Passport to a positive future: evaluation of the Melbourne Academy

Melbourne City Mission commissioned researchers from the Victoria Institute for Education, Diversity and Lifelong Learning at Victoria University to evaluate the Melbourne Academy during 2014, focusing on: whether and how students are 'better off' as a consequence of attending the Melbourne Academy; and distinctive aspects of the Melbourne Academy model. The project drew on a range of data sources: interviews with 20 students, 13 staff and 2 parents; photographs and notes associated with a creative student project in 3 classrooms; observation notes; a semi-quantitative questionnaire with 29 students; staff ratings of student engagement at two time points in 2014, for 41 students; and documentation made available by Melbourne City Mission.

The Melbourne Academy is a program of Melbourne City Mission, a community services organisation supporting people and communities who are experiencing disadvantage to overcome barriers to participation. Melbourne City Mission is a Registered Training Organisation and Non-School Senior Secondary Provider. The Melbourne Academy is a flexible learning program for young people who experience severe disengagement from schooling, and aims to reconnect these young people with education. It operates from six sites across Melbourne, with one classroom in each site.

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