Enhancing educational performance for remote Aboriginal Australians: What is the impact of attendance on performance?

Abstract

The educational performance of Aboriginal Australians lags behind nonIndigenous Australians with the gap increasing the longer students remain at school. The Australian government has released its Closing the Gap policy with the specific intent to redress gaps in health, education and housing, as these are seen as key indicators to life success. This article discusses the issues confronting education providers in remote areas in relation to quality education provision. Issues around teacher quality, retention of staff, quality of service provision, leadership and community involvement have been recognised as significant factors in addressing the gap. However, a key issue that remains contentious is attendance. There is a strong link between attendance and performance. Attendance, and its impact on education provision, is discussed at length with recommendations for policy and practice provided.