Through growth to achievement: Examining edtech as a solution to Australia’s declining educational achievement

Abstract

In many educational jurisdictions, school systems are striving to demonstrate constant improvement. In Australia, the latest iteration of this concern is represented by the recent federal government report, Through growth to achievement. The report offers a number of recommendations to address declining achievement in Australian schooling. Pulling together scholarship on policy and educational technology I provide an analysis of key aspects of this report. This analysis draws attention to three salient features of the report: continuous assessment for continuous improvement; education as personalized learning; and growth mindset as a policy mandate. I explore the implications for schooling in Australia if these features were to be taken up. Analysis indicates that Australia could undergo significant change: teaching would be reconstituted as a process of continuous assessment; processes of personalized learning would lead to algorithmically tethered educative opportunities based upon students’ previous achievement and choices; and learners would be reshaped by technologies of persuasion. Given that educational jurisdictions globally are increasingly advocating for these types of educational solutions, this research is valuable as it provides a basis for further critique of such technologies being proffered as a panacea for educational disadvantage.