In the Balance: The Future of Australia’s Primary Schools

Max Angus, Harriet Olney & John Ainley
Released this week, this study, (funded via the Department of Education, Science & Training, commissioned by the Australian Primary Principals’ Association and conducted by a research team from Edith Cowan University and the Australian Council for Educational Research), is the fourth in a series of studies investigating the resourcing of Australia’s primary schools.

The first study surveyed the views of principals, the second explored relative levels of funding for primary and secondary schooling from the nineteenth century to the present; and the third presented intensive case studies of resourcing in 30 schools.  This study builds on those earlier studies and examines the capacity of Australian primary schools to meet the challenges facing them.

Sadly, the findings conclude that Australian primary schools do not have sufficient resources to achieve fully the goals set for them by government.  In many of the schools serving low socio-economic communities, the shortage is acute.

However, the report also finds that some of the challenges facing primary schools are not due to a resource insufficiency: and explores a range of implications relating to such aspects as: curriculum content and time allocation; staffing recruitment difficulties in respect both of permanent and relief teachers; impacts of students with special learning needs; impacts of communities with high proportions of low SES families and students; etc.

Given that the overall policy document for education is the National Goals for Schooling in the 21st Century (1999) adopted by the national council of Education Ministers (MCEETYA), the report addresses its sixteen recommendations primarily for their consideration and action to progress the issues.

Download the report at: http://www.jhonline.net/images/appa/inthebalance2007.pdf