POST SCHOOL PATHWAYS FOR INDIGENOUS STUDENTS Principals Make the Difference AUTHOR IAN NEBAUER

Acknowledgement of Country I acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land and pay my respects to elders past, present and future for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal Australia

Purpose of the Workshop Is it our job to transitions Aboriginal student into a career? What is the current situation? What does a successful school look like? Where to from here for my school?

Education the Key? Geoffrey Robinson was recently asked a Hypothetical If you were offered a safe seat in the Rudd Government and given the Aboriginal Affairs portfolio –what would you do first? “ Its now or never-never, so my policy would be education, education, education – including educating everyone else about the respect due to the first Australians………..” THERE IS AN EXPECTATION FOR US TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.

Education the Key? Dusseldorp Skills Forum & Reconciliation Australia “There are no easy solutions – but there are constructive actions that can be taken. The key is to make sure that we get both the demand and supply side factors right. Our goal should be to deliver improvements in education and translate them into improvements in employment.” (pg 39)

…and the Federal Government thoughts? “Closing the Gap” Life expectancy at birth Young child mortality Early childhood education Reading, writing and numeracy Year 12 attainment Employment Source COAG Targets 2009 What does the acronym DEEWR stand for anyway?

Post School Transition – whose job? ACTIVITY – WHAT DO YOU THINK? AT YOUR TABLES DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. Is it the school’s responsibility to be moving students into work? What do you believe is the purpose of education? What are the post school destinations like for students at your school? How well is the school curriculum related to job readiness and work related skills? Should it be? What are the advantages of designing a work related curriculum? What are the disadvantages

INDIGENOUS AND NON-INDIGENOUS POPULATION What trends does this graph indicate? What is the implication for schools? NATIONAL STATISTICS

ACTIVITY What are the trends indicating in vocational courses for both Aboriginal students compared to non Aboriginal students? What are the broader implications of this trend?

What is the current situation? Statistics show that Indigenous Australians are the most disadvantaged group in all quality of life indicators: 1.Greatly reduced life expectancy 2.Generational unemployment 3.Long term unemployment 4.Substantially lower levels in education 5.Lower income 6.Demanding social issues (source AES– Danny Lester)

SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP for Aboriginal students TABLE ACTIVITY – “Imagineering” We want All Aboriginal students to have a positive post school outcome. Imagine what would the perfect school leader look like? Choose a table recorder List all characteristics on sticky notes Collate the ideas – remove redundant ideas, clarify meaning Finalise the list – post it on the wall All participants observe other groups lists and identify any additional ideas Individuals can record for personal reflection within their own context.

SUCCESSFUL SCHOOLS for Aboriginal students 1. Young adult learning environment 2. Quality curriculum 3. Parent /Aboriginal community partnerships 4. Celebrates Aboriginality 5. Celebrate success TABLE ACTIVITY – P 3 T technique (Langford) Divide the participants into 5 groups (or 5 tables) Have 1 large chart page per table and ask them to list the characteristic in the centre and circle it. Write the question what is meant by…quality curriculum List in “spokes” from the circled question the characteristics -take 5 minutes per question Pass on the page in a clockwise direction until it has arrived back to its original table. Read what has been decided by all the audience Post the page on the wall for reflection.

CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS What does “HIGH EXPECTATIONS” mean? To Students To Staff To Parents What does it look like especially for Indigenous students? Earn or learn – knowing the student’s potential? Real jobs including part time - work experience Career choice – being able to make a choice Work readiness – students work ethics Cultural awareness – employers / teachers School engagement / attendance

Teacher / Student / Parent Understand and deliver adult learning Personalised Learning Plans – post school planning Clear and easy communication Cultural respect – awareness training and its application School / Business Meeting opportunities – Business chambers, invitations, sponsorship, work placement Initial conversations - social responsibility charters, past students, Employment market needs and mutual support Aboriginal corporations support School / Tertiary Institutions Mentoring support Role models Cadetships Visits CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS

RETENTION EMPLOYMENT ACADEMIC OUTCOMES ENGAGEMENT Case Management P.L.P.’s GOALS SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIPS EMPLOYEREMPLOYER IDENTITY IDENTITY INDIVIDUALINDIVIDUAL Family& community Mentors

CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS Who will manage the pathways planning program? Advocates Personalities/ skills to develop relationships and partnerships Resources Clear directions / plans What level of representation needs to be on the team? Students Parents Community Business What are the critical management factors? Targets Small successful steps Manageable workload – one meeting per term, defined actions, using technology

CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS What does this look like when talking about improved post school pathways outcomes for Indigenous students? General discussion Discuss the general characteristic areas - eg Advocacy Curriculum Support How do school leaders encourage staff commitment? Discussion – How do you motivate staff? How would get this on the agenda for staff to embrace? How do you make commitment sustainable?

CHALLENGES SCHOOL OPERATIONS Consistency of delivery – clear expectations/ plans/ resourcing Getting staff on the same page Red tape and thinking outside the square Succession planning Resourcing variations year to year. SCHOOL / BUSINESS RELATIONS Staffing component – suitable person, time Slow first steps …. sometimes backward steps The initial conversations Red tape “DARE TO LEAD” – dealing with social pressures, being an advocate OTHERS?

….SO WHERE TO FROM HERE? REFLECTION POINTS  ME as a LEADER Use the top section of the Mini checklist tool From the list of a quality leader done earlier - rate yourself Where are your areas for improvement (2 only) What can I do? – here are few questions….. Do I have a view about post-school pathways? Do I state my view about post-school pathways? Do I have a preferred picture? Do we have anything in place? Do I know the facts?  WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO? Using the rest of Mini checklist tool and the Planning tool Identify what are we currently doing? What do we need to do? – share with colleagues Identify what in your mind is urgent and important.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” Albert Einstein Leadership Excellence Thoughts From The Greatest Leaders Of All Times