Education Commons^™

Stronger Smarter: A Sustained And Enduring Approach To Indigenous Education (Whether Education Researchers Know It Or Not!), Chris Sarra

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

In 1988, Professor Sarra commenced his career as an educator. After a very personal revelation about how he as an Aboriginal student had been ‘sold short’ by schooling, he became determined to change expectations of Aboriginal children in schools throughout Australia. It was a lofty career ambition, but one he feels he has achieved: the stronger smarter approach, which he developed and now shares with an army of hardworking and courageous educators, has had success – despite the questionable efforts of education researchers with little or no insight into the profound complexities of such an undertaking. This paper will reflect …

The Case For Urgency: Advocating For Indigenous Voice In Education, Kevin P. Gillan, Suzanne Mellor, Jacynta Krakouer

Australian Education Review

In 2004 the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) published an Australian Education Review (AER) on Indigenous Education: The Case for Change: A review of contemporary research on Indigenous education outcomes, AER 47 (Mellor & Corrigan, 2004). In the 13 years since its publication, the state of Indigenous education outcomes has remained substantially unaltered. All the social indicators demonstrate that Australia’s First Nations people continue to be the most socio-economically disadvantaged population cohort in Australian society. This is after decades of continued policy efforts by successive Commonwealth, state and territory governments to ameliorate Indigenous education disadvantage. We still struggle with …

Improving Assessment For Indigenous Students, Alison Quin

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

This workshop will introduce a teaching scenario and existing unit of work built around Indigenous culturally inclusive practices. Participants will work in small groups to devise assessment items in a scaffolded process. The development of assessment tasks will be informed by clarifying Indigenous education, the process of building relationships between schools and Indigenous communities that contribute to co-developed units of work, and principles of Indigenous culturally inclusive practice such as place-based, community-grounded and group production practices.

Snapshot: Indigenous Educators In Australia, Danielle Meloney

Teacher infographics

What percentage of Indigenous educators work in low SES areas in Australia? Find out in this Teacher infographic.

Unfinished Business: Pisa Shows Indigenous Youth Are Being Left Behind, Tony Dreise, Sue Thomson

Indigenous Education Research

The latest international assessment of students’ mathematical, scientific and reading literacy – the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) – shows that the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students has remained the same for the last decade. In short, Indigenous 15-year olds remain approximately two-and-a-half years behind their non-Indigenous peers in schooling.

This essay provides a précis of the results and analysis of some of the issues; it compares Indigenous performance in 2012 with that from previous PISA cycles; and discusses a range of implications for policy and practice.

Making A Difference : Improving Outcomes For Indigenous Learners, Michele Lonsdale

Indigenous Education Research

This publication highlights ACER’s contributions to Indigenous Educational research over the past decade. This contribution has included research, policy analysis, program evaluation, professional development, and the development of assessment tools and other resources.

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 …

Successful Sustainable Literacy Practice For Indigenous Students, Nola Purdie

Indigenous Education Research

The author discusses current approaches to the literacy education of Indigenous students within the context of best practice literacy education for all students. Issues addressed include: Literacy and disadvantaged groups; Literacy programs for Indigenous Australian Students; Teachers and literacy learning; Assessment and measurement of literacy learning; and good literacy curriculum.

The Case For Change : A Review Of Contemporary Research On Indigenous Education Outcomes, Suzanne Mellor, Matthew Corrigan

Australian Education Review

AER 47 examines the research evidence underpinning current government policy developed over the last two decades in an attempt to improve the educational outcomes of indigenous students. It reviews and analyses existing educational research into the precursors and concomitant factors that contribute to educational achievement for students generally and for indigenous students in particular. It argues that current policy is insufficiently underpinned by substantive research, and that changes should be made, both to research methodology and to policy content.

The School To Work Transition Of Indigenous Australians: A Review Of The Literature And Statistical Analysis, Michael Long, Tracey Frigo, Margaret Batten

Indigenous Education Research

This report was commissioned by the Task Force on School to Work Transition for Indigenous Australians in the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs. The Task Force was established to examine issues of access to Departmental programs and services for young Indigenous people moving from school to work and to consider ways in which programs and polices could be enhanced to assist clients in overcoming barriers to education and employment. The report describes the current situation in terms of the pathways for Indigenous young people and their participation in relevant DEETYA programs. The report identifies barriers to successful …