WII GAAY – CLEVER CHILD

A SUCCESS STORY

Rick Johnston, Diocesan Director of Catholic Schools

Sharon Cooke, Aboriginal Education Consultant

Cate Taylor, Wii Gaay Co-ordinator

Kevin Rudd’s Sorry Speech, February 13, 2008

But the core of this partnership for the future is to close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians on life expectancy, educational achievement and employment opportunities.

This new partnership on closing the gap will set concrete targets for the future: within a decade to halve the widening gap in literacy, numeracy and employment outcomes and opportunities for indigenous Australians, within a decade to halve the appalling gap in infant mortality rates between indigenous and non-indigenous children and, within a generation, to close the equally appalling 17-year life gap between indigenous and non-indigenous in overall life expectancy.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children

0-4

5-9

10-14

15-19

20-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40-44

45-49

50-54

55-59

60-64

65 and over

15% 10% 5% 0% 5% 10% 15%

Non-ATSI Aboriginal &Torres Strait Islanders

Source: ABS 2006 Census of Population and Housing

• One-quarter of people identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander are under the age of 10.

• This is double the proportion of the non-ATSI population.

• 13% of the non-ATSI population are aged 65 or over. By comparison, only 3% of the ATSI population are aged 65.

The Gap - Child Health

• Aboriginal children under the age of five are three times more likely to die compared to non-Aboriginal children.

• Aboriginal mothers are twice as likely to have a low birth weight as non-Aboriginal mothers.

• Aboriginal teenagers are five times more likely to give birth than non-Aboriginal teenagers.

• Aboriginal children aged under five suffering nutritional anaemia and malnutrition are at 30 times the rate of non-Aboriginal children (3.6 per 1,000 children compared to 0.1 per 1,000 children).

Source: Save The Children, Newborn and Child Survival in Australia, 2009

The Gap - Incarceration Rates

• Almost one-quarter (24%) of the total prison population are Aboriginal people

• Aboriginal people are 13 times more likely to be imprisoned than non-Aboriginal people

• 27% of Aboriginal people in prison in Australia are aged under 25 (17% for non-Aboriginal people

• Aboriginal people aged under 18 are 17 times more likely to be incarcerated than non-Aboriginal people under 18

• 4.5% of non-Aboriginal prisoners are serving periodic detention (in custody 2 days per week and remain at liberty the rest of the week (NSW and ACT only). By comparison, only 1.4% of Aboriginal prisoners are serving periodic detention.

Source: ABS Prisoners in Australia, 2008

The Gap – Educational Qualifications, Employment and Housing

Source: ABS 2006 Census of Population and Housing

 Education Aboriginal Non-Aboriginal

Completed Year 12 22% 47%

Post-Graduate Degrees 2% 7%

Bachelor Degrees or Higher 18% 40%

Certificate Qualifications 66% 42%

For 15-24 year olds - Bachelor Degrees 7% 29%

For 15-24 year olds - Certificate Qualifications 86% 66%

Employment Aboriginal Non-Aboriginal

Unemployment Rate 16% 5%

% of population over 15 employed 43% 61%

Employed in private sector 74% 85%

CDEP participants 14,155 people 312 people

 Housing Aboriginal  Non-Aboriginal

Home ownership (own or mortgage) 36%  71%

Renting 63% 28%

NO internet access at home 57% 36%

The Gap - Student Performance: NAPLAN 2008

Source: NAPLAN, 2008

% of Students Below National Minimum Standard Indigenous Non-Indigenous

Year 3 Reading 30 5

  Writing 19 2

  Spelling 29 5

  Grammar and Punctuation 33 5

  Numeracy 19 2

       

Year 5 Reading 35 6

  Writing 29 5

  Spelling 29 6

  Grammar and Punctuation 34 5

  Numeracy 29 5

       

Year 7 Reading 27 3

  Writing 31 6

  Spelling 27 5

  Grammar and Punctuation 36 6

  Numeracy 20 3

       

Year 9 Reading 28 5

  Writing 38 10

  Spelling 30 8

  Grammar and Punctuation 38 8

  Numeracy 26 4

Students Below National Minimum Standard

The Gap - Student Performance: NAPLAN 2008

Source: NAPLAN, 2008

% of Students achieving highest band or above Indigenous Non-Indigenous

Year 3 Reading 3 18

  Writing 4 18

  Spelling 3 16

  Grammar and Punctuation 3 20

  Numeracy 2 13

   

Year 5 Reading 1 10

  Writing 1 9

  Spelling 2 8

  Grammar and Punctuation 2 14

  Numeracy 1 7

   

Year 7 Reading 1 8

  Writing 1 9

  Spelling 2 8

  Grammar and Punctuation 1 7

  Numeracy 2 12

   

Year 9 Reading 1 6

  Writing 1 8

  Spelling 1 6

  Grammar and Punctuation 0 5

  Numeracy 1 8

Students achieving highest band or above

Australian Bench Marks 2006 in Numeracy

YearsAll

students IndigenousAll

students IndigenousAll

students IndigenousAll

students Indigenous

Year 393.6 (1.2)

79.8 (4.7)

92.7 (1.6)

82.7 (4.5)

85.6 (3.8)

64.6 (8.6)

67.2 (5.5)

50.2 (7.5)

Year 591.3 (1.2)

73.7 (4.4)

89.5 (1.6)

70.2 (4.7)

78.6 (4.0)

48.6 (8.2)

53.4 (5.3)

28.6 (5.7)

Year 781.1 (1.1)

53.9 (1.1)

77.4 (1.4)

49.4 (4.3)

71.7 (3.6)

35.4 (7.5)

47.1 (5.3)

20.2 (4.9)

Metropolitan Provincial Remote Very Remote

Source: Professor John Pegg, The National Centre of Science, ICT, and Mathematics Education for Rural and Regional (SiMERR) Australia, University of New England, Armidale.

The Gap – Geographic Regions of Australia

Armidale Diocese had 179,000 people at 2006 Census, of which 15,600 (9%) identified as Aboriginal

Education Programs for the Support of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students in the Diocese of Armidale

 

Bounce Back – Murdi Paaki Resilience Program

Count Me In Too (Numeracy Program) 2001 – 2008

Employment of Aboriginal Education Assistants

Gamilaraay/Yuwaalaraay Language Program, Walgett

Let’s Talk Rural Immersion

Numeracy Backpack – School to Home Program – 2008

Otitis Media (Glue Ear) – Sound Field Amplification System

Warramalaya (Stand Together), Years 8 -12 Program

Wii Gaay (Clever Child) 2002 – 2008 and Ngali Dhiirrali 1998 – 1999

Primary ATSI Students Enrolled in Catholic Schools Diocese of Armidale 1998 – 2008

Secondary ATSI Students Enrolled in Catholic Schools Diocese of Armidale 1998 - 2008

13 trained DAGS working across key designated areas i.e. Walgett, Moree, Gunnedah, Narrabri, Tamworth, Armidale

Of the 13 trained DAGS 5 are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Pre-test carried out by DAG with no negative connection to children

Some children self identify – score highly in the RAVENS Matrices

Intervention run by DAG with emotional links/rapport with that school community

Post test students who have not self-identified

Selection process – students 80 percentile and above +++

Assessment and Identification

Teacher Inservice - Parent home/school visits AEW Inservice – Primary/Secondary DVD Professional Development for new teachers Wii Gaay Co-ordinator visit schools/parents/community Aboriginal Education Consultant visit schools/parents/community Teachers attending Residential Schools

Professional Development

Wii Gaay Residential Schools

Yearly - Two x four days

Locations

Theme

Literacy / Numeracy /I.T. / Cultural / RE-Spiritual

Who Attends

AEWs

Parents, Grandparents

Facilitators

Classroom Teachers

Community members

CSO leadership members

ACU students

C.E.C.

Yalari

DEEWR

In Between Residential Schools

Weekly emailing Online Mentoring School Visits Stories

• Parents - expectations, sibling/ wider family rippling effect• Georgina and others – staying connected• Venues – observations, positive comments