Connected Communities- Summary

In December 2007, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to a partnership

between all levels of government to work with Indigenous communities to achieve the target
of Closing the Gap in Indigenous disadvantage.
addresses the educational and social aspirations of Aboriginal children and
young people living in a number of complex and diverse communities in NSW.
positions schools as community hubs that will facilitate a range of services
from birth, through school, to further training and employment.
schools work in partnership with Aboriginal leaders in the local community to
help improve education outcomes for young Aboriginal people.
informed by advice from the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG),
and a broad consultation process with key stakeholders, underpinned by progressive
educational research that highlights the value of place-based approaches to education.

The strategy addresses each of the key issues raised by community during the
Ministerial Taskforce consultation;
there is a need for greater Aboriginal community engagement in schools, including the employment of Elders and Aboriginal
staff
early childhood education is critical in improving Aboriginal education outcomes
embed and celebrate Aboriginal culture in schools
build cultural understanding amongst teachers and link Aboriginal education outcomes to teacher performance
enhance supports for Aboriginal children, including tutoring and homework support
improve the management of non-attendance and consider alternative options to address high suspension rates
support continuity of learning for Aboriginal children by supporting successful transition from pre-school to primary
school, to secondary school and then tertiary education and training.

Key features
The Connected Communities strategy has a number of key
features including:
Cultural awareness (Connecting to Country) delivered locally
for all staff
Teaching Aboriginal language and culture
Additional school executive position Leader: Community
Partnerships
Early years focus through to further learning and
employment
Personalised Learning Plans for all students
Schools as a hub for service delivery
Early intervention and prevention focus
Partnership and co-leadership with the Aboriginal
Community
Partnership with a University and a TAFE Institute

The successful implementation of the strategy depends on:

Effective leadership
Good governance, and
Genuine community partnerships.
To facilitate a rigorous evaluation of the Connected
Communities strategy, an evaluation framework will be in
place from the outset. This framework will include milestones,
targets, key data and measures, and a collection and reporting
schedule, as well as a proposed methodology for the data
analysis.

These milestones, targets, key data and measures, and a collection and reporting schedule, as well as a propose
methodology for the data analysis include:

Aboriginal children are increasingly developmentally ready to benefit from schooling - in their physical health, social
competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills and communication
Aboriginal families and community members are actively engaged in the school
Attendance rates for Aboriginal students are equal to the state average
Aboriginal students are increasingly achieving at or above national minimum standards and overall levels of literacy and
numeracy achievement are improving
Aboriginal students are staying at school until Year 12 (or equivalent training)
Aboriginal students are transitioning from school into post school training and employment
Aboriginal parents and carers report that service delivery from the school site is flexible and responsive to their needs
Aboriginal students and communities report that the school values their identity, culture, goals and aspirations
Staff report that professional learning opportunities build their capacity to personalise their teaching to meet the
learning needs of all students in their class
Staff report that professional learning opportunities build their cultural understandings and connections with the
community

All information above copied from:

NSW Government, Education & Communities Public Schools NSW Connected Communities Strategy