Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T15:02:01.218Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Towards a Good Education in Very Remote Australia: Is it Just a Case of Moving the Desks Around?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 December 2013

John Guenther  and
Melodie Bat
John Guenther*
Affiliation:
Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Melodie Bat
Affiliation:
Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
*
address for correspondence: John Guenther, PO Box 1718, Alice Springs NT 0871, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The education system, as it relates to very remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia, faces challenges. While considerable resources have been applied to very remote schools, results in terms of enrolments, attendance and learning outcomes have changed little, despite the effort applied. The Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation (CRC-REP) in its Remote Education Systems (RES) project is trying to understand why this might be the case, and also attempting to identify local solutions to the ‘problem’ of very remote education. The RES project is in the process of building its research program across five remote sites in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. As the project begins, the researchers involved have begun to consider what are the assumptions behind the ‘system’ in its current form(s). The article begins with an outline of the context of remote education in Australia within a rapidly changing global environment. However, the purpose of the article is to outline many of the assumptions built into remote education and to ask what the alternatives to these assumptions might be. The authors go on to ask questions about how a remote education system would approach some of the assumptions presented. The assumptions presented are based on a reading of the philosophical bases of education. The questions are designed to prompt a deeper discussion about how the values and worldviews of those living in very remote communities might be taken into consideration and acted upon.

Keywords

education systemsschoolingremote educationAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educationphilosophy of educationbenefits of education
Type
Research Article
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 42 , Special Issue 2: Red dirt thinking on remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education , December 2013 , pp. 145 - 156
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (2011a). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing: A focus on children and youth. Canberra, Australia: Author. Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/Lookup/4725.0Main+Features1Apr%202011Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (2011b). Australian Social Trends March 2011 (Cat. 4102.0). Canberra, Australia: Author. Retrieved October 2011 from http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/00ABBB1BCCE82509CA25785B000D8DDD/$File/41020_ASTMar2011.pdfGoogle Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (2011c). Remoteness structure. Canberra, Australia: Author. Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/home/remoteness+structureGoogle Scholar
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2012a). Measurement Framework for Schooling in Australia 2012. Sydney, Australia: Author. Retrieved May 2013 from http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Measurement_Framework_for_Schooling_in_Australia_2012.pdfGoogle Scholar
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2012b). NAPLAN achievement in reading, persuasive writing, language conventions and numeracy: National report for 2012. Sydney, Australia: Author. Retrieved May 2013 from http://nap.edu.au/verve/_resources/NAPLAN_2012_National_Report.pdfGoogle Scholar
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2012c). The shape of the Australian curriculum (Version 3). Sydney, Australia: Author. Retrieved September 2012 from http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/The_Shape_of_the_Australian_Curriculum_V3.pdfGoogle Scholar
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2013). My School: Katherine School of the Air, Katherine NT. Sydney, Australia: Author. Retrieved August 2013 from http://myschool.edu.au/SchoolProfile/Index/71094/KatherineSchoolOfTheAir/50009/2012Google Scholar
Australian Government. (2013). Why do we need to change the way schools are funded? Canberra, Australia: Author. Retrieved August 2013 from http://www.betterschools.gov.au/faqs/why-do-we-need-change-way-schools-are-fundedGoogle Scholar
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2011). National Professional Standards for Teachers. Melbourne, Australia: Author. Retrieved July 2012 from http://www.teacherstandards.aitsl.edu.au/static/docs/AITSL_National_Professional_Standards_for_Teachers_Final_110511.pdfGoogle Scholar
Beresford, Q., & Gray, J. (2012). Models of policy development in Aboriginal education. In Beresford, Q., Partington, G., & Gower, G. (Eds.), Reform and resistance in Aboriginal education (pp. 120–148). Perth, Australia: University of Western Australia Press.Google Scholar
Biesta, G. (2009a). Good education in an age of measurement: on the need to reconnect with the question of purpose in education. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 21 (1), 33–46. doi:10.1007/s11092-008-9064-9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biesta, G. (2009b). Good education: What it is and why we need it (Inaugural lecture). Stirling, Scotland: The Stirling Institute of Education, University of Stirling. Retrieved July 2012 from http://www.ioe.stir.ac.uk/documents/GOODEDUCATION–WHATITISANDWHYWENEEDITInauguralLectureProfGertBiesta.pdfGoogle Scholar
Brighouse, H. (2009). Moral and political aims of education. In Siegel, H. (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of philosophy of education (pp. 35–51). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Burns, C., & Henderson, P. (2010, 11 October 2010). No school, no service to start in Palmerston (Media release). Darwin, Australia: Northern Territory Government. Retrieved October 2011, from http://newsroom.nt.gov.au/index.cfm?fuseaction=printRelease&ID=7443Google Scholar
Caldwell, B.J. (2011). Educational reforms and school improvement in Australia. In Lee, J.C.-K.C.-K. & Caldwell, B.J.J. (Eds.), Changing schools in an era of globalization. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Connell, W.F. (1980). A history of education in the twentieth century world. Canberra, Australia: Curriculum Development Centre.Google Scholar
Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation (CRC-REP). (2011). CRC-REP Proposal: Remote education systems. Alice Springs, Australia: Ninti One Limited.Google Scholar
Cranston, N., Kimber, M., Mulford, B., Reid, A., & Keating, J. (2010). Politics and school education in Australia: A case of shifting purposes. Journal of Educational Administration, 48 (2), 182–195. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09578231011027842CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Creswell, J. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five tradition (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Department of Education and Training. (2012). Annual Report 2011-2012. Darwin: Northern Territory Government, Retrieved April 2013 from http://www.education.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/32601/DET_AnnualReport2011-12.pdf.Google Scholar
Department of Education. (2011). What is schoolwide positive behaviour support? Hobart, Australia: Author. Retrieved November 2011 from http://www.education.tas.gov.au/school/health/positivebehaviourGoogle Scholar
Gerver, R. (2010). Creating tomorrow's schools for today: Education — our children — their futures. London: Continuum International Publishing Group.Google Scholar
Gonski, D., Boston, K., Greiner, K., Lawrence, C., Scales, B., & Tannock, P. (2012). Review of funding for schooling (Final report). Canberra, Australia: Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Retrieved February 2012 from http://www.deewr.gov.au/Schooling/ReviewofFunding/Documents/Review-of-Funding-for-Schooling-Final-Report-Dec-2011.pdfGoogle Scholar
Guenther, J. (2012, October). Are we making education count in remote Australian communities or just counting education? Paper presented at the NARU Public Seminar Series, Darwin, Australia. Retrieved from http://naru.anu.edu.au/__documents/seminars/seminar_paper_guenther.pdfCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hannon, V., Patton, A., & Temperley, J. (2011). Developing an innovation ecosystem for education (White Paper). London: Innovation Unit for Global Education, Cisco Systems. Retrieved August 2012 from http://gelpspace.org/sites/default/files/related_documents/developing_an_innovation_ecosystem_for_education_cisco-iu.pdfGoogle Scholar
Hanushek, E.A., & Woessmann, L. (2009). Do better schools lead to more growth? Cognitive skills, economic outcomes, and causation (Working Paper Series, No. 14633). Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hattie, J.A. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.Google Scholar
Healing Foundation. (2012). Our healing our way: Alice Springs healing forum report. Canberra, Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation. Retrieved July 2012 from http://www.healingfoundation.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Alice-Healing-Forum-report.pdfGoogle Scholar
Hudson, S., & Millwater, J. (2009, June–July). ‘Over the Hill’ is not so far away: Crossing teaching contexts to create benefits for all through rural teaching experiences. Paper presented at the Teacher Education Crossing Borders: Cultures, Contexts, Communities and Curriculum conference of the Australian Teacher Education Association, Albury, Australia. Retrieved from http://atea.edu.au/ConfPapers/2009/Refereed/Hudson&Millwater.pdfGoogle Scholar
Hughes, H., & Hughes, M. (2012, June 26). Hughes: Neither race nor distance. The Advertiser. Retrieved from http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/hughes-neither-race-nor-distance/story-e6freai3-1226409511347Google Scholar
Istance, D. (2011). Innovative learning environments: An international OECD project (Seminar Series 210). Melbourne, Australia: Centre for Strategic Education. Retrieved July 2012 from http://www.innovations.sa.edu.au/files/links/Seminar_Paper_210_2.pdfGoogle Scholar
Jensen, B. (2012). Catching Up: Learning from the best school systems in East Asia (Grattan Institute Report No. 2012-3. Melbourne, Australia: The Grattan Institute. Retrieved September 2012 from http://grattan.edu.au/static/files/assets/00d8aaf4/130_report_learning_from_the_best_detail.pdfGoogle Scholar
Jensen, B. (2013). The myth of markets in school education (Grattan Institute Report No. 2013-7). Melbourne, Australia: The Grattan Institute. Retrieved August 2013 from http://grattan.edu.au/static/files/assets/de60db0d/myth_of_markets_in_school_education.pdfGoogle Scholar
Johnson, B., & Christensen, L. (2012). Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches, (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Kickett-Tucker, C., & Coffin, J. (2011). Aboriginal self-concept and racial identity: Practical solutions for teachers. In Purdie, N., Milgate, G., & Bell, H. (Eds.), Two way teaching and learning: Toward culturally reflective and relevant education. Melbourne, Australia: ACER Press.Google Scholar
Klenowski, V. (2011). Assessment for learning in the accountability era: Queensland, Australia. Studies In Educational Evaluation, 37 (1), 78–83. doi:10.1016/j.stueduc.2011.03.003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kral, I. (2007). WRITING WORDS—RIGHT WAY! Literacy and social practice in the Ngaanyatjarra world. Canberra, Australia. Australian National University. Retrieved from http://caepr.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/StaffProfiles/stafffiles/KRAL2007%20Writing%20words%20-%20right%20way!%20Literacy%20and%20social%20practice%20in%20the%20Ngaanyatjarra%20world.pdfGoogle Scholar
Lea, T., Thompson, H., McRae-Williams, E., & Wegner, A. (2011). Policy fuzz and fuzzy logic: Researching contemporary Indigenous education and parent–school engagement in north Australia. Journal of Education Policy, 26 (3), 321–339. doi:10.1080/02680939.2010.509813CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leadbeater, C. (2012). Innovation in education: Lessons from pioneers around the world. Dohar, Qatar: Qatar Foundation.Google Scholar
Leadbeater, C., & Wong, A. (2010). Learning from extremes. San Jose: Cisco. Retrieved April 2012 from http://www.cisco.com/web/about/citizenship/socio-economic/docs/LearningfromExtremes_WhitePaper.pdfGoogle Scholar
Lochner, L. (2011). Nonproduction benefits of education: Crime, Health and Good Citizenship. In Hanushek, E.A., Machin, S.J., & Woessmann, L. (Eds.), Handbook of the economics of education (Vol. 4). Amsterdam: North-Holland.Google Scholar
Lock, G. (2008). Preparing teachers for rural appointments: Lessons from Australia. The Rural Educator, 29 (2), 24–30.Google Scholar
Machin, S., Marie, O., & Vujić, S. (2011). The crime reducing effect of education. The Economic Journal, 121 (552), 463–484. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0297.2011.02430.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackay, H. (2010). What makes us tick?: The ten desires that drive us. Sydney, Australia: Hachette Australia.Google Scholar
Marples, R. (2010). What is education for? In Bailey, R. (Ed.), The philosophy of education (pp. 35–47). London: Continuum International Publishing Group.Google Scholar
Meadows, D. (2008). Thinking in systems: A primer. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Miller, P.W., & Voon, D. (2011). Lessons from My School. Australian Economic Review, 44 (4), 366–386. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8462.2011.00652.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2008). Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. Melbourne, Australia: Curriculum Corporation. Retrieved from http://www.mceecdya.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdfGoogle Scholar
More Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teachers Initiative. (2012). MATSITI Project Plan 2012–15. Adelaide, Australia: David Unaipon College of Indigenous Education and Research, University of South Australia. Retrieved July 2012 from http://www.matsiti.edu.au/docs/MATSITI-project-plan.pdfGoogle Scholar
Noddings, N. (2012). Philosophy of education (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Oakes, J., Lipton, M., Anderson, L., & Stillman, J. (2013). Teaching to change the world (4th ed.). Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers.Google Scholar
Oreopoulos, P., & Salvanes, K.G. (2011). Priceless: The nonpecuniary benefits of schooling. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 25 (1), 159–184. doi:10.1257/089533011798837765CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2006). Demand-sensitive schooling?: Evidence and issues. Paris: OECD Publishing.Google Scholar
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2012a). Better skills, better jobs, better lives: A strategic approach to skills policies. Paris: OECD Publishing. Retrieved August 2012 from http://skills.oecd.org/documents/OECDSkillsStrategyFINALENG.pdfGoogle Scholar
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2012b). Equity and quality in education: Supporting disadvantaged students and schools. Paris: OECD Publishing. Retrieved February 2012 from http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264130852-enGoogle Scholar
Osborne, S. (2012). Kuranyu-kutu tjungu ankunytjaku palu iwara yaaltjiwanu? Going forward together, but by which path? (Student Survey, Community Perceptions Survey & Mental Health and Wellbeing Survey). Alice Springs, Australia: Ninti One Limited.Google Scholar
Pearson, N. (2007). We need real reform in indigenous public schooling. Melbourne, Australia: Monash University, Faculty of Education. Retrieved July 2012 from http://www.education.monash.edu.au/indigenous-ed/docs/noelpearson-publicschooling.pdf.Google Scholar
Pearson, N. (2011). Radical hope: Education and equality in Australia. Melbourne, Australia: Black Inc.Google Scholar
Price, K. (2012). A brief history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education in Australia. In Price, K. (Ed.), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education: An introduction for the teaching profession (pp. 1–20). Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Productivity Commission. (2012). Schools workforce, research report. Canberra, Australia: Author. Retrieved July 2012 from http://www.pc.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/116651/schools-workforce.pdfGoogle Scholar
Purdie, N., & Buckley, S. (2010). School attendance and retention of Indigenous Australian students (Closing the Gap Clearinghouse Issues Paper No. 1, Cat no. IHW 33). Canberra, Australia: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; Melbourne, Australia: Australian Institute of Family Studies. Retrieved July 2011 from http://www.aihw.gov.au/closingthegap/documents/issues_papers/ctg-ip01.pdfGoogle Scholar
Rizvi, F., & Lingard, B. (2010). Globalizing education policy. London & New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Robinson, K. (2011). Out of our minds: Learning to be creative (2nd ed.). Chichester, UK: Capstone.Google Scholar
Ross, C.E., & Mirowsky, J. (2010). Why education is the key to socioeconomic differentials in health. In Bird, C., Conrad, P., Fremont, A., & Timmermans, S. (Eds.), Handbook of medical sociology (6th ed.). Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press.Google Scholar
Santiago, P., Donaldson, G., Herman, J., & Shewbridge, C. (2011). OECD reviews of evaluation and assessment in education: Australia 2011. Paris: OECD Publishing.Google Scholar
Sarra, C. (2011). Strong and smart: Towards a pedagogy for emancipation. New York: Routlege.Google Scholar
Schuller, T., Preston, J., Hammond, C.B.-G.A., & Bynner, J. (2004). The benefits of learning: The impact of education on health, family life and social capital. Abingdon, UK: RoutledgeFalmer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schütz, G., West, M.R., & Wößmann, L. (2007). School accountability, autonomy, choice, and the equity of student achievement: International evidence from PISA 2003. Paris: OECD Publishing. Retrieved July 2012 from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED503829.pdfGoogle Scholar
Sharplin, E. (2009, February). Quality of worklife for rural and remote teachers: A model of protective and risk factors. Paper presented at the International Symposium for Innovation in Rural Education, University of New England, Armidale, Australia. http://www.une.edu.au/simerr/ISFIRE/pages/ISFIRE_proceedings.pdf#page=212Google Scholar
Standing Council on Federal Financial Relations. (2012). National Education Agreement. Canberra, Australia: Council of Australian Governments. Retrieved from http://www.federalfinancialrelations.gov.au/content/npa/education/national-agreement.pdfGoogle Scholar
Standing Council on Federal Financial Relations. (2013). National Education Reform Agreement. Canberra, Australia: Council of Australian Governments. Retrieved from http://www.federalfinancialrelations.gov.au/content/other_related_agreements/current/National_Education_Reform_Agreement_2013.pdfGoogle Scholar
Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision. (2011). Overcoming Indigenous disadvantage: Key indicators 2011. Canberra, Australia: Productivity Commission. Retrieved from http://www.pc.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/111609/key-indicators-2011-report.pdfGoogle Scholar
Trudgen, R. (2000). Why warriors lie down and die. Darwin, Australia: Aboriginal Resource and Development Services.Google Scholar
Western Australia Department of Education. (2011). Aboriginal education plan for WA public schools 2011–2014. Perth, Australia: Author. Retrieved July 2012 from http://www.det.wa.edu.au/aboriginaleducation/detcms/cms-service/download/asset/?asset_id=12601552Google Scholar
What Works. The Work Program. (2011). Improving outcomes for Indigenous students: Successful practice (2nd rev. ed.). Melbourne, Australia: National Curriculum Services Pty Ltd and the Australian Curriculum Studies Association. Retrieved from http://www.whatworks.edu.au/upload/1300931817872_file_SuccessPrac2.pdfGoogle Scholar
Wright, E., Arnold, H., & Dandie, S. (2012). Improving School Enrolment and Attendance through Welfare Reform Measure (SEAM). Canberra, Australia: Social Policy and Economic Strategy Group, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Retrieved July 2012 from http://www.deewr.gov.au/Schooling/Programs/Documents/SEAM2010EvalReport.pdfGoogle Scholar
Zubrick, S., Silburn, S., De Maio, J., Shepherd, C., Griffin, J., Dalby, R., . . . Cox, A. (2006). The Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey: Improving the educational experiences of Aboriginal children and young people. Perth, Australia: University of Technology and Telethon Institute for Child Health Research.Google Scholar