Funded Research Project

Project Title: Creating Culturally Respectful Primary Schools: Enhancing Relationships through Strategic Professional Learning

Chief Investigators: Professor Glenda MacNaughton, Professor Eleanor Wertheim and Ms Liz Freeman

Funded by: ARC Linkage Project grant 2007–2009

Project Summary: Australia’s increasing cultural diversity promises many benefits but also creates significant challenges, including the potential for conflict that reduces social cohesion. Schools are keys to the benefits of diversity. This project investigates an innovative approach to assisting primary teachers to create a school culture and curriculum through which children respect and value cultural diversity and address constructively interpersonal and inter-group differences.  Schools will be offered sustained professional development, with emphasis on support for a core team who will oversee implementation and maintenance of school changes. The outcome will be more effective evidence-based approaches to professional learning on this topic.

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