Getting schools ready for Indigenous academic achievement: a meta-synthesis of the issues and challenges in Australian schools

Patterns of educational performance among Indigenous students in Australia, 2010–2019: Within-cohort, peer matching analysis for data-led decision-making

“…In contrast, our peer matching design offers unique opportunities to understand evidence-based patterns of performance among Indigenous students as a cohort in their own right. This allows for more detailed and actionable statistical insights on varying outcomes between peer matched groups of Indigenous students, complementing investigation of the systemic and institutional factors that contribute to a school being ready to support Indigenous learners (Anderson et al, 2022). Our findings support the utility of analysing this data using the peer matching approach, to enable potential identification of exemplar higher-performing schools within a comparable cohort, for example, by remoteness category, and using case study methodologies (see, e.g., Hancock et al, 2021;Hillage et al, 1998) to support subsequent detailed analysis of the school-level factors associated with differing educational outcomes for Indigenous students.…”

“…The research design for this work is predicated on the view that data-driven research has historically not been mobilised with the rights of Indigenous Peoples in mind. The educative history of Indigenous Australia is one of trauma and violence with 'native' institutions established specifically to prepare Indigenous people for a lifetime of servitude through the teaching of rudimentary numeracy and literacy skills (Anderson et al, 2022). Therefore, it is through a rights-based approach that foregrounds and privileges an Indigenous standpoint, that we may begin to deconstruct a system designed to exclude and oppress by uncovering the underlying contextual factors that impact Indigenous students' rights to education.…”

“…These frameworks rightly advocate for the inclusion of Indigenous peoples and voices in education initiatives that concern them. However, Anderson et al (2022) found the Australian education system frequently and unjustly attributes the underperformance of Indigenous students to Indigenous culture and peoples themselves, yet schools remain systematically unprepared for fostering Indigenous academic achievement, due to a number of factors including issues around effective data collection and reporting. Given these considerations, it is both timely and essential to adopt a rights-based approach, compelling educational systems to properly implement social justice and self-determination initiatives, in order to sustain successful outcomes for Indigenous Australian students.…”

“…As a result of their study, Anderson et al (2022) concluded that many Australian schools are not ready to educate Indigenous children and young adults, and that the insistence on comparing NAPLAN test scores between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children fails to account for the evident 'gap' in preparedness by the institutions that are testing these students.…”

“…Themes regarding barriers to 'school readiness' to support Indigenous learners, identified byAnderson et al (2022).…”