INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES

The establishment of genuine and effective relationships based on mutual respect and trust between teachers, students, their families and communities is central to high quality education for all students – Indigenous and non-Indigenous.

Recent educational research indicates that schools which develop and foster positive partnerships with families and the wider community provide greater opportunities to improve the educational outcomes of Indigenous students. Importantly, the research also shows that school and community partnerships broaden the range of perspectives, values and cultural diversity available to students and connect learning to the real world.

The Garma 2006 Key Forum on Indigenous education and training highlighted the importance of community involvement to support the educational needs of Indigenous learners and learning communities. The report is available at: http://www.cdu.edu.au/garma-2006/documents/key-forum-report-garma06.pdf

See Reconciliation Australia’s tips and advice for establishing successful relationships and partnerships with Indigenous people on the Share Our Pride website: http://www.shareourpride.org.au/pages/topics/respectful-relationships/tips-and-advice.php
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What Works. The Work Program has developed new materials to support partnerships between Indigenous communities and schools. See http://www.fya.org.au/

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