ABSTRACT
This chapter explores four misguided principles: the sustainability principle; the systemic principle; the ownership or deficit principle; and the Indigenous business principle. The Australian government’s National Report to Parliament on Indigenous Education and Training, 2005 highlights the continuing ‘gap’ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Compounding the difficulty surrounding the ‘sustainability principle’ is the concept that schools and teachers are not responsible for the poor outcomes of Indigenous students: the ‘systemic principle’. The ‘Indigenous business principle’ often comes into play when a school has access to Indigenous human resources, and generally this relates to Aboriginal Education Workers or those few schools fortunate enough to have access to the limited pool of Indigenous teachers. In genuine school–Indigenous community partnerships, the leadership is a shared responsibility, with both partners—as indicated earlier—sharing one another’s expertise and knowledge bases, ensuring secured positive outcomes of Indigenous students.
