ACER eNews


Community input needed to improve Indigenous student engagement A focus on engagement, attendance and retention could help improve educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) researchers Dr Sarah Buckley and Ms Stephanie Armstrong told delegates to the ACER Research Conference on 9 August. “We know that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students on average have a lower level of participation in education than non-Aboriginal Australians, but we need to know more about why,” Ms Armstrong said. “Attendance is the end result, but it’s only part of the story. We need to know why students go or don’t go to class,” she said. “We need to better understand what engagement and success look like for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students,” Ms Armstrong said. Dr Buckley said that while there are some programs in place that aim to improve engagement, attendance and retention, few of these have been formally evaluated, and that more community input was needed. The researchers aim to spark community discussion about proposed strategies to improve engagement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, including: whole-school and whole-community approaches to education linkages between agencies responsible for education, health and housing, and comprehensive, ongoing professional development for teachers. “We're seeking the input of teachers and community leaders who are engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in education, so we can better understand what works. This community input will inform directions for research and new strategies,” Dr Buckley said. “We need to look at education through different cultural lenses to find solutions,” Ms Armstrong said. Further information about this presentation is available from http://research.acer.edu.au/research_conference/RC2011/9august/5/ « Back to eNews
Copyright © Australian Council for Educational Research 2013 All rights reserved. Except under the conditions described in the Copyright Act 1968 of Australia and subsequent amendments, no part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without written permission. Please address any requests to reproduce information to communications@acer.edu.au Subscribe Unsubscribe Australian Council for Educational Research Private Bag 55, Camberwell, Victoria Australia 3124 Tel: + 61 3 9277 5555 Fax: + 61 3 9277 5500 Web: www.acer.edu.au

A focus on engagement, attendance and retention could help improve educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) researchers Dr Sarah Buckley and Ms Stephanie Armstrong told delegates to the ACER Research Conference on 9 August.

“We know that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students on average have a lower level of participation in education than non-Aboriginal Australians, but we need to know more about why,” Ms Armstrong said.

“Attendance is the end result, but it’s only part of the story. We need to know why students go or don’t go to class,” she said.

“We need to better understand what engagement and success look like for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students,” Ms Armstrong said.

Dr Buckley said that while there are some programs in place that aim to improve engagement, attendance and retention, few of these have been formally evaluated, and that more community input was needed.

The researchers aim to spark community discussion about proposed strategies to improve engagement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, including:

whole-school and whole-community approaches to education
linkages between agencies responsible for education, health and housing, and
comprehensive, ongoing professional development for teachers.

“We're seeking the input of teachers and community leaders who are engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in education, so we can better understand what works. This community input will inform directions for research and new strategies,” Dr Buckley said.

“We need to look at education through different cultural lenses to find solutions,” Ms Armstrong said.

Further information about this presentation is available from http://research.acer.edu.au/research_conference/RC2011/9august/5/

Community input needed to improve Indigenous student engagement