Children’s progress in maths at the age of nine has a major influence through to Junior Certificate preparations and suggests a need to overhaul how it is taught at primary level, a leading education researcher says.

Pressure to excel in exams and do well in school are the biggest causes of stress among young people.

The ReachOut Ireland/ Irish Examiner survey showed there isn’t a ‘shared understanding’ around mental health amongst our teenagers and we should be resourcing young people to support friends, writes Claire O’Sullivan as she analyses the findings.

In a special report, Claire O’Sullivan looks at teen mental health. A special Irish Examiner / ReachOut Ireland teen mental health survey was designed to capture the views of teenagers in Ireland in relation to youth mental health and the issues that affect them.

Only one-in-20 Leaving Certificate students would qualify for entry to primary teacher-training courses if proposed hikes in entry standards were adopted.

Disadvantaged families should get cheap theatre and music tickets to help their children reap the same benefits as others for their education, a top researcher has said.

Funding cuts are restricting out-of-school supports intended to help reduce the risks of students dropping out, research has found.

Immigrant children and pupils with special needs have poorer self-image than others, research on children’s wellbeing has found.

Sport is a key factor in children’s positive self-image but new research suggests limited time for PE in schools and varying access to facilities remains a challenge.

Inadequate guidance contributes to higher stress among Leaving Certificate students, according to research.

The high numbers of less-experienced teachers at disadvantaged schools are a factor in their pupils’ lower reading and maths ability, research has found.

Ireland's largest teachers union has welcomed an ESRI report which has called for a "sea change" in the way secondary schools teach.

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has called for a "sea change" in secondary schools after a study found that students feel under-prepared for the demands of third-level education and the labour market.

Forget the mid-life crisis and even the quarter-life precursor — today’s young people are already regretting their life’s choices at the age of 21.

As Jan O’Sullivan takes over at education, she will do well to bookmark her predecessor’s travails, writes Kyran Fitzgerald.

Parents of students at half of religious-owned secondary schools are paying over €150 a year to make up for public funding shortages, research shows.

Students in disadvantaged schools are half as likely to go straight to college, statistics reveal.

Some schools may be setting college and other targets too low for students from working-class backgrounds, research suggests.

Children from a mix of social, religious, and other backgrounds attend all primary schools but Catholic schools are still dominated by Catholic pupils, research shows.

STUDENTS from poorer backgrounds may suffer most from a budget cut that could see schools reduce guidance counselling next year, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) will warn today.

STUDENTS who can afford grinds and other supports will have an unfair advantage at the Leaving Certificate until changes are made to how school-leavers are assessed, college leaders have said.

PRESSURE to do well in the Leaving Certificate is putting constant stress on teenagers focused on the points race for college, say researchers who have tracked students from first year to the end of school.

PRIMARY school teachers are predominantly happy in their job and most believe their pupils enjoy being in school and are well-behaved, according to research.

THE points system that determines how school leavers get into college was described last year as the tail that wags the second level dog.

GRIND schools and private tuition make up a vast shadow education system that copperfastens the advantages of the privileged, with up to 60% of Ireland’s better-off getting extra schooling for their children.

CUTS to school supports are hitting the most disadvantaged children and could reverse record falls in dropout rates, a leading education researcher has warned.

A new report is urging parents to take a bigger role in the education of their children during secondary school.

TOO many Junior Certificate subjects and not enough guidance are among the biggest concerns parents have about second level education, a major study has found.

CHILDREN in older schools are being cramped into tiny classrooms and have little scope for group learning as a result, research has found.

HUNDREDS of teenagers could be missing out on the chance of a higher education each year because they are not told the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) programme they take restricts their access to college.

PARENTS believe second-level education does not prepare their children for adult life and schools need to provide more career guidance, major research has found.

FUNDING difficulties, poor guidance at school and the lure of full-time work have raised barriers to thousands of young people from low-paid families accessing third-level education.

RESEARCH by the Government’s economic think-tank has raised further doubts over the suitability of targeting extra money only at schools with the highest numbers of disadvantaged pupils.

THE Government could save billions of euro a year on dole payments to early school leavers by investing in education as early as pre- school, a children’s charity has claimed.

MISBEHAVIOUR and class streaming are causing greater numbers of students from working class backgrounds to switch off from school in the run-up to the Junior Certificate, research has found.

SECONDARY school students are more likely to stick with their studies through to Leaving Certificate if the school they attend offers sports and other extra-curricular activities, new research has found.

Gender stereotyping is still evident at second-level schools across the country, a new study has revealed.