Assistant Principal - Pastoral Care

Building Foundations for a Worthwhile Career

During a time when so much of what happens in schools is hotly contested in the media by politicians, shock jocks and self-appointed experts, it can be difficult to know what matters most.

A research article titled ‘How You Behave in School Predicts Life Success Above and Beyond Family Background, Broad Traits, and Cognitive Ability’ in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, largely reinforces much of what we strive to achieve at McCarthy, particularly with our focus on ‘Living Well Learning Well’.

Having followed students up to 50 years after they left school, the study identified several specific student behaviours that predicted later life success, including:

Being a Responsible Student: Higher levels of responsibility in school were associated with greater educational attainment and occupational prestige both 11 years and 50 years after high school
Interest in School: A genuine interest in school was linked to higher educational attainment at both time points, as well as higher occupational prestige and income later in life
Writing Skills: The development of writing skills during adolescence was also considered a significant predictor of future success
Reading Skills: Similar to writing skills, reading skills were found to be important in predicting educational and occupational outcomes

These behaviours were shown to have consistent relations to long-term outcomes, even when considering factors such as parental socioeconomic status, IQ, and broad personality traits. That is, if a young person focused on the above four elements then regardless of what school they attend, how wealthy their parents and family are or how much innate ability they might have they would achieve success after school.

The best students tend to conduct themselves in several key ways that contribute to their success:

Responsibility: They take ownership of their learning, completing assignments on time and adhering to deadlines. This sense of responsibility is crucial for achieving higher educational attainment and occupational prestige
Engagement and Interest: High-performing students show a genuine interest in their schoolwork. They are actively engaged in their classes, participate in discussions, and seek to understand the material deeply, which correlates with better long-term outcomes
Attention and Focus: Successful students pay attention in class and remain focused on their assignments. This attentiveness helps them stay on track and avoid falling behind, which is linked to better educational attainment and future income
Positive Attitudes: They often maintain a positive attitude towards their teachers and the learning process, which can foster a supportive learning environment and enhance their educational experiences
Motivation and Achievement Orientation: Best students are typically motivated and strive for achievement. They set goals for themselves and work diligently to reach those goals, which contributes to their long-term success

These behaviours and attitudes not only help them excel academically but also lay a foundation for future success in their careers and personal lives.

Students who may not initially possess traits such as responsibility, engagement, and motivation can acquire these traits through various strategies and interventions. The table below shows how we strive to achieve this with our students:

Strategies and Interventions Identified by the Research	How this looks at McCarthy
Goal Setting: Encouraging students to set specific, achievable goals can help them develop a sense of responsibility and motivation. By breaking larger tasks into smaller, manageable goals, students can experience success and build confidence in their abilities.	During Mentor Group students create a Learning Plan that is reviewed by their Mentor teacher and discussed at key points throughout the year, particularly after reports come out and then adjusted to reflect changing goals.
Positive Reinforcement: Providing positive feedback and reinforcement for responsible behaviours can encourage students to continue those behaviours. Recognizing and rewarding effort and achievement can motivate students to engage more fully in their education.	By the completion of Term 3, staff had given 9400 merits and commendations in Compass - students are regularly recognised for their growth and progress as well as being provided regular feedback in the Term 1 and 3 Progress Reports and the two Semester reports that they receive each year.
Mentorship and Support: Connecting students with mentors, such as teachers, counsellors, or older peers, can provide guidance and support. Mentors can model responsible behaviour, offer advice, and help students navigate challenges, fostering a sense of accountability.	Each student has a mentor teacher who oversees their growth and progress over the six years of schooling. Senior students also become a powerful role model for younger students inside and outside of their mentor group. Coupled with expert support from Leaders of Student Care, two psychologists, an Inclusion team and a Transition team - students are able to access help from a wide variety of skilled, helpful, professional adults in the College.
Creating a Supportive Environment: A positive and supportive school environment can encourage students to engage more fully. This includes fostering strong relationships between students and teachers, promoting a sense of belonging, and creating a culture that values effort and improvement.	Through ‘Living Well, Learning Well’ the whole thrust of the school is to create the conditions where young people feel safe, valued, respected and cared for so that they can learn and become the best version of themselves. Building connections to school through House events such as the Colour Run, Olympics Day, Carols Competition, masses along with traditional athletics and swimming carnivals foster a sense of belonging to something larger than self. Coupled with the whole year retreats and Character Builder Days, students gain further experiences to create strong relationships.

This research confirms what many educators have known for a long time; that if a child is to be an effective learner it takes the efforts of both school and home, in unison, to achieve learning that will last a life-time.

Parents need to regularly discuss what students are learning – what they are learning about and how they are learning. As a parent, you don’t need to be an expert or have any or all of the answers; ideally students can teach you things that they have learned. This is empowering for the young person. The more a parent is involved, the more a student receives the message that learning is important.

A fascinating finding from some other research is that parental expectations have a significant impact on a child’s educational outcomes. They conclude:

If you expect your child to be a high performance learner, they can be. You don’t need to be highly paid and highly educated to have expectations, you just have to have them. And the research proves this rubs off on your children.

So while many parents feel at a loss when their son or daughter commences high school because they start learning in new and different ways, the truth of the matter is that you have the potential to play a significant and powerful role in influencing your child’s approach to learning. Berliner and Eyre conclude by saying:

Not everyone can be Prime Minister or President, not everyone can compose music that will echo down the centuries, not everyone can be the fastest person on earth. But everyone who goes to school, who is cognitively unimpaired, can deliver educational performance that is currently associated only with the most able. It just needs more parents to take an informed interest in building the learning skills of their children and to develop values and attitudes that support that … Your children need to learn skills to prepare them for an unknown future – they need to be learning fit as well as physically fit. They need to make the most of their learning opportunities while they are at school.

When all of this takes place we are able to create the foundations necessary for a worthwhile adult life.

Michael Larkin

Assistant Principal