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The Forum > Article Comments > Review of indigenous literacy and numeracy 2008-2011 > Comments

Review of indigenous literacy and numeracy 2008-2011 : Comments

By Helen Hughes and Mark Hughes, published 28/6/2012

Those Indigenous students who are failing make up only a minority clustered in schools that are not delivering quality education.

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Excuse my ignorance. Seriously, foreign and haven't been here that long.

It seems to me there are programmes in place for the indigenous population to get a leg up, so to speak. It seems a large part of the problem is the people themselves not taking advantage of apparent opportunities that are there for them. Why?
Posted by StG, Thursday, 28 June 2012 8:21:41 PM
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Professor, while the vested interests you cite smother the rights of children, the horror will go on and on. Daniel , in your privileged position, please do not hide behind " Its just not simple or easy" and help cut the Gordian Knot. Leslie
Posted by Leslie, Thursday, 28 June 2012 8:41:06 PM
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Review of indigenous literacy and numeracy 2008-2011,

Even more scary is general australian literacy and numeracy.
Posted by individual, Thursday, 28 June 2012 9:44:54 PM
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http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=13794#238595
I have spent a little time and talked to some in the communities (Hermansberg etc) and they are happy. They get paid enough to do exactly what they want, they don't want a leg up, there simple needs are easily met by handouts. Government helps enable the cycle to continue by treating them differently, most reviews critiques welfare as "sit down" money and the policy needs changing, some like Noel Pearson criticise welfare policy directly and decry it destroying the soul of a race. I have no simple answers but what they're doing now isn't working, so how about trying to treat them as equals, see how that goes.

As to the original article, I had to smile at the bit about WA Principals having greater autonomy. If the report in the SHM the other day is correct, NSW teachers are striking because NSW Principals are supposed to get greater autonomy from the Government, at face value it smells of Union malfeasance... what a weird Country we live in, no wonder I emigrated.
Posted by Valley Guy, Friday, 29 June 2012 2:27:58 AM
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Why only try to half the gap, why not go for no gap at all. These moron academics want equality & shout discrimination from every corner yet they constantly single out the indigenous from society. Why single them out ? Why not treat them as equals ?
My experience is that on a basis of percentage indigenous Australians are way more literate than most non indigenous.
Posted by individual, Friday, 29 June 2012 7:09:19 AM
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The article says, “Western Australia's autonomy for principals has contributed to its improved performance.”

When it appeared in The Australian, the sub-heading was “Queensland and WA are alone in showing principal autonomy will close the gap”.

Yet Victoria has had the most autonomous school system for 40 years, suggesting that autonomy has nothing to do with the issue.

There is a great difference between greater power for principals and school autonomy. The first empowers one individual, who may or may not be any good, to dominate the professional staff of the school through exploitation, favouritism, bullying and intimidation. The second empowers the school community of parents and teachers to work together on meeting the educational needs of the students.

Victorian schools gained curriculum autonomy from the late 1960s. It has, for most of the time since then, respected the professional judgment of teachers within each school.

It gained elected school councils representing parents and teachers guiding each school in 1975.

Local appointment of staff was phased in from the 1980s for principals, from the early 1990s for senior staff and from the mid-1990s for all staff.

Victorian Labor gave schools a mainly per capita funding system and locally controlled budgets in 2005.

That collaborative decision-making process and the significant re-investment in education in this state between 2000 and 2010 explain Victoria’s strong performance in national tests.

We do not need a system in which principals cover up their lack of leadership skills by resorting to the naked exercise of power against the other employees in the school. The best principals knew 30 years ago that they were the first among equals, not petty dictators.
Posted by Chris C, Friday, 29 June 2012 9:42:03 AM
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