CHAPTER 3
Australia's performance
Students cannot be disadvantaged
because they do not necessarily have the money to attend the greatest and best
school in the country or the state. Regardless of whether they are in the
corner of the Pilbara or in the leafy green suburbs of Perth they need to have
that access.[1]
3.1
This chapter provides a discussion of the successes and challenges
experienced by Australian students. The key national and international testing
programs are outlined and the performance of Australian students in literacy,
mathematics and science is examined. This data is used as a foundation to
examine the education outcomes of students facing particular challenges;
including an analysis of students from low socio-economic backgrounds, students
living in non-metropolitan areas, Indigenous students, and students with a
disability. Other factors which influence educational outcomes are also
discussed, with particular attention given to behavioural management, parental
engagement and support for students with a disability.
Australian performance in international and national testing
Background
3.2
The Productivity Commission concluded that despite the increase of
government investment in Australian schools, sufficient progress is not being
made in key areas such as literacy and numeracy. The Productivity Commission
surmised that:
Despite an increase in spending per student and falling class
sizes, there is evidence that student literacy and numeracy have declined in
recent years, and that Australia has fallen behind other high-performing
countries.
Australia does not perform as well as comparable countries in
giving students equal opportunity to realise their educational potential, irrespective
of their background or ability. The resulting educational disadvantage is
particularly evident among Australian students who are Indigenous, from low
socioeconomic backgrounds, have a disability or other special needs, or reside
in a rural or remote area.[2]
3.3
The key piece of assessment data to report on the performance of
Australian students in the international context is the OECD Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA). The test is a survey of 15 year olds,
from more than 65 mostly industrialised countries, and is conducted every three
years. PISA assesses the reading, mathematical and scientific literacy
achievements of students. PISA uses sample testing and approximately 14,000
Australian students participated in the survey in 2009. The schools and
students were randomly selected, and included students from each state and
territory and from each of the three school sectors.[3]
3.4
The test is sophisticated; the Australian Council for Educational
Research describes PISA as assessing 'young people’s ability to apply their
knowledge and skills to real-life problems and situations rather than how well
they have learned a specific curriculum'.[4]
Dr Ben Jensen described the PISA tests as 'not easy' and 'not rote learning'
and 'a much better test than anything we have nationally'.[5]
3.5
Two other commonly cited international tests are the Trends in
International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) and the Progress in
International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) tests. Both tests are administered
by the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER). TIMMS is conducted at
years 4 and 8, PIRLS at year 4 only. Both of these tests use sample testing of
schools and students and the tests are drawn from local curriculum. In contrast
to PISA, these two tests examine what students have learnt and not how students
apply this knowledge to real-life problems and circumstances. Surveys of
parents, educators and students are also conducted.[6]
3.6
At a national level, the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy
(NAPLAN) is an annual assessment of Australian students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9
that tests students in reading, writing, language and literacy.[7]
The test is funded by both the Commonwealth and the states and territories (the
latter on a pro rata basis).[8]
The test has been conducted in May each year since 2008, and results are
available four months later in September.[9]
The government attributes this four month wait to the time it takes to mark and
statistically analyse the test – this could be sped up if NAPLAN was delivered
online. The Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC)
has agreed that there is a 'strong rationale for online delivery of NAPLAN
tests' and noted that ACARA is working towards achieving this by 2016.[10]
The committee notes that this could present administrative difficulties for
those schools that do not have reliable access to the internet.
Perspectives on the value of testing
3.7
The results outlined below have caused some commentators to express
concern about the performance of Australian students in an international
context. However, others have urged a sense a perspective and for policy
makers, parents and politicians to read test results in the appropriate
context.
3.8
For example, in relation to the TIMMS and PERLS results, Emeritus Professor
Alan Reid wrote recently that it 'is simplistic to use test results from just
two year levels in only three areas of the curriculum, to make claims about
Australian education'.[11]
This is because while reading, mathematics and science are important, other
curriculum areas such as information technology, history, geography, literature
have not been assessed. Further, unlike the OECD PISA tests, the TIMMS and
PIRLS tests do not test high order problem solving or creativity. As outlined below,
Australian students do very well in international rankings on the more complex
OECD PISA tests by Year 9 – so perhaps all we can really take from Australia's
comparatively poor performances in TIMMS and PERLS is that primary school
provides a good foundation for high school achievement.[12]
3.9
A number of witnesses raised specific concerns about NAPLAN testing,
arguing that the testing is expensive and encourages teachers to 'teach to the
test'. [13]
Ms Lorraine Wilson, a retired teacher and deputy principal, described NAPLAN as
a 'huge, vindictive black cloud' and explained that:
It [NAPLAN] has just changed everything that is happening in
our schools. The sad thing about it is that NAPLAN is making all children run
the one race for education, and the ones who win are considered the winners.
They are the ones who will always have their photographs on the front of the
Age when they get the top NAPLAN scores. In education for every little child
there is a different route. Some of the most circuitous routes are the richest
and most educational.[14]
...
So much time is going on preparation for NAPLAN. Schools
start teaching the genre that is to be tested from almost after the last NAPLAN
test. Some schools started practising persuasive writing for this year's test
last November. So much weighting of the school's future is put on their NAPLAN
results.[15]
3.10
Mr Phil Cullen, former Queensland Director of Education, described
NAPLAN as 'the worst thing that has ever happened in Australian education' and
the 'biggest threat we have ever had to the cognitive development of young
children'.[16]
Ms Wilson suggested that sample testing, as is the case with international
testing such as PISA, should be used in Australia. This approach would enable
the effectiveness of education programs to be assessed periodically without
subjecting every child, every year, to testing.[17]
Mr Cullen and Ms Wilson agreed that responsibility for evaluating teaching and
learning on the individual level should be 'entirely in the teachers' hands'.[18]
3.11
In response to committee questioning, school principals rejected the
suggestion that they were teaching to the test and did not share the strident
criticism expressed above.[19]
For example, Haileybury Independent School submitted that NAPLAN testing is
useful because the data can contribute to building a professional culture and
bring a level of accountability to education.[20]
However, the Australian Council of Jewish Schools acknowledged that it had
heard of schools outside its network panicking about NAPLAN results.[21]
3.12
Professor Field Rickards described NAPLAN results as 'really, really
useful' however cautioned that teachers need to be trained how to use and interpret
NAPLAN data in order to improve education outcomes.[22]
The committee notes that the usefulness of NAPLAN data will be diminished if
some parents continue to withdraw their children from school on the day of the
tests.[23]
Conclusion
3.13
International and national testing have their limits. Critics are quite
correct to point out that there is more to successful schooling then just
literacy and mathematics, and that Australians may not wish to emulate the
different lifestyle that some students may have in other higher performing
countries. However success in these core subjects often sets students up for
success in other subjects such as history, sports science and art.
3.14
The concerns raised by Ms Wilson, Mr Cullen, and others, demonstrate the
importance of ensuring that parents, teachers and students understand the
purpose of NAPLAN. Students should not be stressing about NAPLAN exams, or
feeling judged by the results and schools should not be advertising their
NAPLAN scores to attract more students. The Australian Curriculum and Reporting
Authority has a special role to perform in this regard.
3.15
Testing results provide useful data on student performance, however
teachers need to be given training to understand and interpret evaluative data.
3.16
In the following pages Australian's performance in NAPLAN, OECD PISA and
to a lesser extent, TIMMS and PIRLS, is discussed. The key conclusion from the
data is that while the majority of students are benefiting from the education
system, Australian education policies are failing the most disadvantaged
students: those students from low socio-economic backgrounds, Indigenous
backgrounds, and students living in rural, remote and regional areas.
Recommendation 1
3.17
The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School
Education and Early Childhood, and the Commonwealth Government, provide
teachers with training on how to use and interpret evaluative data.
Mathematics and science
3.18
Australia's NAPLAN results reveal that performance in numeracy and
mathematics has remained static over the past 5 years. Internationally, there
is a 'slow but gradual decline of Australia's international ranking' with a
number of countries overtaking Australia by significantly improving their
mathematics performance.[24]
The table below, supplied by the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute
using PISA data, illustrates Australia's decline in mathematical performance
over 2000–2009.[25]
3.19
The 2009 PISA results indicate that twelve countries performed
significantly better than Australia in mathematical literacy in 2009, four
countries had mean scores similar to Australia's and all other countries –
including the United States and the United Kingdom – performed at a level
significantly below Australia.[26]
3.20
The TIMSS results released in December 2012 can be contrasted with the
PISA results. Australian Year 4 students were significantly outperformed by 17
countries in mathematics and by 18 countries in science. However, in the Year 8
cohort only 6 countries performed significantly better than Australia in
mathematics and 9 countries in science. The Australian Council for Educational
Research concluded that Australia's performances had 'largely stagnated over
the past 16 years'.[27]
3.21
The Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute advised the committee
that while most Year 12 students study some mathematics, the proportion of
students who are undertaking intermediate or advanced mathematics subjects is
in decline. For example, 41.5 per cent of year 12 students studied intermediate
or advanced mathematics in 1995, this dropped to 29.4 per cent in 2011.[28]
The TIMMS survey results indicated that student achievement was impacted by
resource shortages and teachers who did not feel confident teaching science
and/or mathematics.
3.22
Unfortunately, many students identify mathematics as difficult, not
enjoyable and not relevant to their future. A number of teachers of mathematics
are teaching out of field and do not possess relevant qualifications and
training. Many principals, particularly in rural areas and low socio economic
areas, find it challenging to fill vacancies in mathematics and science
disciplines. As a consequence, teachers may be required to teach outside their
discipline.[29]
3.23
The committee heard from a science teacher at a rural high school who
advised that he was the only qualified mathematics teacher at the school. Due
to staff shortages mathematics was taught by a Physical Education (PE) teacher,
who did not understand negative indices. Another PE teacher was required to
manage the agricultural program for the students. The witness advised the
committee that this was not the fault of the PE teachers – they are trained to
teach PE.[30]
3.24
There are remarkable differences in the level of teacher training in
discipline specific areas such as mathematics between metropolitan
non-metropolitan areas. The Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute
summarised that:
The percentage of teachers with three years or more tertiary
education in mathematics in Years 7 to 10 is 45% in metropolitan areas, and 37%
and 40 % in provincial and remote areas respectively. For Years 11 and 12,
teachers in provincial and remote areas also show comparatively less tertiary
education background in mathematics (57% and 43% respectively) than their
counterparts in metropolitan areas at 64%.[31]
3.25
The disparity between metropolitan and other areas is illustrated in the
table below, which represents the highest year level of tertiary education in
field by region in 2010.[32]
3.26
The data reveal serious performance gaps between metro students and
students located outside of metropolitan areas. Fewer Australian students are
studying intermediate and advanced mathematics in high school and Australia's
international performance reflects this. The consequences of declining
mathematic ability are grave. Fewer students are eligible to study subjects
that require intermediate and advanced mathematics and science skills, such as
engineering and health sciences. This contributes to skills shortages and also
is cyclical, with less students with mathematical and science degrees
qualifying as teachers. It is clear that prospective teachers need to receive
early advice of skills shortages in teaching, and consideration should be given
to ensuring that the appropriate incentives are in place to encourage skilled
mathematics and science graduates to pursue careers in teaching to fill hard-to-staff
positions.[33]
Literacy
3.27
In the 2009 OECD PISA survey, 6 countries performed better than
Australia in reading literacy: Shanghai (China), Korea, Finland, Hong Kong
(China), Singapore and Canada. Three countries achieved mean scores close to
Australia's: New Zealand, Japan and the Netherlands. All other countries,
including the United States and the United Kingdom, performed at a level
significantly below Australia.[34]
3.28
In the 2012 PIRLS results can again be contrasted with PISA: 21
countries performed at a significantly higher level than Australia in Year 4
reading. ACER reported that the results show that around a quarter of
Australian students are not reaching the minimal level of proficiency.[35]
This is the first time that Australia has participated in PIRLS so historical
comparisons cannot be made.
3.29
Some commentators linked teacher literacy with student literacy results,
suggesting that many teachers have not been taught how to teach language. One
witness reported that he was aware of at least one primary school teacher who
struggled to teach reading because in her four year education course 'she was
never taught' how to do this.[36]
Ms Misty Adoniou, Academic and Lecturer at the University of Canberra,
explained that while literacy skills are very important, teachers also require
language knowledge so that they can 'intervene' when students are struggling.[37]
Ms Adoniou provided the following example to illustrate this point:
A child writes, on Monday, in their journal: 'My sister go to
ballet'. The teacher is interested in the story and says, "Oh, that's
interesting; your sister goes to ballet. In English, we write 'goes'."
They are very good at correcting. Every teacher knows that it is 'my sister
goes to ballet'.
The next week, the child writes: 'I goes to soccer.' With the
correction, all they have understood is that it is not 'go' it is 'goes'. They
have not been told that, actually, the go and goes are dependent upon the
person. If you are a second-language learner, if you have been left to figure
that out for yourself, it could mean you being in the classroom for 1½ years
before you figure out that rule—or you could have a teacher tell you and you
would know it in one minute. We just do not have teachers who are aware of how
English works in that way. It is quite a deep knowledge that you need to have.[38]
3.30
A teacher needs to have such a deep knowledge of the English language
that he or she can explain to the child why language is used in a particular
way. This knowledge is important even with quite simple corrections to
language. Ms Adoniou provided another example of a child writing 'I rode in a
blue, big car':
We know that does not sound right. It is not a blue, big car,
it is a big, blue car. If our only explanation is, 'Oh, that doesn't sound
right in English. It's a big, blue car' then we have not told them that,
actually, we have preferential order of adjectives in English. We need to tell
them that colour goes closest to the noun. We just do not have this knowledge,
as teachers, generally speaking.[39]
3.31
Significantly, poor literacy will also have an impact on mathematics
performance once children are in year 5 and above. This is because mathematical
questions are no longer 'hands on' where students can play with blocks to
determine the answer to mathematic questions. Instead, questions become very
language based.[40]
3.32
The committee was heartened to hear of targeted programs to support
children who are functionally illiterate. The Macquarie University Multilit
program applied by the Exodus Foundation has remarkable results. The Reverend
Bill Crews provided evidence that students two years behind their peers can
catch up to year level after an 18 week intensive remedial intervention course.[41]
The organisation runs three literacy centres, two in Sydney and one in Darwin.
Having regard to the PISA results discussed in this section, unfortunately more
programs of this nature are needed in Australia.
3.33
Teacher quality is discussed in more detail in Chapters 4 and 5 of this
report.
Educational outcomes for different groups of students
In this section PISA data is used to examine the performance
of particular cohorts of students. This is possible because the 2009 PISA
survey broke down performance by state and territory and by particular groups.
Indigenous students
3.34
Indigenous students scored 82 points lower, on average, than
non-Indigenous Australian students in reading literacy (and 57 points below the
OECD average). ACER observed that this difference amounts to more than two full
years of schooling.[42]
This result was similar to the scores for scientific literacy. In mathematical
literacy, Indigenous students recorded 76 points lower, on average, than
non-Indigenous Australian students. This difference amounts to almost two full
years of schooling.[43]
3.35
The NAPLAN results are equally concerning; the Closing the Gap Report
2013 observed that:
Nationally, in 2012 across reading and numeracy, the
proportion of Indigenous students who are at or above National Minimum
Standards ranged from 64.7 per cent for Year 5 Reading to 74.4 per cent for
Year 7 Numeracy. In Persuasive Writing the best result was in Year 3 where 78.3
per cent of Indigenous students were at or above National Minimum Standards in
2012, and the poorest result was in Year 9 where only 48.8 per cent met the
National Minimum Standards.[44]
3.36
The NAPLAN results from 2008 to 2012 actually show a decrease in the
percentage of Indigenous students at or above National Minimum Standards in
Reading for Years 3 and 9.[45]
Overall, results for Indigenous students in remote areas are especially poor.
For example, 'in 2012 only 20.3 per cent of students in very remote areas
achieved at or above the National Minimum Standards in Reading, compared to 76
per cent in metropolitan areas'.[46]
3.37
The committee heard of efforts made by governments and the community
sector to support indigenous education. For example, the Smith Family runs the
Girls@the Centre program in Alice Springs. This program promotes parental
engagement and has resulted in improved attendance rates among participants –
the majority of whom are of Aboriginal background.[47]
The Exodus Foundation remedial literacy program, discussed earlier, also
supports literacy among Indigenous students in Darwin. Federal, state and
territory governments also have targeted programs to support Indigenous
education, including the HIPPY program discussed below.[48]
3.38
However, on balance, this data indicates that more innovative solutions
are necessary.
Recommendation 2
3.39
The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School
Education and Early Childhood continue to monitor the effectiveness of the
Close the Gap program and identify further measures to improve outcomes for
Indigenous students, particularly for Indigenous students in very remote areas.
Comparisons across school sectors
3.40
Students in the independent school sector attained significantly higher
scores than students in the Catholic and government sectors, and students in
the Catholic sector performed significantly better than students in the
government sector.[49]
However, these differences did not remain once mean scores were adjusted to
take into account individual student socioeconomic backgrounds and the school
average socioeconomic background. The best indicator of student performance is
socio-economic background – not whether a student attends a public, Catholic or
an independent school.[50]
This is discussed in the next section.
Socioeconomic background
3.41
There is no universal definition of socio-economic status, and any
definition is dependent on the indices used. The committee is aware of a range
of different definitions used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the
Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority and the Australian Council for
Educational Research.[51]
3.42
PISA measures socioeconomic background by taking into account economic,
social and cultural status.[52]
Across the three tests, the mean score for students from the highest
socioeconomic quartile was much higher than the other three quartiles – indeed
the schooling gap was between 1 and 3 years.
3.43
In relation to reading literacy, ACER provided the following examples of
performance from PISA:
- In reading literacy, students in the highest socioeconomic quartile
achieved a mean score of 562 points, which was 30 score points higher than the
average score of students in the third socioeconomic quartile, 58 score points
higher than students in the second socioeconomic quartile, and 91 score points
higher than students in the lowest socioeconomic quartile.
- The gap between students in the highest and lowest socioeconomic
quartile is equivalent to more than one proficiency level or almost three full
years of schooling. [53]
3.44
The results were similar in mathematical literacy where:
- [S]tudents in the lowest socioeconomic quartile scored on average 90
score points lower than those students in the highest socioeconomic quartile.
- Twenty-eight per cent of students in the lowest socioeconomic quartile
were not achieving Level 2 in mathematical literacy, compared to five per cent
of students in the highest socioeconomic quartile. Only six per cent of
students in the lowest socioeconomic quartile achieved Level 5 or above,
compared with 29 per cent of students in the highest socioeconomic quartile.[54]
3.45
The gap between the highest and the lowest socioeconomic quartiles in
Australia was even more pronounced in scientific literacy, ACER reported that:
- In scientific literacy, the gap between students in the highest and
lowest socioeconomic quartiles was, on average, 96 score points.
- Twenty-two per cent of students in the lowest socioeconomic quartile
were not achieving Level 2 in scientific literacy, compared to four per cent of
students in the highest socioeconomic quartile. Only six per cent of students
in the lowest socioeconomic quartile achieved Level 5 or above, compared with
28 per cent of students in the highest socioeconomic quartile.[55]
3.46
A number of submitters and witnesses emphasised the important role that
socio-economic background has on educational outcomes and expressed concern
that in Australia a student's background is a greater determinant of success
than in comparable high performing OECD countries. For example, the Smith
Family cited evidence from a 2012 Productivity Commission report that:
Australia does not perform as well as comparable countries in
giving students equal opportunity to realise their educational potential, irrespective
of their background or ability. The resulting educational disadvantage is
particularly evident among Australian students who are Indigenous, from low
socioeconomic backgrounds, have a disability or other special needs or reside
in a rural or remote area.[56]
3.47
If this trend is not halted, and if there continues to be great
disparity between the performance of Australia's highest and lowest performing
students then the consequences for Australia, as well as for each student, are
dire. The Smith Family explained that:
The individual and collective impact of not addressing this
situation is significant. Young people with poor educational outcomes are more
likely to experience unemployment and poorer health outcomes, and rely more
heavily on income support payments. This creates additional economic and social
costs for individuals and the community as a whole.[57]
3.48
Research by Professor John Hattie was cited by a number of submitters,
including The Smith Family.[58]
Professor Hattie's research concludes that students come to school with a range
of factors that will impact how they achieve in the classroom, such as family
background, pre-school learning, natural aptitudes and personal attributes.
Teachers cannot control these factors, however teachers can have an influence
on student learning by providing good or poor quality teaching – and principals
and the wider school community can have an influence on what happens at the
school more generally.[59]
Professor Hattie observed that students account for about 50 per cent of the
'variance of achievement' and 'teachers account for about 30 per cent of the
variance. It is what teachers know, do and care about which is very powerful in
this learning equation'.[60]
3.49
Mr Angelo Gavrielatos, Australian Education Union, submitted that the
socioeconomic background of students and a school community constrains the
ability of teachers to easily translate successful approaches in one school to
another school, because the challenges in a particular school are largely based
on the student demographic:
That is not to say we cannot learn from each other in terms
of trying to import good practice where it can work. The fact is that our
schools face many very different challenges, and those challenges are largely
driven or influenced by our student demographic. When the student demographic
at a particular school changes, so do the challenges. What we have seen,
regrettably, over the course of the last 15 years in Australia is a growing
segregation when it comes to student enrolment patterns and, as a result of
that, a growing and deepening concentration of disadvantaged kids in
disadvantaged schools—largely in public schools...[61]
3.50
Research conducted by the Smith Family, including the Making a
Difference project illustrates the impact that poverty can have on
children's capacity to participate in the school community. For example,
children experiencing poverty have constrained ability to attend sports clubs,
arts based programs, excursions and other extra-curricular activities.[62]
These are obstacles that cannot be overcome by changes to teacher quality or
family expectations. A common response to this study would be that
extra-curricular activities are 'add ons' to a good education, and that the
primary goal of education should be literacy and mathematical skills. However,
the committee was impressed by evidence provided by recent graduates from a
Perth selective high school, Mr Anish Badgeri and Mr Jonathan Israel. During
the Sydney hearing, Mr Badgeri and Mr Israel highlighted the crucial role
that extra-curricular activities play in the educative context, including
development of social awareness, a sense of belonging, obligation and
connection to a wider community and tolerance.[63]
3.51
Other witnesses argued that quality teaching and the expectations of teachers
and parents can overcome low socio-economic indicators.
Mr John Fleming from the Haileybury Independent School provided
examples where, through targeted teacher training in the explicit instruction
method, schools in low socioeconomic areas reported a prompt and significant
improvement in NAPLAN results.[64]
The examples that Mr Fleming gave during the Melbourne hearing are remarkable,
and strongly support his argument that socio-economic background should not
determine the success or otherwise of poorer children:
At Ballajura Primary School in Perth, three years ago they
were a sea of red in NAPLAN; all their cohorts were underperforming. Three
years later, after using explicit instruction, they are a sea of green—one of
the highest performing schools in Western Australia. With the state election
coming on, both sides of politics are saying, 'We will follow the Ballajura
model of explicit instruction'. If we go to South Australia, there is a school
I work with in Whyalla called Fisk Street Primary School. Here is some data
from them: in 2010, in that year 3 cohort in maths, they had 26 per cent of
their kids at national benchmarks. There are a lot of Indigenous kids at the
school and it is a very disadvantaged school. Two years later, after using
explicit instruction, they had 92 per cent of their kids meeting national
benchmarks. So they went from 26 per cent to 92 per cent—no change in the
cohort, just a change in the way the curriculum was delivered to those kids. If
we look at Queensland, Goondi is a school in Innisfail. It has 600 kids and
about 60 per cent of those kids are Indigenous. Over the last three years
through explicit instruction they have now got to a stage where in 2012, 12 of
their 15 areas that are measured by NAPLAN are now green. Their principal is
very confident that 15 out of their 15 areas will be green this year. Now what
has changed there? Explicit instruction.[65]
3.52
The committee heard that the 'explicit instruction' approach to teaching
is practiced elsewhere but is called different things:
You will find nuanced terminology for things that mean nearly
the same thing. Explicit instruction, focused learning episodes, direct
teaching, didactic pedagogy, all mean something similar but not exactly the
same. It means the teacher telling the child, 'Here is some specific
information. You need to know and understand it', or 'Here is a very specific
skill. I'm going to explain it to you, we're going to practise it and you're
going to master it.' It is teacher directed, explicit in that term—as I
understand it.[66]
3.53
Dr Kevin Donnelly, Education Standards Institute, agreed that
socio-economic background should not be a determinant of success, and described
his own upbringing in a housing commission estate as a positive example.[67]
Dr Donnelly cautioned against a 'victim mentality' that can pervade discussions
about the impact of socio-economic background on student achievement:
...I disagree with the victim mentality or the self-fulfilling
prophecy that because you grew up in, say, Broadmeadows or Western Sydney, or
you are from a non-English speaking background family, or your dad is a
labourer or your mum's working pulling coffee that somehow you are not as
capable as another kid. I would argue you are, and there are a variety of
factors that will determine that.[68]
3.54
Parents of all backgrounds can contribute in a positive way to their
child's capacity to learn. Dr Donnelly described how parents can engage their
children in learning in the home environment. For example,
[I]f your parents read to you, if they take you to the museum
or the galleries...and sit around the dinner table and talk over dinner and
engage about current affairs and politics and all the issues that we confront,
then all of that is beneficial. I was surprised to read a survey two weeks ago
that found 40 or 50 per cent of families eat dinner by the TV. I find that
horrendous because what is happening is kids are not engaging in that kind of
stimulation, that intellectual stimulation, that comes from eyeballing their
parents, talking and discussing, and obviously their parents reading to them. I
think the research says if you read to your kids four or five times a week they
will start off school ahead of the game.[69]
3.55
The Smith Family submitted that school-community partnerships are a key
way to maximise investment in schools, especially in low SES areas.[70]
Schools operating on this model provide extended services before and after
school to students and the general community. Services may include additional
academic support, youth development, family support and social services.[71]
These partnerships encourage families, students and communities to participate
in the life of the school and support improved educational outcomes.
3.56
The federal government has funded programs through the National
Partnership Agreement on Low Socio-economic School Communities to improve the
education outcomes for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. State and
territory governments are also implementing a number of initiatives targeting
these groups of students, particularly those from non-metropolitan areas and
Indigenous students.[72]
3.57
Of particular note are government initiatives targeted at supporting
parents to support their children, as these are likely to have the biggest
impact.[73]
The Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY) is a two-year
home-based parenting and early childhood program designed to help parents and
carers to 'be their child's first teacher'.[74]
Home tutors from the local community work with parents 'to ensure that children
start school on an equal footing with their more advantaged peers'.[75]
3.58
The HIPPY program commenced in 2008 and is run by the Brotherhood of St
Lawrence. The program targets disadvantaged areas with a high proportion of
young children. Currently the program is run in 20 locations across Australia,
and the government has allocated funding to increase this to 100 by 2015.[76]
3.59
An evaluation of the HIPPY program in 2011 found that the program was
appropriate and cost-effective, however further work needs to be done to ensure
that more Indigenous families are engaged in the program. The effectiveness of
the program was measured by a two-year longitudinal study, which compared the
outcomes of one group that received HIPPY and one that did not.[77]
The results indicated that the goals of HIPPY were being achieved. Relevantly
for this inquiry, parents felt more confident raising their child and children
liked to read for longer periods of time. The impact on children's preparedness
for school is also significant. The report found that:
- The gap observed in HIPPY children’s early numeracy and early
literacy skills at the beginning of the program, compared with the Australian
norm, had closed by the end of the program.
- HIPPY children had fewer problems with their peers—which is one
of the five measures of the child’s socio-emotional adjustment.
- For parents who completed more of the program rather than less of
the program, their child displayed higher levels of pro-social behaviour—a
second measure of the child’s socio-emotional adjustment.[78]
3.60
The evaluation concluded that overall:
The evaluation provides a strong evidence base as to the
effectiveness of HIPPY, which sets it apart from most other early childhood
parenting programs in Australia. Significant positive impacts were found across
a number of important developmental domains and spheres of influence, including
the child, the parent, the home learning environment and parents’ social
connectedness and inclusion.[79]
Committee view
3.61
The committee strongly supports the view that all children can succeed
at school regardless of socio-economic background. Parents play an important
role in supporting children, particularly prior to the commencement of school. Initiatives
such as the HIPPY program demonstrate that with support, all parents and
guardians can promote reading and literacy during the pre-school years. Initiatives
such as the Smith Family's program in Alice Springs also demonstrate the value
of parental engagement for older children.
3.62
The committee is impressed by the short-term NAPLAN results achieved by
Mr John Fleming in schools with children from low socio-economic backgrounds. A
more detailed empirical assessment has not yet been conducted, however the
initial evidence supports the arguments that teacher quality has a strong
influence on student achievement and that student performance is not dictated
by socio-economic background.
Recommendation 3
3.63
The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School
Education and Early Childhood Development and the Catholic and Independent
school sectors work to ensure continued investment in programs with proven
effectiveness that assist parents and guardians to support the education of
their child, beginning in early childhood.
Rural, remote and regional
3.64
PISA also reported on the differences in performance of students in
metropolitan, provincial and remote schools.[80]
In reading literacy the gap between students in metropolitan and remote schools
is the equivalent of one and half years of schooling. Six per cent of students
from remote schools performed at the higher end of the reading literacy
proficiency scale. This can be sharply contrasted with 8 per cent of students
from provincial schools and 14 per cent from metropolitan schools.[81]
The gap in mathematical literacy and scientific literacy between students in
metropolitan and remote schools is almost 18 months of schooling. [82]
3.65
The NAPLAN testing also shows a large disparity between metropolitan
students and rural students. In practical terms, 'students in metropolitan
schools at the end of year 8 are performing as well on average as kids in
country schools halfway through year 10'.[83]
Mr Duncan Taylor explained the NAPLAN results for New South Wales:
New South Wales NAPLAN testing indicates that in 2011 11 per
cent of year 9 metropolitan students failed to reach minimum standards in
writing. But in remote schools over 47 per cent failed to reach these
standards. In very remote schools over 50 per cent failed. While 5 per cent of
year 9 metropolitan students failed to reach minimum standards in numeracy, 24
per cent of remote students failed as did 37 per cent of very remote students.
Not surprisingly, these poor outcomes in middle secondary school translate into
poor tertiary participation.[84]
3.66
Ms Corinda Hollis, a 16 year old student attending Trinity Catholic
College (Lismore) described living in a rural area as 'both a blessing and, in
some ways, a disadvantage' that had 'created a lot of questions regarding my
education'.[85]
Ms Hollis attended the local Catholic primary school in her home town of
Casino, however decided to change to travel further afield for high school:
Throughout my early education I attended primary school in
Casino at the local Catholic school, a reflection of both my parents' and my
family's values. In terms of my education, my first real challenge and a major
choice for me was looking at where to go for high school. There are a few high
schools in my local area, but I and my family chose to look further away and to
a more regional area and city for both academic purposes and the opportunity to
study a creative arts subject, as dance is one of my major passions. It is not
so accessible in those rural areas and particularly my area. I discovered that
it was quite difficult to leave friends and community behind and to have to
adapt to that new community.[86]
3.67
Ms Hollis was fortunate to have the financial resources and personal
resilience to choose a high school further away from home. However, Ms Hollis called
for an awareness of the particular challenges faced by rural students when
accessing education and the need for all rural students to have:
[T]he same opportunity as people everywhere else to excel in
what they do and not have the quality of their education and extension determined
by their rural postcodes.[87]
3.68
Mr Duncan Taylor, Isolated Children's Parent's Association, observed
that 'in rural and remote areas, the problem with education is a problem of
critical mass'.[88]
This manifests in obvious ways, such as the lack of specialist teachers and
limited variety of extra-curricular activities, but also, for example, because
rural schools tend to be smaller, the administrative burden on teachers is
often higher because there is an absence of appropriate administrative staff.[89]
This means that it is harder for teachers and principals to focus on learning.
3.69
The critical mass problem can be solved in a number of ways. One idea
which has gained traction overseas is the cluster management of schools, to
lessen the administrative burden of individual schools.
3.70
The committee heard that many independent and government schools in
rural areas work collaboratively to ensure that students can have as many
opportunities as possible. Mr Barr, National Chair, Association of Heads of
Independent Schools Australia, reported that:
I will give you an example of a school I left after 10 years
as principal—Scotch Oakburn College in Launceston. We had three independent
schools, in that relatively small regional city. Each student in year 11 or
year 12 was allowed to choose a subject at one of the other schools—those
independent schools and the state schools as well—in order to increase the
subject choice for them. That happens in Hobart, too. My knowledge is more of
Tasmania, but I am sure it happens in lots of other ways, too. It also happens
in sharing trade possibilities. We also sent students to alternative
institutions, one of them being a state college, for VET training and that sort
of thing. So yes, there is a lot of sharing. I think you will find across the
country, particularly in smaller regional and remote areas, that sharing does
take place. And it has to take place; you have to be innovative.[90]
3.71
Schools can also become educational hubs by supporting education in a
local town both in early childhood education and distance tertiary education.[91]
Mr Taylor provided an example of a community hub in a rural area that also
promoted access to tertiary distance education:
There is a school not far from us that I understand is now
inviting students who are doing university study to come into the school, to
use the technology, to use the video conferencing to access their university
tutors, and to avail themselves of teachers who might be able to help them with
creating Excel spread-sheets or word-processing assessment tasks and provide
that support. What that will do is not only support those students so we have
less dropout in tertiary education but also raise the whole expectation in
country towns of being able to go on and participate in tertiary education. A
lot of the low participation rates in tertiary education are because there is a
low expectation that that is actually a realistic pathway for students to take.
But if there are tertiary education students at the schools with the high
school students, actually using these facilities to participate in tertiary
education, that might start to turn around.[92]
3.72
The Isolated Children's Parents' Association of NSW suggests that policy
makers should focus on recruiting rural students to teaching because the
evidence is that these students are more likely to return and teach in rural
areas – even if they attended metropolitan universities.[93]
Mr Taylor, called for teaching and learning and innovation to be prioritised in
rural and remote areas in Australia. Mr Taylor explained that:
We cannot keep doing the same thing and expect the gap to
narrow or for the situation to improve. We have to concede that we have a
crisis in educational opportunity and outcome in rural and remote areas, set
ourselves targets for improvement and become accountable for making that
improvement happen. That will require innovation. That will require translating
successful programs for isolated students from other schools within Australia
and internationally and multiplying those programs across our own schools. That
will require collaboration rather than competition in our rural schooling
sector.[94]
Committee view
3.73
To reiterate the view expressed by Ms Hollis earlier in this section,
rural students must not be disadvantaged because of their rural postcode.
Australian governments at all levels must work to support rural teachers,
principals and communities to provide the best education to rural students. The
committee notes the evidence provided earlier in this chapter that rural and
remote schools often struggle to recruit qualified maths and science teachers.
It is crucial that appropriate incentives are in place to encourage teachers to
work in hard-to-staff positions across Australia, including those in remote and
rural locations.[95]
Recommendation 4
3.74
The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School
Education and Early Childhood, and the Catholic and Independent school sectors,
urgently work to identify measures to close the gap between educational outcomes
for rural and remote students and metropolitan students. Funding measures may
be required to ensure that each student is given every opportunity to thrive
and reach their full potential.
Recommendation 5
3.75
The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School
Education and Early Childhood, and the Catholic and Independent school sectors review
the current incentives arrangements for hard-to-staff positions in metropolitan,
regional, remote and rural schools, to ensure that these are appropriate.
Immigrant status and language
background
3.76
Immigrant status and language background did not have a significant
impact on attainment in the reading literacy test. ACER reported that:
-
No significant differences were found between the average reading
literacy scores of Australian-born and foreign-born students.
-
No significant differences between the average reading
performances of students who spoke English as their main language at home
compared to those students whose main language at home was a language other
than English.
-
There were 12 per cent of Australian-born students, 16 per cent
of first-generation students and 14 per cent of foreign-born students who
achieved the higher levels in reading literacy.
-
14 per cent of Australian born students, 11 per cent of
first-generation students and 15 per cent of foreign-born students failed to
reach the satisfactory level in reading literacy.[96]
3.77
First generation and foreign born students performed well in
mathematical literacy. ACER reported that Australian born students attained a
mean score significantly lower than the average score attained by
first-generation students. ACES advised that there were no significant
differences between the average scores of Australian-born and foreign-born
students, nor between the scores of first-generation and foreign-born students.
There were no significant differences found in the average mathematical
literacy performance of students who spoke English as their main language at
home compared to those students whose main language at home was a language
other than English.[97]
3.78
In scientific literacy, Australian-born students attained a mean score
that was significantly lower than first-generation students and similar to the
mean score for foreign born students. On average, students who spoke English at
home scored significantly higher in scientific literacy (532 score points) than
did students who spoke a language other than English (512 score points).[98]
3.79
The evidence indicates that foreign born and first generation Australian
students are generally well served by the education policies. However, this
data is represented in terms of means, medians and averages. The experience of
some students who have moved to Australia from overseas can be very
challenging. During the Sydney hearing Mr Habib Mohammadi, a public High School
student, told the committee about the particular difficulties he faced when he
first enrolled in an Australian school:
I came from Pakistan about five years ago, but I was born in
Afghanistan. I never went to school in Pakistan or Afghanistan. I was raised in
Pakistan. When I came here, the education was totally different for me to
study. I did not know how to speak English, read, write or talk with others. I
went to a language school and went to primary school in the first year, which
did not help me a lot. Then I moved to Cranbourne Secondary College and started
year 7. I still did not know how to read or write, but I was lucky enough that
I had good teachers helping me out through the year and I learned a lot in that
year.
The first year of my secondary school was really bad due to a
lot of discrimination, racism and bullying against my culture and me which I
experienced. I started playing footy. That was the same thing as the first two
years. I was getting a lot of discrimination on the ground, getting told off
and getting told to go back to my country, which was really sad. I thought the
difference in the first two years was that I could not find the difference
between my country, Pakistan and here. There was no difference. It was
basically the same thing. I was not feeling safe at school.[99]
3.80
Mr Mohammadi explained that in Year 9 he decided to take action and
started working with the City of Casey youth community workers with whom he set
up a program called Multi-Pride to support students from different cultures,
particularly to address racism and bullying. Together the students 'try to
solve the problems and help others to feel safe and learn more'.[100]
Mr Mohammadi shared that student outcomes in the Afghan migrant community are
improving, and he links this to a decrease in bullying:
In my last few years at school, everyone in the Afghan
community was getting a score of 50 or 60. Last year a student got 98, and it
was the top student in the Afghan community. One of the reasons was that it was
a safe environment for him. There was no bullying or racism going on. He was
just focusing on his study rather than having conflict with other persons
saying your culture is this or that.[101]
3.81
Mr Mohammadi explained that he is committed to school, and grateful to
the teachers who stayed back late to tutor him in English. However, he would
like more time each week to be spent studying the English language:
We only do four periods a week. It does not help me a lot,
but it does help in some places. We need more of that. I do outdoor education,
which is basically about working in the environment. Some of the words used in
that subject are really challenging for me. And there is psychology as well,
which I had never heard of in my country, which I did in year 10. Some of the
words used are challenging, so what I want from the government is more time for
people to learn vocabulary and for teachers to help students if they need it.[102]
3.82
It is not surprising that student educational outcomes improve when
school is a safe place and appropriate social supports are in place. The
committee trusts that any changes to school funding, currently the subject of
negotiation between the states and territories with the Commonwealth, will take
into account the particular needs of students from non-English speaking
backgrounds.
Other factors that influence student achievement
3.83
In addition to socio-economic status, cultural background and geographic
location there are other factors that influence achievement. The most
significant of these are teacher and parental expectations, and effective
behavioural management.
Behavioural issues
3.84
Many teachers are concerned about student behaviour and classroom
management, although opinions were mixed as to the cause of poor behaviour.
3.85
The committee received evidence in camera from a teacher
that student behaviour is the 'major contributor to a child's learning' and
that students who are well behaved have better learning outcomes. The committee
was told that:
[W]ell-behaved children learn a great deal better and a great
deal more than poorly behaved children. It should not be the teacher's
responsibility to fix this...I find there is relatively little focus on
supporting teachers with student behavioural issues, which teachers themselves should
not need to manage. As professionals, we could do with greater responsibility
from government to put in place sufficient deterrents to ensure that a more
civil environment for every child can be obtained in every single school in
this country. We have an educational crisis and the solution is not to put
greater pressure on teachers but to release them from added burdens.[103]
3.86
The confidential witness told the committee that teachers 'are in
no way resourced and never will be properly skilled' to deal with the excesses
of student behaviour and this behaviour is 'a constant, disruptive and wasteful
input into a classroom'. One example of poor behaviour was particularly
concerning. The witness advised the committee that once he had dealt with the behaviour,
he then needed to console and calm down the remaining students. The emotional
impact on the well behaved students constrains their ability to learn long
after the problematic student has left the classroom. The committee heard that
a good principal will support teachers, have autonomy and a sense of what it is
really like in the classroom. Poor student behaviour is exacerbated when
teachers are not supported by the school principal to manage student behaviour.
3.87
Mr Christopher Watt, Independent Education Union of Australia,
acknowledged that there are no simple answers. However, he suggested that many
behavioural problems stem from poor literacy and numeracy and could be
prevented through early intervention:
My view is that if we put more appropriately targeted
resources into those early years to make sure that every child is able to read
and write and do basic numeracy then some of the issues that I have encountered
as a secondary teacher would be mitigated. When they are in year 8 or year 9
they have become totally disconnected from their learning. They have not been
able to do much learning for the previous five or six years because they did
not learn to read well in the early years because there was no reading support
or reading recovery teachers provided. If we did that, those would be engaged
in learning because they can learn. I think some of the disconnect in terms of
kids in the classroom is because they missed out along the way and it was not
addressed.[104]
3.88
Mr Barr, National Chair, Association of Heads of Independent Schools
Australia, suggested that behavioural issues can have a number of causes, some
of which rest with the teacher. For example, it is important to consider
whether the teacher is engaging and able to properly engage students in the
subject matter, and that the learning style is 'appropriate to the culture and
context of a particular school'.[105]
3.89
Mr Watt submitted that quality teaching practice and proper resourcing
within classrooms can address challenging behaviour. Mr Watt explained that:
I think teachers by and large have recognised that the old
models of teaching do not work and did not work for a range of kids. Teachers
have been retraining themselves and there are quite different approaches going
on in classrooms now to ensure that teachers are better engaged. But teachers
need continued assistance with that because, as we know, it is quite an aged
workforce. Many of them started on average over 20 years ago when some of the
child centred project learning work was not understood, was not taught in
pre-teacher training and certainly was not developed in their early years. So I
think there is work that can still be done with the profession.
Another element goes to the basic resourcing within
classrooms, with respect to those students' behaviours. Sometimes they are
behaviours that relate to the child themselves, rather than the learning
environment, so we need resources around that. There is significant work
underway in terms of students with a disability, and some additional resources
are being put in there—and new standards and what have you. I do not want to
confuse that work with these students who have particular behavioural needs,
but we need a similar body of work around these kids to assess what their needs
are.[106]
3.90
Parents and caregivers also need to take responsibility for ensuring
that students are aware of what behaviour is appropriate at school.
Unfortunately this does not always happen, the Independent Education Union of Australia reported that:
We have had members—and I have seen it in my own
teaching—who, when they challenge a child's behaviour and say, 'You wouldn't do
that at home', they are told, 'Yes, I do' or 'Yes, I can'. And if you ask the
parents to be engaged with some of that, they are not interested—they just say,
'That's the school's issue; they're your responsibility while they're at
school—you deal with it'. I think that has been a significant shift in the way
the expectations placed on schools have moved. It is manifest in a range of
other things, for example all of the additional curricula requirements, whether
it is bike education, driver education, drug education, stranger danger—all of
which are important and good things, but more and more things seem to be put
onto schools that historically have been the domain of the broader community.[107]
3.91
Mr Taylor observed that the current policy of encouraging students to
remain in schooling until the end of year 12 has resulted in some lost
opportunities for many students and contributed to some behavioural problems:
The government has made schooling go now to later years. It
is more difficult to leave school early. We are finding out in rural and remote
schools that that is possibly a retrograde step, because students that would
previously have left school and gone into a vocation or a trade, or just left
school anyway, are now staying at school, and often the behavioural problems
that result from that are making it difficult for the students who want to stay
at school and continue to study. So I think lengthening the years that people
stay at school has increased behavioural problems, and I think it is incumbent
on the community or on the schooling sector to provide those kids with
something useful to do while they are at school if they are students who would
otherwise have left. It is no good regulating to make these students stay at
school but not changing curriculums and the capacity to cater for them. The
growth in vocational education in schools has been one thing that has assisted
to keep these students engaged, but I still think it is a terrible problem.[108]
3.92
It is important that students who are 'good with their hands' and not
academically minded are provided with opportunities to achieve their potential
outside of the school environment.[109]
Failure to provide such opportunities can result in disruptive behaviour.
Committee view
3.93
Classroom management is a complex task that teachers, principals and
parents need to support each other to achieve. Schools need to be safe and
rewarding places to learn and work. Students must also be encouraged to take
personal responsibility for their learning.
Recommendation 6
3.94
The committee recommends that the Australian Institute for Teaching and
School Leadership ensure that university teaching programs provide appropriate
practical and theoretical training to pre-service teachers in effective
behavioural management.
Recommendation 7
3.95
The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School
Education and Early Childhood, and the Catholic and Independent school sectors,
consider initiatives to better support teachers and principals to effectively
manage behaviour in Australian schools.
Expectations
3.96
An often overlooked factor that has a significant impact on student
achievement is parent and teacher expectations of students. Children from
disadvantaged backgrounds can, and should, perform well at school.
3.97
The importance of expectations was studied in the TIMMS and PIRLS
questionaries, with interesting results. Those students performed better on the
tests had parents who expected they would complete a university degree:
Parents’ aspirations for their children have been found to
strongly predict a student’s own educational aspirations, and in turn these
strongly predict student achievement. Results from the Home questionnaire
provided evidence for a relationship between parents’ aspirations for their
10-year-old child and student achievement. Students whose parents expected that
they would complete at least a university degree significantly and
substantially (44 points in reading, 47 points in mathematics, 48 points in
science) outperformed students whose parents expected their child to complete a
TAFE qualification or similar (post-secondary but not university), as well as
those whose parents did not expect them to complete anything past secondary
education.[110]
3.98
The key reason outside the classroom that students from a disadvantaged
background are more likely to perform poorly is low expectations. Professor
John Hattie's research found that parental expectations had the largest impact
on student outcomes (in terms of factors that originate with parents). This
had a bigger impact on student performance than other factors such as parental
communication with the school or having a quiet place to study.[111]
3.99
Dr Kevin Donnelly submitted that the expectations of teachers are just
as important as the expectations of parents, and we should not accept that
children with low SES backgrounds will perform poorly. During the Melbourne
hearing Dr Donnelly submitted that 'Parenting is important but I would
still argue good teachers with an effective curriculum should be able to pick
up kids who do not always have that benefit'.[112]
Dr Donnelly praised the student results obtained by Mr John Fleming,
discussed earlier. Prior to working at Haileybury Mr Fleming worked as a
principal at a school that was:
..very low SES, very working-class, very migrant, but he had
excellent results in NAPLAN and his argument was 'No excuses; set the bar high,
make the teachers work hard, make the kids work hard.' Give them a good quality
curriculum and you can achieve things.[113]
3.100
Professor Field Rickards, Dean of Education, University of Melbourne,
told the committee that it is challenging for some parents to have high
expectations for their children when they themselves have not completed high
school, however teachers can overcome this:
What teachers have to have is the highest expectations for
every child; and one of the dangers of concentrations of children and students
who come out of families where many of them have probably not gone past year 9
or 10 in education is that the expectations for these students are low. That is
something we have to change. I have seen some shocking examples of that—where
because there has been a high Indigenous population, 'Well, they won't learn
anything,' and, of course, they do not.[114]
3.101
Professor Rickards discussed a study into the learning outcomes for
children with hearing loss. The study found that the most important factor for
those children with appropriate levels of literacy was expectations, and those
children who had teachers and parents with high expectations had the best
outcomes.[115]
This example can be applied to teaching generally.
Committee view
3.102
The evidence clearly indicates that alongside teachers, parents and
guardians play a critically role important in their children's education.
Recommendation 8
3.103
The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School
Education and Early Childhood work with the Catholic and Independent School
sectors to further develop programs to ensure that parents and guardians have the
highest expectations for each child, regardless of socio economic status.
Students with a disability
3.104
Children with a Disability Australia (CDA) reports that 'on every
measure students with disability are performing more poorly than their peers in
Australian schools'.[116]
CDA provided the following evidence to support this observation:
- 63 per cent of school children with disability experienced
difficulty fitting in at school;
-
29.6 per cent of people aged 15 to 64 years with reported
disability had completed Year 12 compared to 49.3 per cent of people without a
disability;
-
12.7 per cent of people with a disability had completed a
bachelor degree or higher compared to 19.7 per cent of people without a
disability; and
-
Around 15% of Australian students require additional assistance
but only 5% receive funded supports.[117]
3.105
The Australian Education Union (AEU) reports that 78 per cent of
students with a disability are concentrated in public schools. [118]
While targeted funding is provided for students in public schools, the AEU
advised that the increased funding has 'not been sufficient' to meet the needs
of an increasing number of students.[119]
3.106
CDA reported that the Catholic and independent sectors also enrol
students with a disability and particularly struggle to access adequate funding
supports for students and often rely on donations from parents, Medicare and
internal funds.[120]
For example, the Australian Council of Jewish Schools reported that it receives
minimal funding from the government for 'a significant number of students who
suffer intellectual and/or physical disabilities'.[121]
On average, four per cent of its student population has a disability, with one
school having a disability rate of 15 per cent.[122]
3.107
The CDA submission provides a number of examples where governments,
teachers, schools and communities have failed to provide appropriate support to
children with disability. At times, where funding is unavailable, schools have
only allowed the child to attend part-time or even for just an hour a day.
These problems are exacerbated because of an increase in the number of children
with disability. For example, demand for the NSW Government program that
supports students with disability has increased by 144 per cent in the past
decade.[123]
At the beginning of the decade, 2.7 per cent of enrolled students received
funding from the NSW government due to disability, in 2012 this had increased
to 6.7 per cent of students.[124]
3.108
The increasing number of students with a disability places more pressure
on teachers. However, the majority of teachers do not hold special education
qualifications. A South Australian study reported that only 4.4 per cent of
teachers in that state held the relevant qualifications.[125]
The AEU agreed that teachers are often not well prepared to teach students with
disabilities, and this will have an impact not only on the student with a
disability but also the other students in the class.[126]
3.109
Teaching competencies, including teaching students with a disability,
are articulated in the National Professional Standards for Teachers. CDA calls
for 'a major investment in professional training' to ensure that these
standards are met (and exceeded).[127]
3.110
The CDA acknowledges that a number of the concerns outlined in its
submission are 'beginning to be addressed' by a number of current initiatives.
These include:
-
More Support for Students with Disabilities National Partnerships
(aimed at capacity building in all education systems);
-
Nationally Consistent Data Collection (COAG initiative to address
the inconsistent definitions of disability in school systems and collecting
data to assist with the new funding system for schools); and
-
The National Curriculum (work by ACARA to develop materials for
students with a disability within the National Curriculum).
Committee view
3.111
The committee supports CDA's vision that one day:
[C]hildren and young people with disability living in
Australia are afforded every opportunity to thrive, achieve their potential and
that their rights and interests as individuals, members of a family and their
community are met.[128]
3.112
The presence of special needs will often impact upon a student's ability
to perform well at school, however supports must be in place to ensure that
each student can learn to the best of their ability. Expectations of parents
and teachers are important. Students also need infrastructure and specialist
support. The committee is aware of the current federal and COAG initiatives to
students with a disability, and hopes that the outcomes of these programs will
benefit students in government, Catholic and independent schools. The National
Disability Insurance Scheme will provide further support to children with
disabilities, once the program is rolled out. In the short-term, any discussion
about increases to school funding needs to focus on supporting the particular
needs of students with disability to ensure that a 'learning/education service'
not just a 'disability service' is provided to students.[129]
Recommendation 9
3.113
The committee recommends that Commonwealth Government work with state
and territory governments and the Catholic and Independent school sectors to
ensure that adequate funding for support is provided to all students with a
disability, to ensure that each student with a disability is given every
opportunity to thrive and reach their potential in a safe and appropriate
environment.
School autonomy
3.114
The committee is aware that a number of states and territories have been
trialling programs to provide public schools with greater autonomy. The degree
of autonomy varies between states. The Western Australian Government's
Independent Public Schools initiative gives schools greater flexibility to
respond to the needs of their local community; principals can recruit staff and
control the school's budget.[130]
The Queensland Government also recently announced the expansion of their
Independent Schools program.[131]
Victoria has a 'decentralised system where principals have a high degree of
autonomy'.[132]
3.115
Submitters and witness had mixed attitudes to the issue of autonomy. Ms Catto,
Western Australian Council of State School Organisations, pointed out that
principals who have control over recruiting staff also then have an increased
administrative workload. There is also a 'smaller pool' of teachers for the
non-independent public schools.[133]
Mr Scott, CEO and Principal, Haileybury Independent School said that 'principal
autonomy', the ability to oversee teacher performance and control recruitment
that makes independent schools successful in Australia.[134]
The Australian Primary Principals Association argued that discussions about
autonomy need to be in the context of the whole school, rather than simply the
'position of the principal' being autonomous.[135]
3.116
Mr Geoff Metcalf, former principal of an independent school in Western
Australia, praised the independent school model, crediting it with an increase
in 'the level of aspirations of the school and the community'. In a 2011 speech
Mr Metcalf explained that as a result of becoming an independent school,
Roseworth Primary School has:
[E]mbraced the opportunity to develop a culture of
self-belief and self-worth. Anyone who visits the school is inspired by the way
in which the community has engaged with the school and demonstrates such a
strong sense of pride. Independent Public School status recognised that
Roseworth had the potential and capacity to take a greater level of leadership
in its own affairs and the school community has responded in kind. There is an
element of self-fulfilling prophecy about IPS [Independent Public Schools] for
a school like Roseworth. The school community feels that they are entrusted to
make decisions and to know the decisions made are in the school’s best
interest. Raising the aspirations of the community has been an empowering
journey and has embedded a sense of community ownership.[136]
3.117
The benefits described by Mr Metcalf are to be praised, particularly given
earlier discussion in this chapter about the value of teacher and parent
expectations for children. However, it is unclear whether school autonomy
ultimately improves student outcomes.[137]
Ms Catto, Western Australian Council of State School Organisations, described
how there has yet to be a thorough analysis of the Western Australian program:
Our concern is that we are some years into the program and
are yet to see a comprehensive review that demonstrates that the primary
achievement or result of this is an improvement in student outcome. That has to
be the primary benefit because schools are about education. If that is not
being achieved then we would have to question the rapid rollout of almost a
third of our public schools becoming independent public schools.[138]
3.118
Clearly further research into school autonomy and its impact on student
performance is required.
Recommendation 10
3.119
The committee recommends that the COAG Standing Council on School
Education and Early Childhood conduct research into whether public schools
participating in school autonomy programs have improved student results.
Access to technology
3.120
Technology can be a useful tool in classrooms, particularly when it
works and adequate technical support is provided. However, witnesses submitted
that what is important is that teachers know how to use the technology for
teaching and learning, and that 'good teaching needs to underlie...technological
possibilities'.[139]
3.121
Dr Kevin Donnelly, Director, Education Standards Institute reported
research indicating that computers and technology were not the primary
determinant of how well particular countries did in the OECD PISA tests.
Indeed, the 'researchers suggested...that an overreliance on technology can be
counterproductive and that there can be unintended consequences'.[140]
3.122
Mr Anish Badgeri, a recent graduate of Perth Modern School, acknowledged
that access to technology can be good 'in terms of enriching our educational
experience', however he 'did not feel that they were that essential towards the
final outcome in year 12'.[141]
Mr Jonathan Israel preferred tablets to laptops, submitting that:
You would move into a class, you would take out the laptop
and productivity would decline dramatically...You just do not have the attention
of the students so much. In my experience tablets and iPads are better than
laptops. With the full-time use of laptops in every single class, I believe
that people lose attention and the ability to write–quite literally.
Handwriting got progressively worse. Mine was awful. Mine is still awful. I
think they can be a very, very good tool but the attitude needs to be there and
they cannot be taken out in every class.[142]
3.123
The continued spread of technology can be a helpful resource for
teachers and students in rural areas. For example, in western New South Wales a
class of gifted and talented students in remote and rural areas do accelerated
lessons in maths, English and science lessons together as a class through
videoconferencing. This program enables students to study at a high level that
would not others be able to access these advanced programs because of a lack of
critical mass in their own schools.[143]
3.124
Mr Christopher Watt, Federal Secretary, Independent Education Union of
Australia, described the challenges faced by schools when technology fails to work:
Whilst equipment has become more portable and robust, in most
schools where I talk to teachers the fact is that from time to time the stuff
just does not work. Maybe things are different here, but I know that in my
office on a regular basis the IT does not work, for whatever reason—the net
goes down or the printer does not work. In a school, which is a fairly large
organism, whose responsibility is it? Who is resourced to make sure that the
server is working? If the internet is down, how and why is it down? Teachers
want to access it and they have got lesson plans based on doing something on
Google maps, for instance, on that day and you cannot get the internet—and the
printer does not work and the electronic whiteboard is not working. There is a
whole raft of high quality IT going on, but not necessarily the support
structures to assure that it keeps going. So that is one element of stress in
terms of resourcing.[144]
3.125
Technologies, including high speed broadband, have the capacity to
enhance student learning when utilised by quality teachers to achieve
educational outcomes. These benefits will be experienced particularly by
students in rural and remote locations.
Conclusion
3.126
Australian students are performing well when measured against students
overseas, particularly on the sophisticated OECD PISA tests.[145]
Australia is maintaining its high standard – however there has been little
improvement.
3.127
The evidence presented to the committee and outlined in this chapter
leads to the inevitable conclusion that Australian education policies – at both
a federal and local level – are failing the lowest performing students in
Australia, and, these students are predominantly from disadvantage backgrounds.
The committee has made particular recommendations to address these weaknesses.
3.128
Within the school, teachers, principals, support staff and
infrastructure all have an impact on student performance. These factors are
more easily managed by governments, provided that sufficient resources are
available and strategic policies are implemented.
3.129
Parents and caregivers play a very important role in each child's
education, particularly in the years prior to commencing school. It is critical
that all parents believe that their child will do their best at school,
experience success and move onto trade training or university. Schools must
work to assist parents in this important role, and government programs should
be expanded to support parents to support their children.
3.130
Teachers and parents also need to support those students who elect to
undertake trades training rather than complete Year 12. Trades training can
provide useful skills to assist young people to join the workforce and make a
positive contribution to the community. For some students, early access to
trades training will be much more beneficial than pursuing Year 12 academic
studies. Government policies need to reflect this reality.
3.131
High teacher and parent expectations of children can be undone by poor
behavioural management practices and poor student behaviour. Teachers must
receive appropriate training to ensure they are equipped to effectively manage
student behaviour, and teachers need to feel supported by the principal and the
relevant authorities. Parents and students must also respect the important role
that teachers have in teaching and learning.
3.132
While some targeted programs will be required, and have been recommended
in this chapter, the answer is not simply to spend more money. The remaining
two chapters examine how strategic approaches to improving teacher quality can
contribute to improved educational outcomes for Australian students.
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