1. Count us in! The growing role of learning support programs in achieving education outcomes for disadvantaged students Anne Pate Research Officer, Research & Social Policy Unit August 2007

2. What are Learning Support Programs? Out-of-school hours homework or tutoring assistance May be school provided or managed by community organisations Offer group learning and/or one-to-one tutoring Aim to improve educational outcomes for students of all ages/backgrounds May include social and recreational activities to build confidence and attachment to learning

3. Evaluation of Learning Support Programs Objective: To measure the outcomes of out-of-school hours community-based tutoring and homework assistance provided by 4 of 7 MCM learning support programs in 2007 Methodology: –Mapping survey in late 2006 by phone interview with LSP providers in North & West regions of metropolitan Melbourne –Primary data collection of student participants during 2007 –Interviews with school principals and specialist staff –Outcomes measurement with feedback from class teachers, tutors and students through 2007

4. Mapping Survey Findings - Overview –33 community based programs in N&W metro region, delivered by 20 auspice agencies –over 1,300 students enrolled in 2006 and 800 regular attendees (weekly) –coverage across 26 suburbs (CBD, inner to outer areas) –74% include primary school aged children –52% target students from refugee or CALD backgrounds –43 staff employed –over 1,270 volunteers

5. Key Findings – Community managed LSP’s in NW Melbourne: Year of commencement (n=33)

6. Key Findings – Community managed LSP’s in NW Melbourne: Student focus in 2006

7. Key Findings – Community managed LSP’s in NW Melbourne: Student participation in 2006 Over 1300 enrolments in operating programs 52% of LSP’s catered for up to 20 students 10% have over 100 enrolled students Over 800 regular (weekly) attendees Average attendance rate of 62% of enrolments High attendance rate (92%) at programs targeting primary school students

8. Key Findings – Community managed LSP’s in NW Melbourne: Growth in student participation For the 25 programs with documented first year enrolment data: fourfold increase since start-up Comparison of enrolments between first year and 2006

9. Key Findings – Community managed LSP’s in NW Melbourne: Program operations 74% offer one session of tuition/support per week 1:1 tutor-student ratio ideal, but group activities and shared tutors common Focus on homework assistance, exam preparation for older secondary students Emphasis on general learning, literacy, numeracy and building commitment to learning for primary age students Venues include community halls/neighbourhood houses (25%); school premises (22%), libraries (19%) and community agencies (19%) 80% of LSP’s used volunteers as tutors Over 1,270 volunteers assisted programs in 2006 38% are university students; 26% have a teaching qualification and 15% are high school students

10. Key Findings – Community managed LSP’s in NW Melbourne: Program operations (2) 81% have developed a relationship with local school(s) 75% accepted referrals from schools No program in receipt of ongoing DoE funding, but 30% received grants from State Government sources (eg. SFYS) 40% funded by internal agency resources 15% funded by local government Respondents highlighted the lack of recurrent funds and reliance on donations to continue

11. Key Learnings Growth: –Community based LSP’s are emerging to fill a real local need for learning support in Melbourne –Broad coverage across all ages and backgrounds, including primary ages, new migrants and disadvantaged children Sustainability: –Resource constraints impact on sustainability despite provider confidence (79%) –Lack of infrastructure poses risks to quality and outcomes –Challenges in recruiting volunteers ongoing –Coordination with schools is critical

12. Key Learnings (2) Program Outcomes: –Little evaluation undertaken to date –Literature indicates substantial improvement in student learning outcomes (eg UK and Aust) –Perception of respondents that programs improve education outcomes and strengthen student commitment/interest in learning –Schools gain benefits through building relationships with community support organisations

13. Policy Implications LSP’s in Melbourne appear to be playing an important role in improving education outcomes for children in disadvantaged circumstances Governments have recognised the critical importance of education as both an economic and social investment (eg. education targets and strategies), but need to focus more on the 10-15% at most risk Policy reforms and program developments need to take into full account the factors leading to poor outcomes for ‘at risk’ groups, such as: - new migrant, asylum seeker, refugee children - lack of parental support or incapacity - homeless families and young adults

14. Policy Implications Community based approaches appear to offer a valuable option that: -links schools with local community organisations -provides an alternative external option to schools to enable individual student catch-up -exposes students to alternative positive learning settings and role models -engages parents in their child’s learning -opens up access to other community resources (IT, libraries)

15. Thank you Copies of our report A Profile of Learning Support Programs in North-West Melbourne may be obtained from: Melbourne Citymission website: www.melbournecitymission.org.auwww.melbournecitymission.org.au or phone (03) 8625-4468