Parental involvement as tutors or behaviour problem-solvers with regular school children is increasing. This paper sketches some reasons for this and outlines a set of principles for working with parents for use by practitioners.

As the 30th year of The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist (AEDP) draws to a close there is much to be optimistic about as we embark upon a further 30 years of contributing to the profession of educational and developmental psychology in Australia and beyond.

Few studies exist that address the relationship between the higher order factors of fluid (Go and crystallised (Gc) intelligence and Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) outcomes. In this study, for each of five cohorts, longitudinal data have been collected over a six-year span, consisting of results from standardised achievement and ability tests and ending with achievement outcomes.Two factors, interpreted as Gf and Gc, are derived from the standardised measures. In Year 7, these measures were the Progressive Achievement Test Mathematics (PAT Moths), Progressive Achievement Test Reading Comprehension (PAT Comprehension), and the jenkins Test of Nonverbal Ability. In Year 10, the measures were the subtests of the Differential Aptitude Test (DAT).These factors are investigated in order to identify whether they are differentially important in regard to VCE Performance. The standardised measures and final VCE results were collected at a Melbourne independent girls' school from 414 exiting Year 12 students, in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002. Both Gf and Gc accounted for a significant amount of the variance in VCE performance, with Gc being the most significant indicator.

School belonging is generally regarded as a student's sense of affiliation or connection to his or her school. Anyone who has personally navigated the sometimes torturous terrain of secondary school is able to have some level of direct understanding of the importance that belonging, fitting in, and identifying with a school holds for most people. Educators and practitioners often work with young people who feel that they do not belong to the school community, in which they attend. An absence of belonging can manifest itself in mental health concerns, school attrition, and risk taking behaviours. Opportunities for early intervention through fostering school belonging are born from a greater understanding and awareness of what school belonging is and how it is contextualised and fostered. This special issue aims to place a focus on school belonging and highlight it as a significant social issue of our time.