Media Releases
Educating the Disadvantaged
Robert Carling |
01 October 2009
Every child can succeed at school if education providers take the right approach, says a new report being released Thursday.
In a collection of four essays, Educating the Disadvantaged reveals the diverse stories of those who have seen why some schools are failing to properly educate disadvantaged students.
‘Social disadvantage is being translated ineluctably into educational disadvantage. That need not be the case,’ says Jennifer Buckingham, CIS Research Fellow and editor and contributor of the report.
* Buckingham argues that opening the doors to different education providers has and will enhance innovation and educational outcomes.
‘Governments must become more open to the possibility of allowing more choice and freedom, both within and outside the government system,’ she says.
* Melbourne educator John Fleming tells the remarkable transformation stories of Bellfield Primary School and Haileybury College Berwick.
‘During my years at Bellfield, learning outcomes improved even when the level of economic disadvantage actually increased,’ says Fleming.
‘The research is there, the successful schools are there. We need to translate those successes to schools across the country because the education system is failing a lot of children.’
* Jean Illingworth, Principal of Djarragun College in far north Queensland, takes us inside the school Noel Pearson has called the ‘happiest place he has ever been’.
‘In spite of working from a miniscule budget, the college achieved what most other Indigenous schools in Australia are yet to achieve ... our boarders are begging to come back before the holidays have ended,’ she says.
‘We watch in desperation as bright young students migrate into Years 8, 9 and 10 and embrace the drug and alcohol-fueled culture that now dominates many Indigenous families. We watch with resignation as ABSTUDY payments are used to feed alcohol and drug habits that are starting at a younger and younger age.’
* Chris Goddard, who has devoted his life to child protection, argues that abused and neglected children will slip through the educational cracks unless vital statistics about their achievements are recorded.
‘There is no excuse for this lack of important data on the number of placements and the number of schools these children attend,’ he says.
‘Children who have been abused and/or neglected need the greatest educational stability but receive the least.’
These essays were first presented at a Centre for Independent Studies conference. Jennifer Buckingham, John Fleming, and Chris Goddard are available for comment.
All media enquiries to CIS: Elise Parham p: 02 9438 4377 m: 0428 280 819 e:This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The report is available online at http://www.cis.org.au/issue_analysis/IA116/IA116.pdf.
