Confronting Indigenous educational disadvantage: A Kimberley perspective
Confronting Indigenous educational disadvantage: A Kimberley perspective
- Author(s): Hammond, Lorraine
- Tertiary Author(s): Centre for Independent Studies
- Published: 2021
Abstract: High quality education opens doors for Australian children — yet, this promise seems out of reach for many in majority-Indigenous remote communities. To a casual observer, the path to school may be a short walk, but the metaphorical distance these children need to traverse to the classroom is immense, littered with potholes, and often misunderstood by outsiders. And when children in remote communities do reach the classroom, the staff who greet them must be nothing short of exemplary teachers and administrators.The best intentions and resourcing for decades haven’t always translated into higher quality instruction or significant improvement in broader education outcomes. But results are being achieved with a program that prioritises: • high impact instruction; • a focus on attendance; • pre-school programs for zero to three year olds; and • community engagement. This scalable model includes professional learning and instructional coaching for 24 schools in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia and is the basis of my experience working in majority-Indigenous remote communities. This paper discusses observations during school visits and professional learning, interactions with educators and community, and explores what is — and isn’t — working.
- Urls: https://www.cis.org.au/app/uploads/2021/03/ap20-emb.pdf
- Publisher Location: Sydney