ABSTRACT
It is essential that Aboriginal viewpoints, interests, perceptions and expectations are reflected in curricula, teaching and administration of schools. However, a more nuanced analysis shows that: Indigenous students in mainstream schools in Victoria, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory perform at the same literacy and numeracy levels as non-Indigenous students; New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland have non-performing remote Indigenous schools; and poor student achievement is a 'serious and systemic' problem in the remote Indigenous schools of the Northern Territory. The New South Wales report of the Review of Aboriginal Education emphasises the importance of ‘getting to know Aboriginal students’ to ensure engagement in learning takes place. Schools generally allow students little autonomy, responsibility or control over decision-making. Australian Directions in Indigenous Education 2005–2008 clearly spells out its call for genuine partnership with community through the development of formal partnership agreements between schools and local Indigenous communities.
