From Rhetoric to Reality

Dr Chris Sarra

www.strongersmarter.com.au

Rhetoric says what it needs to on understanding the needs of different

students

Professional Learning Standards

New Basics

Quality Teaching Framework

Partners for Success

Strong Students, Strong Communities, Strong Futures..

Leadership Matters

Principles of Effective Learning and Teaching

What is the rhetoric ?

• Jurisdiction Rhetoric

• School Rhetoric

• Personal Rhetoric

What is the reality?

We are committed to providing quality education outcomes for all children!

What is the reality?

We are committed to providing quality education outcomes for all children!

……unless they’re black!

The Stronger Smarter Philosophy

• Acknowledging, embracing and developing a positive sense of identity in schools;

• Acknowledging and embracing Indigenous leadership in schools and school communities;

• Innovative and dynamic school models in complex social and cultural contexts;

• Innovative and dynamic school staffing models, especially for community schools;

• ‘High expectations’ leadership to ensure ‘high expectations’ classrooms, with ‘high expectations’ teacher/student relationships.

Acknowledging, embracing and developing a positive sense of

identity in schools;

How well do we as teachers, school leaders, policy makers understand Indigenous Identity?

Which Indigenous Student Identity do our Schools collude with?

Perceptions of Aboriginal people

Alcoholics, Drunks, Heavy Drinkers

Boongs, Coons, Niggers, Black bastards, Gins, Darkies

Got it good, privileged, well kept by Government

Lazy, Wont work

Welfare Dependant, Dole Bludgers, Handout syndrome

Aggressive, Violent, Troublemakers, Disrespectful

Perceptions of Aboriginal students

Lazy Underachievers Shy

Dirty Disobedient

Aggressive High Absenteeism

Cheeky Defiant Artistic

Sporty Family Oriented Poor Health

Strong and Smart Student Identity

Come to school every day

Work hard in the classroom

Be nice to the teacher

Be nice to other children

Work together

Be proud to be Aboriginal

Stand up for yourself

Acknowledging, embracing and developing a positive sense of

identity in schools;

Indigenous Studies in schools with local focus

Creating school cultures that explicitly challenge and enable Indigenous students to think positively about themselves

o Brave and Brillianto Strong and Smarto Proud and Deadlyo So Solid

Moving beyond a culture of “All our kids are the same!”

Acknowledging and embracing Indigenous leadership in schools and

school communities

Understanding what type of Indigenous Leadership to embrace

Exponential returns in classrooms/schools/communities

Acknowledging and embracing Indigenous leadership in schools and

school communities

Implications:

Explicitly teach teachers how to work in a functional and highly productive partnership with Indigenous peoples in schools

Moving beyond a culture of ‘black dollars for black employees’

Explicit commitment to grow Indigenous Leadership within Education jurisdictions

A serious commitment to education career paths for Indigenous people

Innovative and dynamic school models in complex social and cultural contexts

If we always do what we always did… we always get what we always got!

Guaranteed Service Outcomes

Beyond ‘pretend’ secondary schooling to Boarding in provincial areas

Early Years to Elders School/Community Education Hubs

Early Education and Intervention Centres in Schools

Boomerang Mountain – beyond the ‘cosmetics’ of Indigenous presence in schools

Innovative and dynamic school staffing models, especially for community

schools

English as Foreign Language Teacher specialists in remote communities

School Based Staff to track and scaffold from year 8 to Guaranteed Service Outcomes

Targetted family recruitment to liaise with schools to improve student attendance and engagement

Specialised AUSLAN LOTE teacher in community schools with high incidence of otitis media

Indigenous Cultural Program teachers in schools

‘Empty Nester’ Mentoring sabbaticals to remote communities

High expectations’ leadership to ensure ‘high expectations’ classrooms, with ‘high expectations’ teacher/student

relationships

Relationship Accountabilities

- Supporting

- Developing

- Monitoring

- Challenging

- Intervening

Leadership and Relationship Accountabilities

Supporting

- Enabling staff capacity

- Coaching/Mentoring

- Modelling

- ‘Being there for your colleagues’

Leadership and Relationship Accountabilities

Developing

- Ensuring capacity

- Targeted professional development and training

- Providing leadership opportunities

Leadership and Relationship Accountabilities

Monitoring

- Scrutinising data

- Scrutinising outputs

- Scrutinising performance

- Scrutinising BUT not overindulging soft outcomes

- Exposing 95% Indigenous student failure in schools where they are only 10% of the overall student population

Leadership and Relationship Accountabilities

Challenging

Asking the hard questions

- Do you actually believe Indigenous children can learn as well as anyone?

- What are you doing that is contributing to underachievement?

- What are you doing that is contributing to absenteeism?

- Is your classroom/school a place where you would want to be if you were ten years old?

- Would you accept this for your own children?

- Having the ‘hard’ conversations (Don’t tell me why second rate education outcomes exist, tell me what you plan to do about it!)

Leadership and Relationship Accountabilities

Intervening

- Exercising the ‘hard’ processes

- NOT compromising integrity

Boldness

Status Quo

Degree of Boldness

Quality of Execution

Boldness

Status Quo

Degree of Boldness

Quality of Execution

Controversy without impact

Boldness

Status Quo

Degree of Boldness

Quality of Execution

Controversy without impact

Improved Outcomes

Boldness

Status Quo

Degree of Boldness

Quality of Execution

Controversy without impact

Improved Outcomes

TRANSFORMATION

Incremental change

versus Transformational change

Embracing discomfort of poor Indigenous student outcomes

If we always do what we always did …. We always get what we always got!

Making it personal

High expectations relationships

SupportingFair Compassion

Developing

Monitoring

Firm CourageChallenging

Intervening

strongersmarter.com.au

@chrissarra

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