Reform and resistance in aboriginal education : the Australian experience

Abstract

Despite years of policy directives, research projects and curriculum initiatives, Aboriginal students remain the most disadvantaged group in terms of education. Their early exiting from schooling, lack of close connections to mainstream educational settings, disproportional representation in ‘disciplinary techniques’ within schools, and their over-representation in the criminal justice system, all clearly indicate that Aboriginal youth have been given short shift within mainstream education – and see little of value in it in terms of their current and future lives. Evidence that something is seriously wrong has been available for a long time; what to do about it remains the unanswered question. The authors of Reform and Resistance in Aboriginal Education present a number of different answers, seeking a more holistic and constructive way forward.