ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

‘Low academic performance’ is defined by grouping students who were ‘far below age’ or ‘somewhat below age level’ using teacher ratings of overall academic performance. Students who were ‘at age level’, ‘somewhat above age level’ or ‘far above age level’ are classified as having ‘average or above average academic performance’

An estimated 58 per cent of Aboriginal students aged 4 to 16 years were rated by their teacher as having low academic performance. This compares with 19 per cent of non-Aboriginal students having low academic performance.

PROPORTION OF STUDENTS AGED 4 TO 16 YEARS AT LOW ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, ABORIGINAL STUDENTS COMPARED WITH NON-ABORIGNIAL STUDENTS

STUDENTS AGED 4 TO 16 YEARS — DISTRIBUTION OF OVERALL ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE (TEACHER RATING), ABORIGINAL STUDENTS COMPARED WITH NON-ABORIGINAL STUDENTS

The disparity in academic performance between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students is evident from Year 1 onwards, and is maintained through until the mid high-school years. Studies have shown that unless pre-school learning and early primary school assistance are provided, underperforming students are rarely able to catch up. The rise in performance in Years 11 and 12 merely reflects the fact that many of the lower performing students have by then left school.

PROPORTION OF ABORIGINAL STUDENTS AGED 4 TO 17 YEARS AT AVERAGE OR ABOVE AVERAGE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, BY YEAR AT SCHOOL

Factors associated with low academic performance

The three main independent factors contributing to poor academic performance among Aboriginal students are:

The significance of these findings

The findings reported in Volume Three build on the findings on physical health and social and emotional wellbeing reported in Volumes One and Two. The findings highlight the magnitude of educational disadvantage facing many Aboriginal students and their families. The majority of Aboriginal students are behind in their level of school performance. The enormity of the discrepancy in the level of academic performance between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students, and the lack of substantial progress in closing this gap, underscores the importance and urgency of developing new approaches to addressing the challenges faced by many Aboriginal students.

Reasons for low academic performance

In addition to describing the level of performance of Aboriginal students, the survey, by collecting information on students’ lives in the contexts of their family, community and school environments, has identified several key factors associated with ongoing low performance of Aboriginal students. Understanding which factors drive the current situation focuses attention on the issues that matter, and offers ways forward in the development of policies and programmes to help current and future generations of Aboriginal children achieve their full potential. Substantial changes are required to stop the ongoing trend of huge disparities being passed down between generations.

The findings challenge prevailing wisdom in key areas, particularly regarding the role of physical health, and diet and nutrition in inhibiting school performance. While good physical health and adequate nutrition are vitally important in their own right, and are a major component of overall wellbeing, it is clear from the findings of the survey that physical health problems and poor nutrition are not the major factors holding back the performance of Aboriginal children at school. Until the more deep-seated problems of social and emotional well being and the ongoing consequences of past policies of exclusion from school-based education are addressed, the prospects for major improvements in academic performance are limited.

Three key areas of action

The survey has identified three key areas of action that are needed to improve the performance at school of Aboriginal children. These are:

What should be done now?

Without substantial changes to policies and programmes for the education of Aboriginal students, the enormous gap between the levels of performance of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students is likely to be maintained. Community leaders, politicians, policy makers, educators, and family, health and other human service providers must acknowledge the urgency of the situation, and commit to building partnerships with Aboriginal communities to address the drivers of low academic performance in Aboriginal students.