A view beyond review: challenging assumptions in Indigenous education development

Abstract

Education for remote Indigenous students in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) has
\nlong been characterized by policy failure. In recent years, the ‘solution’ to this vexing
\npolicy problem has involved a deliberate, incremental shift towards ‘mainstream’
\neducational approaches. This includes an increased focus on testing regimes
\nand structured English literacy and numeracy programs, and has led to increased
\nbureaucratic oversight, broad-based ‘benchmarking’ of student achievement, and
\na problematic emphasis on statistical disparities between Indigenous and nonIndigenous
\nstudent populations. In this paper we analyse the NT Government’s latest
\nreview into Indigenous education - the A share in the future report - to challenge
\nthe normative social and cultural assumptions that permeate Indigenous educational
\ndiscourses and pedagogic approaches. We argue that current notions about ‘the way
\nforward’ can lead to the development of poor policy and actually serve to thwart
\nIndigenous educational aspirations.