staff, two NSW Department of Education representatives, and a university post-doctoral researcher, the collaborative team worked together from mid-late 2022, with support from a dedicated Expert Advisory Group that included academic researchers, senior policymakers and school principals. The team conducted consultations with more than 50 individuals, harnessing the expertise of leading academic researchers, current and former principals of regional, rural or remote schools, policymakers with expertise in regional Australia, resilience and education, and community representatives and resilience practitioners.

  • JMI project director and project manager
  • Dr Timothy Heffernan, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of New South Wales
  • Two representatives of the NSW Department of Education, Regional, Rural and Remote Education Unit

  • Two principals of regional, rural or remote schools in NSW
  • Professor Rebekah Grace, Western Sydney University
  • Dr Pam Joseph, University of Sydney
  • Professor Carol Mutch, University of Auckland
  • Two NSW Department of Education representatives
  • One Resilience NSW representative

In a nutshell

0+
hrs of facilitated collaboration between policymakers and researchers
0
stakeholders consulted
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practical ideas identified to boost school and community resilience

The Department is committed to supporting regional, rural and remote learning communities across NSW. This research helps to build the evidence base around boosting resilience in regional, rural and remote schools and will help inform our work.

Ben Ballard, Executive Director – Regional, Rural & Remote Education Policy, NSW Department of Education

Solutions

The Collaborative Project report, Local links and learning: Resilience in regional, rural and remote schools identified four policy focus areas to boost school and community resilience:

Invest in helping to contextualise learning through community engagement and in helping schools to boost the agency of student and their sense of belonging.

Invest in schools’ leadership capacity to boost resilience through specialised training and professional learning, as well as showcasing effective leadership.

Invest in developing a whole-of-school approach to resilience.

Invest in the capacity of schools to grow, meaningful and enduring ties with their community and advise schools on how to expand their connections with key community stakeholders.

How we are creating change

By drawing on the expertise of a broad range of researchers, community leaders and policymakers, the project provided strong examples of evidence-based practice that are now being actively drawn on by the Department of Education. The project generated innovative and transformative policy ideas, which have directly resulted in activity to support the wellbeing of school leaders, and which are informing future thinking on boosting resilience more broadly. The project also advanced collaborative relationships for policy development and built public sector capability.

Learn more about JMI’s Impact Framework.

Tracking progress

1 November 2023

The Policymaker

While governments often prioritise rebuilding roads and other physical infrastructure post-disaster, just as great a focus is needed on supporting communities to build resilient social infrastructure.

Read More

26 July 2023

James Martin Institute for Public Policy

Community ties and learning opportunities are key to boosting resilience of regional, rural and remote schools in NSW, new report finds.

Read More