Giving All/Reaping Rewards

Abstract

A number of remote Indigenous communities in Western Australia and the Northern Territory runtheir own independent schools. The communities are faced with a constant battle to recruit qualityteachers to their schools and to attain a high level of literacy in their students. The 1996 National School English Survey reported thot less than 20% of Year 3 Indigenous students met the reading standards with similar findings for Year 5 (Department of Education Science and Training, 1997). There is strong evidence that student achievement is significantly linked to committed and wellqualified teachers (Darling-Hammond, 2000). The Commonwealth Government National Indigenous English Literacy and Numeracy Strategy (NIELNS) Report 2000 stated that recruiting 'good teachers' who are culturally aware and who can implement 'best teaching methods' are key elements in raising the literacy standard of Indigenous students (Department of Education Science and Training, 2000).