Pathways in Post-Compulsory Education—From Metaphor to Practice

Abstract

Recent official reports have advocated that schools reformulate their curricula in terms of the future pathways of their graduates, and redefine their assessment criteria in terms of the competencies demanded by the restructuring of the Australian economy. ‘Pathways’ is interpreted by some as a ‘human capital’ metaphor for measuring educational outcomes in terms of economic purpose. The metaphor also seems to assume that genuine pathways already exist or can be readily constructed. This article reports on extensive consultation with five schools in three states to test the implementation of pathways goals within school programs. These schools initiated changes for 1993 to provide structures that link in-school and post-school pathways for their students. They apply a pathways focus to curriculum and school organisation, which provides a model for future school practice.