Dispersing mathematics curriculum leadership in remote Aboriginal communities

Abstract

In remote Aboriginal communities, there are many challenges that confront educators, not the least of which is leadership that challenges the status quo and moves Aboriginal communities forward in their access to, and engagement with, the mathematics school curriculum. This paper draws on data from the Maths in the Kimberley (MiTK) project where the complexities around reforming mathematics were investigated through leadership models. It was considered that the complexities faced by principals in their day-to-day management of schools closed down their capacity for curriculum leadership. A new model of curriculum leadership, based on the Accelerated Literacy model was adopted for numeracy reform. This model, its genesis and its implementation is discussed along with the mitigating context that shapes the need for models of leadership that focus on curriculum reform for remote Indigenous contexts. The implications of this model are discussed in conjunction with the field of mathematics educational research.