Is Indigeneity hidden in the shadow of Australian national school reforms?

Abstract

AbstractWithin a policy regime increasingly focused on measurement, Australian Indigenous students are highly visible in school education debates as underperforming subjects for intervention. This is consistent with broader Indigenous policy discourse, which highlights disadvantage and deficit. At the same time, their Indigeneity, while acknowledged in principle, becomes less visible as the concentration on English literacy and the increasing focus on schooling as a pathway to economic participation has intensified. Recent shifts in education policy narratives of Indigeneity have the potential to counter these trends, and allow Indigeneity to emerge from the shadows of dominant policy frameworks. In this article, we argue that these shifts, while too early to translate into outcomes, deserve attention.