Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Literature Review Relating To The Current Context And Discourse Of Indigenous Tertiary Education In Australia, Michele Lonsdale, Greta Rollo, Jenny Wilkinson, Ali Radloff, Stephanie Armstrong, Gina Milgate, Jenny Trevitt

Indigenous Education Research

This review outlines some of the themes that have emerged in the growing global discourse of Indigenous education in the higher education sector. The past decade and a half have seen increased numbers of Indigenous students and academic staff in universities, a proliferation of publications exploring Indigenous issues in the academy, and heightened interest in the nature and meaning of Indigenous knowledge and studies.

This review examined information provided by 22 Australian universities to gain a picture of the research fields and topics that are attracting most interest from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduates and academics. It also reviewed …

Enhancing Education, Sheldon Rothman, David Slattery, Sarah Buckley, John Ainley

Indigenous Education Research

The ‘Little children are sacred’ report concluded that improving the quality of education provided the key to solving, or at least ameliorating, the incidence of child sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities. The report identified poor educational outcomes as being at the heart of the exclusion of Aboriginal people from confidently participating in either their own culture or mainstream culture.

Two years after the release of the ‘Little children are sacred’ report and after the introduction of the NTER, data were collected on the health and development of all Australian children. Data from the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) …

Evaluation Of The Sporting Chance Program, Michele Lonsdale, Jenny Wilkinson, Stephanie Armstrong, David Mcclay, Sharon Clerke, Jocelyn Cook, Kanat Wano, Robert Simons, Gina C. Milgate, Meredith Bramich, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation

The objective of the Sporting Chance Program is to encourage improved educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (boys and girls) using sport and recreation. Such outcomes may include an increase in school attendance, strengthened engagement with school and improved attitudes to schooling, improved achievement in learning, increased retention to Year 12 or its vocational equivalent and greater parental and community involvement with the school and students’ schooling. The program comprises two elements:

• School-based Sports Academies (Academies) for secondary school students; and

• Education Engagement Strategies (EES) for both primary and secondary school students.

The purpose of …

Literacy And Numeracy Learning: Lessons From The Longitudinal Literacy And Numeracy Study For Indigenous Students, Nola Purdie, Kate Reid, Tracey Frigo, Alison Stone, Elizabeth Kleinhenz

Dr Kate Reid

In 2000, ACER commenced the Longitudinal Literacy and Numeracy Surveys for Indigenous Students (ILLANS), which set out to track the development of English literacy and numeracy skills in a group of Indigenous students from school entry through the early years of schooling and beyond, to establish a data-rich picture of educational opportunities for Indigenous students. Phase 1 of ILLANS collected data from Indigenous students at 13 schools across Australia that had been nominated by education systems as examples of good practice in education for Indigenous students. The first three years of the study were reported in the monograph Supporting English …

Indigenous Education: Finding Face, Making Space, Having Place., Lorna Williams

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

This keynote presentation uses an Indigenous storytelling methodology to relate the success factors that institutions, policy makers, administrators, teachers and communities can attend to in making changes to support the achievement of Indigenous learners. It draws on what Indigenous students, families and communities themselves have attributed their educational success. The article serves as a witness to their stories.

Key Factors Influencing Educational Outcomes For Indigenous Students And Their Implications For Planning And Practice In The Nt., Jonathon Carapetis, Sven Silburn

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

This presentation considers the intrinsic link between health and education and the benefits of collaborative research for improving the education and life outcomes of Indigenous children. The Council of Australian Governments’ Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage framework and the Closing the Gap generational strategy have resulted in significant new funding through a range of national partnership agreements to improve Indigenous child health, development and education. The focus of these reforms is consistent with the human development paradigm now advocated by international agencies such as UNICEF, WHO and OECD. They are also informed by recent advances in scientific knowledge regarding the developmental origins …

Creating Indigenous Classrooms Of Tomorrow Today: What Children Will Need To Know And How To Create It?, Lester-Irabinna Rigney

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Engagement or participation in education is a key factor affecting the life chances of all Australians. What will this look like in the future for Indigenous children who have an overall lower level of participation in education than non-Indigenous Australians? 21st century schooling for Indigenous students in the next decade will look very different to today. This paper discusses the characteristics of curriculum, policy and pedagogy for future schooling of Indigenous children. It uses national and international literature to explore 21st century learning that seeks to revolutionise the way we educate teachers and students. It highlights that Indigenous students live …

Educational Success: A Sustainable Outcome For All Indigenous Students When Teachers Understand Where The Learning Journey Begins., Jeannie Herbert

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

The statistics for educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students continually reinforce the notion of ‘failure’, of a specific cohort of students who are ‘not coping’, of the majority of teachers at a loss concerning what to do. Overall, it is a picture of doom and gloom, clearly demonstrating that education in this country has failed to live up to its promise for all students. In this presentation, research outcomes will be used to construct a different picture, a paradigm for a better future built on a strong foundation of sustainable education outcomes for the descendants of this …

Literacy And Numeracy Learning: Lessons From The Longitudinal Literacy And Numeracy Study For Indigenous Students, Nola Purdie, Kate Reid, Tracey Frigo, Alison Stone, Elizabeth Kleinhenz

ACER Research Monographs

In 2000, ACER commenced the Longitudinal Literacy and Numeracy Surveys for Indigenous Students (ILLANS), which set out to track the development of English literacy and numeracy skills in a group of Indigenous students from school entry through the early years of schooling and beyond, to establish a data-rich picture of educational opportunities for Indigenous students. Phase 1 of ILLANS collected data from Indigenous students at 13 schools across Australia that had been nominated by education systems as examples of good practice in education for Indigenous students. The first three years of the study were reported in the monograph Supporting …

Improving Educational Outcomes In The Northern Territory : Preliminary Advice To The Northern Territory Department Of Education And Training, With A Particular Focus On The Ongoing Improvement Of Students’ Literacy And Numeracy Achievements, Geoff N. Masters

School and system improvement

The primary focus of this review is on strategies for improving literacy and numeracy outcomes in the Northern Territory. Clearly, the role of school education is much broader than the development of students literacy and numeracy skills, but these are foundational skills on which almost all other school learning is based. It is also clear from research that low levels of literacy and numeracy by the middle years of school are associated with lower school completion rates and a range of post-school outcomes, including higher levels of unemployment, lower lifetime earnings, and poorer health outcomes. Although the primary focus of …

Final Report : The Deadly Awards Nomination And Voting System Review And Research Project, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer), Michele Lonsdale

Indigenous Education Research

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) was commissioned in late 2010 by Vibe Australia to investigate the current nomination and voting system for the Deadly Awards and identify ways in which the current system could be strengthened. The Deadlys are in their 17th year. Beginning as a music award, the categories have expanded over the years to include sport, the arts, community awards and nominations for the Hall of Fame. Given their longevity and the debate that ensued after last year’s awards, it is timely to review the current nomination and voting system. The Deadly Awards are intended to …