Through school to work: previous research
Earlier stages of the Life Chances Study
Report from stage 8½ (17-year-olds)
Janet Taylor 2009, Stories of early school leaving: pointers for policy and practice (PDF file, 329 KB)
The stories of eight young people who left school early, interviewed when aged 17 for Stage 8½ of the Life Chances Study, illustrate their complex lives as they consider employment, training and other facets of their future. Their experience leads to recommendations for policies to ensure that young people are not excluded from appropriate opportunities.
Sections may also be downloaded separately:
Part 1 of Stories of early school leaving (PDF file, 178 KB) includes the method, findings, discussion and references. Part 2 of Stories of early school leaving (PDF file, 265 KB) presents the eight young people's stories at length.
Summary report of stages 7 and 8
Janet Taylor and Lucy Nelms 2008, School engagement and life chances at 15 & 16 (PDF file, 242 KB)
Report of Stage 8 (16-year-olds)
Stage 8 of the Life Chances Study explored the situations of 125 young Australians (75 girls and 50 boys) from diverse backgrounds, their current engagement with school and work and their future plans at the age of 16. Their survey responses confirmed the continuity and layering of disadvantage: for example, those from low-income families with parents with limited education are more likely than their affluent peers to leave school early and less likely to plan university careers. The findings also showed diversity within socioeconomic groups, and posed the challenge of providing effective teaching and transition supports for all young people.
Janet Taylor and Lucy Nelms 2008, Life chances at 16: Life Chances Study stage 8 (PDF file, 412 KB)
Report of Stage 7 (15-year-olds)
Stage 7 of the Life Chances Study explored school engagement and transition issues. The report includes findings from interviews with 41 selected 15-year-olds and their parents, and contains several illustrative case studies.
Janet Taylor and Lucy Nelms 2006, School engagement and life chances: 15 year olds in transition (PDF file, 352 KB)
Reports of stage 6 (11 and 12-year-olds)
At Stage 6 of the Life Chances Study the children were completing primary school. The report examines the lives of 142 children aged 11 and 12. It explores family change, current issues including schooling, and (for the first time) the children’s own perspectives on their lives, and considers implications for policy.
Janet Taylor and Alex Fraser 2003, Eleven plus: life chances and family income, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Fitzroy, Vic.
Full report available as printed copy only, $20.00 plus p&p
Eleven plus summary (PDF file, 70 KB)
For details of earlier printed Life Chances reports, see the Brotherhood’s publications database
Education costs for low-income families
This research built on the Brotherhood’s 2007 Education Costs Survey. The initial Counting the cost report provided a snapshot of the difficulties faced by low-income Victorian families in providing for their children, particularly in paying the costs of education. Later reports examined the actual education costs faced by families, and the transfer of education costs from government to individuals and the community sector through the provision of emergency education relief.
The results will be used by the Equity in Education Alliance which has been formed by the Brotherhood and colleague organisations to gather evidence on the impact of financial hardship on participation in education and to advocate for policy reforms.
Reports
Sharon Bond and Michael Horn 2007, Counting the cost: parental experiences of education expenses: Results from the 2007 Education Costs Survey (PDF file, 126 KB)
Sharon Bond and Michael Horn 2009, The cost of a free education: cost as a barrier to Australian public education (PDF file, 311 KB)
Sharon Bond 2009, Cost shifting in education: implications for government, the community sector and low-income families (PDF file, 226 KB)
Learning support programs
Out-of-school-hours learning support programs (LSPs) can provide valuable assistance with homework, increase student interest in learning and ease student transitions from primary to secondary school and into tertiary study or the workplace. This research examined the role of community-based LSPs (including the Brotherhood’s Homework Centre in Fitzroy) in helping to engage disadvantaged young people who face obstacles such as limited parental support or lack of study facilities at home, and made policy recommendations.
The Brotherhood and Melbourne Citymission hosted a forum to discuss the role of learning support programs in overcoming educational disadvantage, and how they can best be supported.
Reports
Sharon Bond 2009, Learning support programs: education reform beyond the school (PDF file, 347 KB)
Anne Pate and Sharon Bond 2010, Partnering to learn: the role of community organisations in supporting disadvantaged students summary of forum 19 November 2009 (PDF file, 260 KB)
Community Service Leadership Program evaluation
The Brotherhood, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Melbourne, developed a model of community service learning to provide an opportunity for disadvantaged young people in schools to identify, plan, implement and evaluate meaningful projects to benefit their local community. The aim of this Community Service Leadership Program was to help these young people contribute positively to the community and enhance their own skills and personal development.
Our evaluation of the pilot at Collingwood Alternative School and in the Young Adult Migrant Education Course at NMIT gathered qualitative data from students, teachers, program staff, volunteers and community organisations through focus groups, interviews and observation.
Report
Martina Boese 2010, From participation to leadership: evaluation of the Community Service Leadership Program (PDF file, 450 KB)
Making a Difference
The main aim of this three-year Australian Research Council–funded project, led by the Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales, was to understand how young people (aged 11–17) experience economic adversity, what it means to them in terms of social exclusion, and what assistance could make a difference. About 90 young people were interviewed in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. Parents, teachers and service providers were asked how education and other community services could be made more sensitive to these young people’s needs. The Brotherhood was one of the research partners.
Improving educational and housing outcomes
The Education Development Project was a two-year pilot project designed to improve educational engagement, provide stable housing and enhance support for children experiencing homelessness in two locations in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs. Hanover Welfare Services managed the project with assistance from the Brotherhood and the Foundation for Young Australians. An evaluation report was published by Hanover.
Report
Hanover Welfare Services 2010, Education Development Project: improving educational and housing outcomes for children experiencing homelessness(PDF file, 1.3 MB)
Information needs of disadvantaged parents
The Brotherhood was contracted by Victoria’s Department of Education and Early Childhood Development to identify the information needs and preferred information channels of parents and carers from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Results will contribute to the department's parental engagement strategy to better target support, deliver key information and involve parents in their children’s education. The research report, including findings from a literature review and interviews with key groups, was submitted to the department in 2009.
School–Parent Education Engagement Program (SPEEP) review
The Brotherhood's SPEEP pilot program employed and trained community-based bilingual facilitators to strengthen understanding between schools and families in order to improve children’s educational connection and achievement. The evaluation documented the model, sought evidence of the benefit for families and schools on the Atherton Gardens estate and explored the potential for further development.
Parents as Career Transition Supports evaluation
The Brotherhood’s Parents as Career Transition Supports program was devised to increase parents’ knowledge of the transition beyond secondary school and their awareness of careers information so they could help their teenage children. Since the evaluation of the pilot on the Mornington Peninsula in 2006, the model has been used and adapted in many communities. Further study is planned to map the extent and way in which the program has been implemented across Australia to support disadvantaged groups, examine how the model links with the activities of Careers Advice Australia, and advocate for a national approach to parent support.
Reports
Daniel Perkins and Carol Peterson 2005, Supporting young people's career transition choices: the role of parents (PDF file, 128 KB) interim report
Lois Bedson and Daniel Perkins 2006, A positive influence: equipping parents to support young people’s career transitions (PDF file, 179 KB) final report
YP4
YP4 was a three-year trial to demonstrate that joining up programs and services in a client-centred manner would result in more sustainable employment and housing outcomes for young homeless job seekers. Initially known as the Young Homeless Job Seekers Trial, the YP4 model was the result of extended research and development work by four partners: Hanover Welfare Services, Melbourne Citymission, the Brotherhood of St Laurence and Loddon Mallee Housing Services.
Reports
See research publications on the YP4 website
Youth employment in the City of Kingston
The City of Kingston, with funding from the Department for Victorian Communities, engaged the Brotherhood to explore the issues underlying high levels of youth unemployment in Kingston as well as simultaneous employers’ reports of persistent difficulties in filling both skilled and unskilled vacancies, particularly in manufacturing. The research involved analysing ABS data and consulting young people, employers, parents, and providers of education, employment and support services. The resulting Youth Employment Strategy was adopted by the City of Kingston to address unemployment and underemployment among young people and skills shortages in the municipality in Melbourne’s south.
Report
Eleanor Marsh and Daniel Perkins 2006, Building pathways to local jobs for young people: City of Kingston Youth Employment Strategy (PDF file, 357 KB).