Meeting the Needs of Students and the Needs of a System

Authors

  • Laura Moore Department of Education Western Australia
  • Rachael Macfarlane Department of Education Western Australia
  • Nigel Wakefield Department of Education Western Australia
  • Serena Davie Department of Education Western Australia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1681-5629

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v34i3.766

Keywords:

remote schools, Aboriginal students, engagement, regional teaching, co-design, community consultation

Abstract

First Nation students’ attendance, retention and engagement in remote schools has been a concern for educators and successive governments. In many communities, students are encouraged to complete secondary education at boarding school because of seemingly limited educational opportunities in their local communities. The School of Isolated and Distance Education’s (SIDE’s) vision is to provide learning opportunities for Western Australian students regardless of their circumstances through high quality, inclusive and culturally responsive programs. Vision statements are aspirational and need to be backed with strategies for implementation. One such strategy implemented by SIDE in 2024 was the establishment of a Regional Teaching Team (RTT). The RTT was established to meet the unique needs of students in the Northern Goldfields and Kimberley regions of Western Australia. These regions have a high representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Providing programs and pathways to meet the needs of Aboriginal students in remote contexts in Western Australia is not possible without a deep understanding of the context and culture of the local communities, schools and the students within them. SIDE’s RTT is committed to working with local communities to deliver co-designed culturally responsive education. It is not an easy task, and it will take time to build relationships and trust with local communities to deliver such an outcome. Whilst there is support in principle from Government agencies, disconnect still exists between policy and practice in the context of Aboriginal education in schools (Burgess, Cathie, & Lowe, 2022). The RTT aims to work with Aboriginal communities to provide them with the opportunities to communicate their goals and desires for the education of their children. Traditional measures based on attendance, completion of written tasks and grades perpetuate failure and do not inspire success or engagement.

Author Biographies

Laura Moore, Department of Education Western Australia

Laura Moore has  broad teaching and leadership  experience in a range of secondary schools across Western Australia including the Pilbara, Goldfields, South West and Metropolitan schools. Laura is passionate about challenging outdated ways of thinking in education systems and building the collective leadership capacity of schools to support students to flourish socially, emotionally and academically. 

Rachael Macfarlane, Department of Education Western Australia

Rachael Macfarlane’s career in education has included working in the UK, regional and metropolitan secondary schools and, most recently, as Deputy Principal at the School of Isolated and Distance Education. Leading SIDE’s Regional Teaching Team, Rachael’s focus this year has been on establishing a co-design teaching community to work in partnership with regional and remote school communities to develop engaging culturally responsive, context-specific learning programs.

Nigel Wakefield, Department of Education Western Australia

Nigel Wakefield is currently Deputy Principal, Secondary at SIDE. He was raised in the South-West of WA and retains a strong connection to remote and regional education. An experienced education leader in both secondary school leadership and Department programs, Nigel has developed expertise in evidenced based school improvement planning, instructional intelligence, whole school literacy, holistic student well-being, and Aboriginal education.

Serena Davie, Department of Education Western Australia

Serena works at the School of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE). SIDE is the largest school in Western Australia catering for the diverse needs of students across the State of Western Australia. Serena is passionate about regional education and meeting the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. She is a strong advocate of two-way learning. Serena taught remote community in Far North Queensland where she was immersed in Wik culture in 2020. Serena started her career in education as a science and outdoor education teacher. She has taught in the UK, Western Australia and Queensland in metropolitan, regional and very remote schools as well as in the tertiary sector.

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Published

25-11-2024

How to Cite

Moore, L., Macfarlane, R., Wakefield, N., & Davie, S. (2024). Meeting the Needs of Students and the Needs of a System. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 34(3), 92–98. https://doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v34i3.766

Issue

Vol. 34 No. 3 (2024): Rural Researcher and Practitioner Responses to Misrecognition and Distributive Cultural Injustice

Section

RURAL CONNECTIONS: CELEBRATING SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Laura Moore, Rachael Macfarlane, Nigel Wakefield, Serena Davie

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