Elizabeth McKinley writes in The Conversation (9.2.17) about how focusing on the “opportunity to learn gap” confronting Indigenous school communities removes the emphasis from locating “the problem” in the person, and turns our attention to the differences in access to educational resources.
‘Much attention in Australian Indigenous education is paid to the “achievement gap” and not nearly enough is paid to the “opportunity to learn gap” – this refers to the subject content students are exposed to in school.
‘Debates focusing on the achievement gap, where in 2014 only 59% of Indigenous students complete Year 12 or equivalent compared with 85% of their non-Indigenous counterparts, tend to place an emphasis on contextual factors such as the role of poverty or socioeconomic status as an explanation of lower educational achievement.
‘In the wider public, this can spiral quickly into blaming students and families, or gives schools and teachers permission to find some comfort in the status quo.’
- Stop focusing on ‘the problem’ in Indigenous education, and start looking at learning opportunities »
- Back to school – understanding challenges faced by Indigenous children »
- How to get quality teachers in disadvantaged schools – and keep them there »
- Infographic: Are we making progress on Indigenous education? »
- Is policy on Indigenous education deliberately being stalled? »
- Why more schools need to teach bilingual education to Indigenous children »
- New TAFE program for Aboriginal health-care students sees a near perfect completion rate »
- Indigenous art centres that sustain remote communities are at risk. The VET sector can help »
- Preschool benefits Indigenous children more than other types of early care »
- How can Australia support more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers? »
- ‘Stop measuring black kids with a white stick’: how to make school assessments fairer for all »
- ‘I am Country, and Country is me’: Indigenous ways of teaching could be beneficial for all children »
- ‘Decolonising’ classrooms could help keep First Nations kids in school and away from police »
- ‘Once students knew their identity, they excelled’: how to talk about excellence in Indigenous education »
- First Nations students are engaged in primary school but face racism and limited opportunities to learn Indigenous languages
- MK Turner Report calls for establishment of First Nations education system for Indigenous kids
- ‘That is the language they understand’: why Indigenous students need bilingual teaching at school
- ‘Co-design’ is the latest buzzword in Indigenous education policy. Does it live up to the hype?