Why holistic learning and why now? Findings from the AISSA’s Innovative Models for the Recognition of Holistic Learning Project

This report documents findings from a multi-year project with South Australian independent schools exploring what holistic learning looks like in practice and how its outcomes can be recognised. It argues that a paradigm shift is underway in education — from narrow academic measures toward learning for human flourishing — and that schools are increasingly building new ecosystems of learning that develop agency, character, collaboration and real-world capability alongside academic knowledge. The report addresses the workforce implications of this shift, the challenge of evidencing holistic outcomes, and the kind of generative leadership needed to sustain transformation.