1. Evidence-based actions to support remote Indigenous participation in higher education: What do we know and where to next?
Professor James Smith1-2, Ms. Donna Stephens2 and the Whole of Community Engagement Team1 1. Office of Pro Vice Chancellor – Indigenous Leadership, Charles Darwin University 2. Menzies School of Health Research

2. Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that this meeting is being held on the traditional land of the Larrakia people and pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We recognise their strength and resilience.
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3. A team effort
Information presented today is the result of collective efforts of the WCE team. It draws on a team experience.
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4. WCE Background Whole of Community Engagement (WCE) initiative:
$7.5m funding from the Higher Education Participation and Partnership Program (HEPPP) from July 2014 until December 2016 (now August 2017)
Large-scale multi-site Participatory Action Research project
Working with six remote Indigenous communities in the NT in both the Top End and Central Australia
Underpinned by a partnership approach
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5. WCE Aim and Objectives Aim:
To work with specified remote Indigenous communities across the NT to build aspiration, expectation and capacity to participate in further education
Objectives:
Explore current community perspectives of further education, and linking with existing strategies for achieving quality of life aspirations;
Facilitate ongoing opportunities for community, research, academic and public policy leaders to engage in mutually beneficial relationships; and
Identify means for making education relevant and culturally and physically accessible
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7. Our communities: Gunbalanya (n = 1,200+) Maningrida (n = 3,500+)
Galiwin’ku (n = 2,100+)
Yirrkala (n = 840+)
Tennant Creek (n = 3,560+)
Yuendumu (n = 810+)
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8. Sunday Canberra Times, 16 November 2014
Project Brief used during the inaugural community visit to Yuendumu in 7-9 October 2014
Sunday Canberra Times, 16 November 2014
Tennant & District Times Nov 2015; Mulga Mail April 2016; Tennant & District Times April 2016; NT News/Koori Mail Nov 2016
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9. WCE Website
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11. Evidence Briefs
The Evidence Briefs represent the major themes that emerged from the initiative. They provide useful lessons about comparable remote contexts.
Taking a mutually respectful approach to practice
Forming partnerships with impact
Building parental engagement with formal education 
(a) Providing culturally safe school environments, (b) Employing culturally competent teachers and principals
Incorporating Indigenous curriculum and pedagogy
Investing in English language, literacy and numeracy (LLN)
Ensuring intercultural education practice
Mobilising Indigenous leadership and governance
Supporting mentoring for Indigenous students
Maximising the contribution of local Indigenous teachers
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12. 1. Taking a mutually respectful approach to practice
Background
Genuine local engagement
Privileging Indigenous voices
Key messages from WCE
Indigenous leadership is important
Acknowledge Western and cultural intersections
Take time to build trust
Considerations for policy and practice
Place-based responses are important
Systemic vs community imperatives
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14. 2. Forming partnerships with impact
Background
Indigenous community engagement
Local partnerships
Intersectoral partnerships
Key messages from WCE
Shared goals and aspirations
Partnership co-ordination needs resourcing
Considerations for policy and practice
External partnerships also important
HE partnerships can take many forms
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15. 3. Building parental engagement with formal education
Background
Historical aspects of schooling and intergenerational disengagement
Many years of curriculum development to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges and knowledge systems
Key messages from WCE
Education is valued ‘invisible’ but not without care
Understanding culture and education pathways
Parents restricted by own educational journeys
Engagement is supported when communities are cohesive
Considerations for policy and practice
Build on devolution of decision making and remove bureaucratic structures that impact on school-community partnerships
Schools and communities extend partnership and build formal pathways to VET and Higher Education including the development of community based graduation ceremonies
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17. 4. (a) Providing culturally safe school environments
Background
Building effective workforce practices and structures to support culturally inclusive and safe work places
Key messages from WCE
Tacit knowledge within organisations is acknowledged, shared and renegotiated ‘balance of power’
Building local Aboriginal Teachers to lead and develop schools and classrooms
Build cultural resilience in a mutually respectful work practices
Considerations for policy and practice
Both department and community based cultural training is required
Mentoring and building capabilities of Aboriginal staff
Housing for local teachers
Quality education should be locally and community based to support students who are wanting to seek broader educational opportunities
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18. 4. (b) Employing culturally competent teachers and principals
Background
Culturally competent workforce and teachers
Understanding whiteness
Avoiding stereotypes
Starts at a departmental level
Key messages from WCE
Embed local curriculum into school
Build local workforce
Seek examples from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
Considerations for policy and practice
Pre-service teacher training and professional placements
Link to professional standards
Provide lead teachers and principals with training
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19. 5. Incorporating Indigenous curriculum and pedagogy
Background
Pedagogical practices focused on literacy and numeracy irrelevant to communities
Need for more holistic learning pedagogies
Need to link to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems and already developed knowledge work e.g. Fire knowledge
Key messages from WCE
Longstanding call for language and cultural learning as the foundation of other learning
Community leaders and elders have a key role to play in school curriculum knowledge and delivery
Considerations for policy and practice
Both-ways education needs further development
All students should be engaging in Aboriginal culture and language courses
Development of a framework that enables the critical examination of knowledge
Preservice teachers should be exposed to Indigenous knowledge systems within the course and through the engagement of traditional elders
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20. 6. Investing in English language, literacy and numeracy
Background
LLN skills provide basis for further education
Limited policy attention
Key messages from WCE
Challenge for 85% in remote
Important for lifelong learning
English LLN + local Aboriginal languages
Considerations for policy and practice
Implement the LLN Action Statement
Sustainable resourcing
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21. https://remotengagetoedu. com
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22. 7. Ensuring intercultural education practice
Background
Beyond ‘both-ways’
Unpacking interconnectedness between Western and Indigenous knowledge systems
Co-existing differences and sameness
Key messages from WCE
Sharing of insider/outsider perspectives
Tricky to negotiate – goodwill and creativity required
Self-determination and control are central features
Considerations for policy and practice
Interculturality needs to be prioritised by DoE as an area for action
All teaching staff and principals must be sensitive to intercultural intersections
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23. 8. Mobilising Indigenous leadership and governance
Background
Many managers in remote settings are non-Indigenous
Indigenous leadership is critical to broker culturally meaningful solutions in education
Key messages from WCE
Deep engagement with challenges of local leadership
Many community-based staff were involved on School Councils
Need to broker and negotiate identity pressures
Considerations for policy and practice
Implement actions outlined in the Collective School Council Statement on Remote Education
Build youth leadership capacity
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26. 9. Supporting mentoring for Indigenous students
Background
Strong evidence for mentoring (incl Indigenous mentoring; peer-to-peer)
Minimal (formal) examples in remote contexts
Key messages from WCE
Locally specific mentoring is beneficial
Education and career pathways; mediation; academic mentoring
Can impact on engagement and attendance
Considerations for policy and practice
DoE should invest in community-led mentoring initiatives
Universities can partner in mentoring activities
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27. https://remotengagetoedu. com
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28. 10. Maximising the contribution of local Indigenous teachers
Background
Celebrating the rich histories and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teachers:
Yolngu Teachers, Tiwi Teachers, Bini Teachers
Leadership “the mix of conceptual, cultural and experiential contributions they offer”
Key messages from WCE
History of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers D-Bate, RATE, GOO
Cultural brokers
Community support
Considerations for policy and practice
Capacity building and recognition of skills and knowledge
Mentoring and support
Access to training spaces and time away from classroom
Priority for undergraduate courses
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29. Opportunities for system change
Connect, Discover, Grow - CDU Strategic Plan
Globally recognised for Indigenous leadership
A critically engaged university of the region
CDU VET Strategic Plan
Partnership development
Valuing cultural knowledge
Adopt culturally responsive administration and HR practices – travel, procurement, employment
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30. Funding Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that the WCE initiative was funded through the Australian Government’s Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Programme
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31. Adjunct Professorial Research Fellow
Professor James Smith
Adjunct Professorial Research Fellow
Office of Pro Vice Chancellor – Indigenous Leadership
Charles Darwin University
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