ACEL SA: It's Time to Act and It's Time to Reflect
It's Time to Act and It's Time to Reflect by Dr Andrew Bills and Nigel Howard
On the 21st Anniversary of the South Australian watershed report 'Listen to me I'm Leaving', and as a follow-up to the 2019 'Those Who Disappear' national report, this session will discuss school disengagement and detachment issues from a South Australian cross-sector perspective. The report – 'It's Time to Reflect' – published prior to the State election has called for schools to be given back the authority to create and deliver more authentic curriculum through culturally responsive pedagogies that enable all young people to thrive in learning and life, rather than a diminished agenda that measures schooling success according to results on a standardised test. It is argued that It's time to rethink the 'World-Class' aspiration that is currently based on narrow NAPLAN growth metrics and instead pursue a high equity inclusive education system.
'A policy agenda that prioritises teachers' efforts into increasing narrow test scores takes them away from innovative learning approaches that can engage more young people in a futures-focussed education they find fun and interesting, better preparing them with the capabilities that the world is calling for.'
What Pasi Sahlberg (2012) has called the Global Education Reform Movement (GERM) has changed the nature of the educational landscape across Australia to the cost of young people and the community at large. The session will provoke discussion through a presentation and then questions/comments.
Links to further information and the papers for reading prior to the session:
It's Time to Act: Making the case for a cross sectoral response to school disengagement and detachment in South Australia — Research @ Flinders
It's Time to Reflect: What is the cost of the South Australian Education Department's pursuit of becoming a "World Class" Education System by 2028? — Research @ Flinders