Enhancing educational performance for remote Aboriginal Australians: what is the impact of attendance on performance?

• Published in: Education 3-13 Vol. 40; no. 1; pp. 19 - 34
• Main Author: Jorgensen, Robyn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Long Marston Routledge 01.02.2012; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Aboriginal education; Aboriginal students; Academic achievement; Academic achievement gaps; Access to Education; Achievement Gap; Attendance; Australia; Community Involvement; Cultural Influences; Culturally Relevant Education; Education policy; Educational Improvement; Educational Indicators; Educational Policy; Educational Practices; Educational Quality; Geographic isolation; indigenous; Indigenous Populations; Native peoples; Outreach Programs; Performance Based Assessment; Quality of education; Rural Population; Rural schools; Social Indicators; subject classification codes; Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher Persistence; Teaching Experience; Australia
• ISSN: 0300-4279; 1475-7575
• DOI: 10.1080/03004279.2012.635047

The educational performance of Aboriginal Australians lags behind non-Indigenous Australians with the gap increasing the longer students remain at school. The Australian government has released its Closing the Gap policy with the specific intent to redress gaps in health, education and housing, as these are seen as key indicators to life success. This article discusses the issues confronting education providers in remote areas in relation to quality education provision. Issues around teacher quality, retention of staff, quality of service provision, leadership and community involvement have been recognised as significant factors in addressing the gap. However, a key issue that remains contentious is attendance. There is a strong link between attendance and performance. Attendance, and its impact on education provision, is discussed at length with recommendations for policy and practice provided.