This Spotlight focuses on how:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators bring valuable
community and cultural knowledge to education settings, particularly in remote
communities.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators provide
continuity for student learning in schools that may face high teacher turnover
(particularly in remote schools).
- school leaders can ensure schools are culturally safe
environments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff
- the staffing of remote schools requires policies
that consider the skills and knowledge for education in that context.
This Spotlight was written in consultation with the Northern Territory Department of Education and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. AITSL acknowledges the valuable insight and contribution to this Spotlight.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this publication may contain the names and images of deceased people.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators play a
significant role in the communities in which they live and work due to their
deep understanding of the local context, languages, histories and cultures. According to the 2016 census, there were 9,184 fully qualified and registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers, making up a little over 2% of the teaching population (ACDE, 2018). The teaching workforce is supported by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators, who are particularly important in schools that have no Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander teachers, or who have a high proportion of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students.
Across Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators are varyingly
referred to depending on the context in which they work, and the state or
territory they work in. For example, Assistant Teacher is used in current
Northern Territory employment agreements for government schools to describe “a
person of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who has been employed to
assist in a teaching capacity in a school, a Community Education Centre or a
Homeland Learning Centre, which is usually located within an Aboriginal
community” (OCPE 2018, p. 5). This Spotlight largely draws on the Northern Territory context, where 40% of students are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.
In Western Australia, the term Aboriginal and Islander
Education Officer (AIEO) is used to describe staff who support Aboriginal
students in the classroom and in Queensland these staff are referred to as
Community Education Counselors (CEC). Koorie Engagement Support Officers
(KESOs) are an important support for Aboriginal students in the Victorian state
education system and in South Australia, Aboriginal community education officers
(ACEOs) support individual Aboriginal students and their families within the
school and preschool community. This Spotlight uses the term ‘Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander educators’ to refer to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait
Islander staff who work alongside registered classroom teachers to team-teach
students in schools with high numbers of Indigenous Australians.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators work in
partnership with classroom teachers, combining knowledge and practice with specific
community understanding. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators often
work in schools
within culturally rich communities. A high proportion of students may have one
or more first languages that are different to the language of instruction. Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander educators who speak community languages, as well as Standard
Australian English, are employed to work with students and their classroom
teachers, and are highly valued for their skills in the translation of both
language and culture. In Australia, the work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander educators is particularly important in Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander communities.
Focus on the Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is home to 1% of the total Australian
population and this population is dispersed over one-sixth of Australia's
landmass (Worley et al. 2019). The Territory has by far the largest
proportion of Indigenous children: 42% compared to 6% nationally. The next
highest is Queensland with 12.1 per cent, followed by Western Australia with
11.7 per cent (ABS 2013).
Geographically, 42% of all children in the Northern
Territory are enrolled in remote or very remote schools, compared to 2%
nationally. Close to half (47%) of Northern Territory government school
students have a language background other than English (Maher 2013).
The Northern Territory Department of Education acknowledges
the importance of students seeing themselves represented in the educator
workforce. In 2019, there were 656 Aboriginal employees across the
Department, including 142.3 full-time equivalent Assistant Teachers, which is
a position designated for Aboriginal employees (Northern
Territory Department of Education 2020).
Australia needs a diverse workforce that has the knowledge and expertise to ensure the success of every child.The Mparntwe Education Declaration sets this important goal:
Ensure that learning is built on and includes local,
regional and national cultural knowledge and experience of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples and work in partnership with local communities.
Education Council 2019, p. 5
It is particularly important for rural and remote schools to
recruit and retain qualified teachers with the right attributes to positively
contribute to a collaborative partnership approach that will achieve quality
student outcomes. Estimates suggest 66% of remote school principals find it
difficult to fill staff vacancies, compared to 39% of principals at
metropolitan secondary schools (Productivity Commission 2012). This is even
more difficult for schools in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
communities, where teachers frequently report feeling isolated while dealing
with the ‘always on’ challenge of teaching and living in a bilingual and
bicultural community (White et al. 2008). There is generally a higher turnover
of teachers in these schools when compared to urban schools, thereby making Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander educators the stable presence for students in these
learning environments.
As well as supporting their students in the key areas of learning,
culture and community, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators are role
models for post-school transition and pathways. The complex and interconnected
components of their role relate to the essential elements of identity,
well-being and belonging.
[Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators] authentically connect schools with local Indigenous
communities to promote educational opportunity and respect for cultural ways of
knowing, being and doing.
Gruppetta et al. 2018, p. 3
In practice, the precise role of an Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander educator will vary greatly depending on the needs and
priorities of their school. Some roles may relate mainly to student learning
support across learning areas, while others focus more on cultural teaching and
learning. While the specifics of roles and responsibilities may vary,
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators bring a cultural lens and
significant social capital to education settings, which often includes teaching
in local languages. Pastoral care, family support and community liaison are also
crucial aspects of many roles, to facilitate genuine connection with
communities and families. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators often
also provide professional learning for non-Indigenous teachers, including
formal induction processes or mentorship, or post-school follow-up with
students enrolled in further education. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators
work with teaching partners, such as classroom teachers, community members and
school visitors, to provide culturally responsive educational experiences that
enable students to engage with and access the curriculum, participate in
learning and achieve positive learning outcomes.
Community members have been involved in classroom roles in
schools in most Australian states and territories for over 40 years, however,
there remains limited written research about their contribution to student
learning. The voice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators has also
been missing in research until recently (Armour 2016). International studies of
similar roles provide emerging evidence that they contribute to improvements in
student achievement. This is particularly associated with Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander educators working well alongside teachers in designing and providing
contextualised learning support.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators speak
community languages
Across Australia, there are over 250 different Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander languages, many of which have several dialects (AIATSIS n.d.).
Data from the 2009 Australian Early Development Index indicates that three
quarters of five-year-old children enrolled in their first year of full-time
schooling in the Northern Territory have language backgrounds other than
English (Silburn et al. 2011). A 2011/2012 Australian Government inquiry into
language learning in Indigenous communities found that using Indigenous
languages in the early years of education is linked to improved attendance and
community engagement.
It is important for Aboriginal people to learn
Aboriginal Languages for our identity; being proud of being Aboriginal people.
Language is connected to Aboriginal spirit and our Country. The language and
Country is our spirit
Mary Noonan, Wogyala Community, 2013, ACARA
website
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators are essential
to the implementation of the Northern Territory’s Indigenous Languages and
Culture Policy (NTBOS 2017). This policy encourages students to communicate
in Indigenous languages, and learn about associated knowledge systems and
cultures.
In the Northern Territory specifically, Aboriginal Assistant
Teachers’ responsibilities include:
- Advising on cultural protocols for engaging with Elders and
Traditional Owners and teaching language and culture
- Participating in ‘planning together’ sessions to assist with the
development of the Indigenous Languages and Cultures (ILC) program scope and
sequence, units of work and lesson plans
- Collaboratively teaching or leading delivery of ILC lessons
- Working in a teaching team to assess and maintain records of
student progress and achievement
- Engaging in professional learning in accordance with their professional
growth plan (Department of Education 2017, p. 12).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators are role
models
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators have
opportunities to enter the school workforce in a number of ways, for example directly
from school or as community Elders. They may enter with a qualification or engage
in accredited training throughout their career progression. Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander educators demonstrate to young people, their families
and communities the benefits of continued learning.
This issue was the focus of a study conducted in the Northern
Territory, New South Wales and Victoria, investigating what Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander educators see as enablers and barriers to post-school
education. The study found it was often difficult for community and family
members, who had negative experiences during their own schooling, to go to the
school and engage meaningfully with the school community. This could reinforce
a disconnect across community, family and the school. Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander educators reported the need to help community members negotiate
education bureaucracy, particularly at a distance, and in some cases to offer
post-school support to former students. To help combat this, past students were
asked to talk to the school community about the courses they were undertaking or
jobs they were working in (Gruppetta et al. 2018).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators belong to the
education profession
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators work under different
state and territory awards that do not require them to hold full teacher
registration. Education in Australia is a shared federal and state
responsibility with state and territory teacher regulatory authorities managing
the requirements to be a teacher in their jurisdiction. While 5.7% of all
students in Australia are from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Island
backgrounds, only 2% of registered teachers are (AITSL, 2019). This
discrepancy, combined with the diversity and richness of Indigenous communities
in Australia and the vast distances between communities, means Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander educators are vital to meet student and community needs.
The Northern Territory is currently reviewing its career
pathway for assistant teachers, from entry level requiring no qualifications
through certificate and diploma levels of the Australian Qualifications
Framework, up to Level 5 which requires an Advanced Diploma or equivalent.
The graphic in Figure 1 provides an overview of the Northern
Territory assistant teacher career pathway.
Figure 1. Assistant Teacher Career Pathway (Adapted from: DoE 2018)
A 2013 review of Indigenous education in the Northern
Territory recommended that assistant teachers should have employment and
performance management arrangements consistent with those of other staff to
ensure their roles and responsibilities are understood and supported by all
school staff, particularly classroom teachers (Wilson 2014). The Northern
Territory Government responded to recommendations in 2016 by refining the Assistant
Teacher Professional Standards and developing Professional Growth Plans and
Induction resources for Assistant Teachers.
Assistant Teacher Professional Standards
The main purpose of the NT Assistant Teacher Professional
Standards is to raise the status and professionalism of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander educators and to position their role within the
community alongside other professionals, such as teachers, principals and
health professionals. The Standards are described at each of the five
levels of the Northern Territory Assistant Teacher Career Pathway (Figure 1). The three domains in the Assistant Teacher Professional Standards
reflect those of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers
(AITSL, 2011), namely Professional Knowledge, Professional Practice and
Professional Engagement.
You can learn more about the Standards here:
https://www.transformingtraining.com.au [pdf]
Teaching teams can work together to develop approaches that are cultural responsive and pedagogically strong. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators traditionally work in schools with unique, site-specific qualities,
that are very different to urban schools. They quite often work with a teacher
whose experience is limited to mainstream schools, with minimal understanding
of the school’s unique context, and who are new to the cultural context of the
community. Building a productive way of working as a team is critical to the
success of the partnership between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
educators and their teacher colleagues.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators also work with
other professionals, parents, carers and outside agencies as well as with
students. Collaborative qualities and skills are an important and distinctive
part of their role. Given the challenges in educational continuity in remote
communities, due largely to high rates of teacher turnover, Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander educators represent a fundamental point of engagement
(Cooper 2008).
Becoming an effective teaching team takes
time. These teams are most effective when educators plan together and
employ a team-teaching approach. The following list of
characteristics is helpful to guide effective team-teaching practices.
Becoming an effective team
You will know you are being effective when
each member of the team is able to:
- learn together, plan together, teach and
assess together
- share teaching, administrative and other tasks
in appropriate ways
- function as both teacher learner and learner
teacher
- help each other in ways that ensure long-term
growth not just short-term goals
- take responsibility for the learning of the
children in their care
- have high expectations for themselves and
their teaching partner/s
- teach together in ways that promote the
independence of each team member
(Remote
Teacher Guide 2019, p. 23).
Cultural responsiveness is everyone’s responsibility
In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, the
teaching team must be grounded in an approach that is culturally responsive and
pedagogically strong. This helps to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander educators are empowered to link culturally relevant knowledge with
contemporary curriculum and pedagogical knowledge. Team-teaching practices
shared by classroom teachers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators
help to ensure that classroom teachers are able to gain understandings of
Indigenous ways of being, knowing and doing and to incorporate these into their
teaching practice, thereby strengthening their practice.
Teachers coming into Aboriginal or the Torres Strait communities
may require capacity building in how to live and work with their Indigenous
colleagues and communities. This is a reciprocal process through which
colleagues learn from each other and develop their team teaching practice. The willingness and disposition of teachers in a remote school to
learn about the culture and language of the local community and develop
productive working relationships underpins their capacity to both live and
teach in a remote context (NT Government 2019). The provision of appropriate
preparatory information, contextualised inductions and ongoing professional
learning opportunities can all contribute to the quality, preparedness and
resilience of teachers, especially in remote schools (Railton 2017).
Advice for staff working with assistant teachers
“Developing strong relationships with an assistant teacher
will take time, effort and energy. It is important that you develop shared
understandings around teaching and learning as this relationship is a
powerful model for the students you both teach. Use inclusive language when
referring to the teaching team and assistant teachers. Instead of ‘my’ class
or students, use ‘our’. Instead of ‘my’ assistant teacher, use collegial
language or the person’s name.”
Remote
Teacher Guide 2019, p. 22.
Many factors contribute to the development of a culturally responsive
teaching workforce. One of these is developing cultural competency within
initial teacher courses. For teachers who find themselves working in a remote
setting early in their career, opportunities for truly engaging with, and
understanding the important role Aboriginal cultures and languages play in
education are invaluable. For this reason, some initial teacher education providers
encourage preservice teachers to complete a professional experience placement
in a remote Indigenous community, thus increasing their understanding of
Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing, and experience of working with Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander educators (ACIL Allen 2018).
Indigenous cultural competency in the Australian teacher
workforce
AITSL is undertaking a project to understand and support
cultural competency among educators. The project is focused on the processes
teachers and school leaders can embark on to understand, develop, and
effectively enact their cultural competency. It also aims to provide teachers
and school leaders with guidance on the use of relevant resources and tools
to help them improve or enhance their pedagogical practice in culturally
responsive ways.
You can find out more here:
https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/intercultural-development/building-a-culturally-responsive-australian-teaching-workforce
Leaders are responsible for effective induction and ongoing
professional learning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators and
classroom teachers
School leaders play a crucial role in ensuring the status of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander educators as a core part of the school’s team of
education professionals. The influence of the Principal goes well beyond
employing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators. It means sharing
power and trusting the decisions that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
educators make about the children and community they know well. It requires an
attitude that sees culture as foundational to balancing the priorities of the
community as well as those of the education system.
Within an education department or system, governance support
and leadership at the highest level is crucial to ensure the sustainability of
this important and fragile ecosystem. For instance, system leaders should
expect turnover and avoid over-reliance on individual staff members at all
levels (Worley et al. 2019). Education systems can help Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander educators build a sense of collegiality and access support by
finding ways for them to come together to support one another in formal and
informal networks, including through induction processes. Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander educators’ induction could also include content on curriculum
and pedagogy, which would further enhance their capabilities for the benefit of
all students.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators are an
integral part of the school workforce and working effectively with these staff
members determines what difference they can make to student learning. This
begins with induction. Research conducted with 82 remote Aboriginal Education
Workers in Western Australia revealed that most received induction (73%) and
training to assist them in their role (69%). The top two focuses of training were
education support (small group and individual work) (62%) and behaviour
management (57%). The researchers noted that only four respondents indicated
that they had received training in the use of information and communication
technologies for teaching (Jackson-Barrett et al. 2016). Relevant professional
learning can form an important part of a holistic approach to professional
development for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators as well as
other teaching staff.
All teachers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander educators require appropriate capabilities to maximise the
effectiveness of the team-teaching approach. The following list of ‘ten truths’
from the Diversity Council Australia & Jumbunna can inform and guide school
leaders in ensuring the school is a culturally safe environment for Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander employees.
The Diversity Council Australia & Jumbunna has developed:
10 Truths to centre Indigenous Australians’ voices to
create workplace inclusion
- Commit to unearthing and acting on workplace truths – however
uncomfortable this may be
- Ensure any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-related work
is Indigenous-led and informed
- Develop organisational principles to make it clear how
Indigenous community engagement and employment should work in practice
- Focus on workplace readiness (cultural safety) rather than
worker readiness
- Recognise identity strain and educate non-Indigenous staff
about how to interact with their Indigenous colleagues in ways that reduce
this
- Recognise and remunerate cultural load as part of an employee’s
workload
- Consult with Indigenous staff on how to minimise cultural load
while maintaining organisational activity
- Focus on sustainable careers and career development, rather
than just short-term appointments
- Take action to address workplace racism
- Look to high-impact initiatives – those that research shows are
linked to better wellbeing and retention for Indigenous staff
GARI
YALA SPEAK THE TRUTH [PDF]
The NT Assistant Teacher Professional Standards
discussed above can provide school leaders with a tool to ensure the skills and
knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators in their school
are recognised and developed. Meeting these standards depends on school leaders
being able to provide a climate that supports collaboration. Teachers and Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander educators require support and opportunities to
reflect on their own practice in order to identify professional learning needs.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators are role models, and bring valuable community and cultural knowledge and social capital to education settings. The Review of Indigenous Education in the Northern
Territory showed that Indigenous teachers and principals are
under-represented in the workforce and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators
are unevenly utilised and employed (Wilson 2014). The solutions to these
workforce and educational issues are not simple and to ensure a quality
workforce for all Australian students within their community requires a strong
forging of policies, programs, resourcing, education and support.
Recruitment of potential teachers, particularly of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander descent, who may be prepared to go on to work in remote
schools, may require new or alternative selection processes that try to predict
who is likely to be suited to the role. Practical strategies include ensuring
training programs accommodate the community and family pressures experienced by
some students, which may affect their progress. Together with school
leadership, some remote communities also take on the joint responsibility of identifying
educators that may be suitable for their school, helping to ensure community
agreement and support.
A Tasmanian study focused on ways to support Aboriginal
Education Workers (AEWs) to become teachers. The researchers recommended that
AEWs be provided with additional information on teaching courses and pathways,
as well as personal development and paid study leave. Scholarships and
recognition of prior learning could also help AEWs to overcome some of the
barriers that prevent them from undertaking further education (Andersen, Gower
& O’Dowd 2015).
The Review of Indigenous Education in the Northern
Territory found that experienced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators
need support to gain further training or qualifications, whether VET or higher
education (for example a teaching degree), given the distance necessary to
travel from remote communities and, oftentimes, the time away from home
required (Wilson 2014). Examples of programs aiming to alleviate these
barriers, was the Aboriginal ‘Growing Our Own’ model of teacher
education, a joint Charles Darwin University and NT Catholic Education program
and the currently running NT Department of Education Remote Aboriginal Teacher
Education (RATE) program.
Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators to
become teachers
Mainstream provision of Initial Teacher Education courses may
not meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators aspiring to
become teachers. Several factors have been associated with successful programs
for Remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult learners, including:
- Cultural knowledge
- Learning on country
- Student motivation
- Personal empowerment with a transformative effect
- Flexible and adaptable trainers
- Training coordination and support
- Community and family support
- Peer relationships with other students
- Individual confidence and identity
- Strong foundational skills
- Local community ownership
- Funding security.
Established in 2009, the Growing Our Own project was a
partnership between Charles Darwin University (CDU) and Catholic Education NT
that aimed to deliver effective programs that address regional Indigenous needs.
It operated in five regional areas in the NT. As part of the project, tertiary
providers delivered courses to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators in
their home communities and schools, supported by qualified non-Indigenous
classroom teachers employed at the school (Maher 2013, p. 847). Between 2009
and 2016, 54 students participated in the project and 21 graduated. Of those,
90% are working as teachers (van Gelderen, 2017).
The development of grow your own programs gives communities
access to local educators that have an in-depth understanding of the local
languages, context and cultures. The medical profession faces the same ongoing
challenge, and has its own ‘growing our own’ doctor initiative - a partnership
between Flinders University, Charles Darwin University and the NT Government
(Worley et al. 2019).
Challenges with the Growing Our Own program included:
- it took time for non-Indigenous lecturers to establish strong
relationships with communities, schools, and students
- English literacy levels of some students proved a challenge and
additional tuition was provided
- students all had significant demands on their time from within
the communities within which they lived.
In 2019-20, over 200 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators
were enrolled in training across the Northern Territory, most with the Batchelor
Institute, a specialist in Aboriginal post-secondary education (Table 1).
Table 1: Assistant teachers enrolled in accredited
training in the Northern Territory (2019-20)
Northern Territory assistant teachers enrolled in accredited
training | Participants |
---|
Certificate III in Education Support | 32 |
Certificate IV in Education Support | 31 |
Diploma of Education Support | 10 |
Advanced Diploma of Education | 8 |
Other accredited training | 133 |
TOTAL | 214 |
Source: Department of Education Annual Report
2019-20, p. 22Northern Territory: Remote Aboriginal Teacher Education
(RATE) pilot program
A RATE pilot program commenced in 2021 which enables aspiring teachers in Northern Territory communities to study while living and
working on Country. The program has started in a small number of sites and
includes:
- ongoing engagement with local communities,
- negotiated agreements with education settings and ongoing
systemic support, and
- aspiring teachers engaging in study pathways that are based on
career aspirations and preferred ways of learning.
For more information visit:
https://education.nt.gov.au/careers-in-education/remote-aboriginal-teacher-education-rate-pilot-program
Queensland: Remote Area Teacher Education Program (RATEP)
The RATEP program provides pathways for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people to become qualified teachers, teacher aides and
early childhood educators. It is a joint initiative between TAFE Queensland,
James Cook University and the Queensland Department of Education, in liaison
with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and operates in sites
across QLD.
For more information visit:
https://tafeqld.edu.au/information-for/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islanders/RATEP.html
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators bring valuable
community and cultural knowledge and social capital to education settings. Schools
that create environments which enable effective collaboration between classroom
teachers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators can maximise
impacts on positive student learning.
This role is to contribute contextual understanding and
culturally appropriate support to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
students’ learning. Thus, not only is the role a necessity in addressing
Aboriginal students’ learning in a Western-dominated world, it is also
significant for these students’ success.
Armour 2016
Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander educators can play a crucial role
in students’ education outcomes if the right conditions are in place. They help
to link student learning with local languages, cultures and communities and are
also role models for post-school transition and pathways. Team-teaching
practices help to bring unique capabilities to the classroom and help develop Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander educators’ and classroom teachers’ skills and
capabilities. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators can also play an
important role in growing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teacher
workforce.
Of prime importance is that Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander educators are recognised as belonging to the education profession, as well as for their
special role as a connector to culture, Country and community.
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The term ‘school’ is used throughout this Spotlight to encompass a
diverse range of education settings including early childhood education and
care services, community and homeland learning centres as well as learning on
country programs
Remoteness is derived from the Australian Bureau of
Statistics (ABS) Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Remoteness
Structure whereby Australia is divided into 5 classes of remoteness on the
basis of a measure of relative access to services (ABS
n.d.).