tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/mainstream-schools-18996/articlesmainstream schools – The Conversation2022-12-02T13:41:14Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1948072022-12-02T13:41:14Z2022-12-02T13:41:14ZStudent ‘slave auctions’ illustrate the existence of a hidden culture of domination and subjugation in US schools<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498310/original/file-20221130-24-r2i64x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1264%2C28%2C2768%2C2753&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A depiction of an auction where an enslaved person is sold.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/rendering-depicting-slave-auction-royalty-free-image/92846577?phrase=%20slave%20auction&adppopup=true">Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In an otherwise normal football season, two California high schools abruptly canceled the remainder of their games for the same reason. Players on both teams participated in troublesome acts of racism.</p>
<p>In October 2022, <a href="https://www.kcra.com/article/racism-sexism-bullying-amador-football-team-chat/42011156">Amador High School in Sutter Creek</a> ended its season after school officials learned that several players joined a Snapchat called <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-07/racist-chat-thread-high-school-football-season-canceled">“Kill the Blacks.”</a> </p>
<p>In nearby Yuba City, members of the River Valley High School football team produced and filmed a modern day <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/mock-e2-80-98slave-auction-e2-80-99-prompts-high-school-to-forfeit-football-season/ar-AA12xR0n">slave auction</a>. </p>
<p>In the film, three teammates – all young Black men – were offered for sale. </p>
<p>“They needed another person to be in the video, and being the only Black person left in the locker room, they all turned to me,” <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/high-school-football-players-paying-113102940.html">one of the Black students said</a>. “I made it clear I didn’t want to do it and tried to leave, but wasn’t able to.”</p>
<p>Clad in their underwear and with their eyes downcast, the three were paraded through the locker room and put on an auction block. At least one of the Black teens had a belt representing a noose looped around his neck.</p>
<p>Their white and Latinx teammates feverishly bid on them. Even through the lens of the video camera, the “mock” enslavers’ excitement and frenzy were palpable. </p>
<p>Many are upset with the Black youth for participating in their own degradation. I understand that. But as I outline in my recent book, “<a href="https://ugapress.org/book/9780820362359/bodies-out-of-place/">Bodies Out of Place: Theorizing Anti-blackness in U.S. Society</a>,
I also understand that "public degradation ceremonies are meant to debase and dissuade Blacks from walking in their full humanity, as full citizens.”</p>
<p>Less than 2% percent of the students at River Valley High – <a href="https://lasentinel.net/high-school-students-taught-a-lesson-for-holding-mock-slave-auction.html">31 out of the total 1,801</a> – identify as Black.</p>
<p>These numbers render Black students both extremely visible and invisible at the same time. </p>
<p>In my view, the slave auction operated as a perverse public performance used not only to reinforce the Black students’ inferior status in their own minds, but also to signal the same to those watching. </p>
<h2>What lies underneath the mockery</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.bu.edu/teaching-writing/resources/teaching-the-hidden-curriculum/">A Boston University teaching guide</a> defines the “hidden curriculum” as an amorphous collection of implicit cultural messages of the dominant culture. These unwritten rules reinforce an often unspoken social order in which people of color are subordinate. </p>
<p>The hidden curriculum refers not only to unwritten rules, but also “unspoken expectations” that serve as “unofficial norms, behaviors and values.” These norms become institutionalized. As <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/soin.12174">sociologists Glenn Bracey II and Wendy Leo Moore write</a>, “Although the norms are white, they are rarely marked as such.” </p>
<p>Mock slave auctions are not rare occurrences. </p>
<p>In May 2022, white middle school students at Chatham School District in North Carolina held one <a href="https://www.complex.com/life/superintendent-apologizes-white-students-pretended-sell-black-classmates-mock-slave-auction">by staging the sale of their Black classmates</a>. </p>
<p>One of the parents, Ashley Palmer, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ashley.palmer4706/posts/10223127942720077">posted on Facebook</a> that her son had been “sold” by his classmates.</p>
<p>“His friend ‘went for $350’ and another student was the Slavemaster because he ‘knew how to handle them,’” Palmer wrote. “We even have a video of students harmonizing the N word. Since when were children so blatantly racist?” </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Large black letters appear on a white sheet of paper announcing the sale of a Negroes." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498306/original/file-20221130-20-zn9ris.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498306/original/file-20221130-20-zn9ris.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498306/original/file-20221130-20-zn9ris.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498306/original/file-20221130-20-zn9ris.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498306/original/file-20221130-20-zn9ris.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=636&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498306/original/file-20221130-20-zn9ris.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=636&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498306/original/file-20221130-20-zn9ris.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=636&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A flyer detailing an auction of enslaved people in 1859.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/flyer-announcing-a-slave-sale-united-states-news-photo/535783805?phrase=slave%20auction&adppopup=true">Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>In another incident, students at Newberg High School in Oregon participated in a yearlong virtual slave auction called “Slave Trade” that was uncovered by their parents in 2021. On the chat, they <a href="https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/nerberg-high-school-virtual-slave-trade/283-56462efe-4f35-47b1-a4ee-6670b2754dec">targeted Black students</a> and used homophobic and racist slurs while joking about how much they would pay for their Black classmates. </p>
<p>These patterns continued in 2021 when <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/23/us/aledo-texas-students-racist-snapchat-group-chat-trnd/index.html">students in Texas</a> created a social media group called “N***** Auction” and pretended to auction off their Black peers. </p>
<p>Not all of the auctions are held on virtual platforms.</p>
<p>In 2016 in Barrington, Illinois, for instance, a “mock slave auction” was staged by Barrington High School students in order to create what they described as <a href="https://abc7chicago.com/mock-slave-auction-racism-school-spirit-barrington-high/1223540/">“school spirit”</a> during an event meant to <a href="https://abc7chicago.com/illnois-junior-classical-convention-barrington-high-school-kenwood-academy-racism/1223278/">bring students from Chicago and the suburbs together</a>.</p>
<h2>Why it all matters</h2>
<p>Group performances not only serve as a bonding experience among members, but they also reinforce an imaginary social hierarchy that harks back to the <a href="https://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/what.htm">days of Jim Crow</a> at the turn of the 20th century and legal racial segregation. </p>
<p>These performances convey a message about a sense of belonging. Without using the specific words, the acts suggest to Black students in stark images that their status is marginal at best. </p>
<p>It is important to connect the past and present, as Yuba City Unified School District Superintendent Doreen Osumi did in a statement <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/02/us/california-high-school-football-slave-auction-reaj/">obtained by CNN</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A black-and-white sketch depicts Black men and women standing on platforms as white men walk pass them." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498304/original/file-20221130-9976-8w1kao.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498304/original/file-20221130-9976-8w1kao.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=573&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498304/original/file-20221130-9976-8w1kao.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=573&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498304/original/file-20221130-9976-8w1kao.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=573&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498304/original/file-20221130-9976-8w1kao.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=720&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498304/original/file-20221130-9976-8w1kao.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=720&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498304/original/file-20221130-9976-8w1kao.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=720&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A slave auction in New Orleans is the subject of this sketch.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-atlantic-slave-trade-or-transatlantic-slave-trade-took-news-photo/1354482312?phrase=slave%20auction&adppopup=true">Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>“Reenacting a slave sale as a prank tells us that we have a great deal of work to do with our students so they can distinguish between intent and impact,” Osumi wrote. “They may have thought this skit was funny, but it is not; it is unacceptable and requires us to look honestly and deeply at issues of systemic racism.”</p>
<p>For their part in the mock slave auction, the <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mock-slave-auction-video-yuba-city-california-high-school-football-players/">Black students</a> at River Valley High School issued apologies. </p>
<p>Each received a three-day school suspension – a punishment that proved harsher than that issued to some of their non-Black counterparts, according to Greater Sacramento NAACP President Betty Williams. Though <a href="https://www.bet.com/article/c0fdlh/black-white-high-school-students-punished-mock-slave-auction">it’s unclear what the punishments</a> were for white students, Williams said they “were not equitable in their distribution.” </p>
<p>I understand Williams’ frustration. In my mind, it could be argued that the onlookers were no more culpable than the hundreds and sometimes thousands of whites who packed picnic baskets and gathered after church to watch a Black person get lynched. </p>
<p>“I am hurt that the school moved so quickly to punish us instead of taking their time to understand the situation better,” said <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/river-valley-high-slave-auction-apology/">one of the Black students</a>.</p>
<p>“But looking back I wish I had done more to stop it,” the student wrote. “When the video was made I was not feeling good about it and I froze. I wanted to get it over with so I could get to practice.” </p>
<p>While it remains unclear why the team thought holding a mock slave auction was a good idea, one thing is clear: The harm caused by their actions continues to reverberate. </p>
<p><em>This article was updated to correct the fraction of Black students at River Valley High School.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194807/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Barbara Harris Combs does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>At a time when politicians across the country are debating how slavery in the US is taught, high school students are participating in mock slave auctions that are having severe consequencesBarbara Harris Combs, Professor and Chair Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Kennesaw State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1049362018-11-29T19:06:13Z2018-11-29T19:06:13ZYoung children with autism can thrive in mainstream childcare<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246618/original/file-20181121-161627-y6mymc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">This study found children with autism could be effectively supported in mainstream childcare.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Much of the research about including children with autism in mainstream classrooms is focused on school-aged children. Growing numbers of children with autism are <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2015/202/6/mapping-diagnosis-autism-spectrum-disorders-children-aged-under-7-years">diagnosed in toddlerhood</a>, so there is increasing relevance for the early-childhood sector. Our <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1362361318801341">new research shows</a>, with support, educators can effectively include and teach children on the spectrum in mainstream childcare, alongside their non-autistic peers.</p>
<p>Programs to support learning in key areas - language, cognition and independence skills - have been found to be <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25737021">effective for many children with autism</a>. But we need options that are also affordable and accessible within children’s local communities. Many families ferry children around to appointments with different professionals, employ therapists to come into the home, or travel long distances to specialist centres.</p>
<p>Building capacity for evidence-based intervention to occur within children’s local childcare settings is a good option. This could be more affordable and accessible for families. </p>
<h2>Best-practice guidelines for early childhood support</h2>
<p>Young children with autism have difficulty learning communication and independence skills that come more easily to others. Early intervention can help by targeting their unique developmental needs.</p>
<p>A minimum of <a href="https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/10_2014/review_of_the_research_report_2011_0.pdf">15-25 hours per week</a> of early intervention is recommended to support communication and independence skills in young autistic children. This is usually achieved through specialist centre- or home-based services. But this level of intensity is expensive, and unaffordable for many families.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246622/original/file-20181121-161638-rc6vv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246622/original/file-20181121-161638-rc6vv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246622/original/file-20181121-161638-rc6vv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246622/original/file-20181121-161638-rc6vv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246622/original/file-20181121-161638-rc6vv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246622/original/file-20181121-161638-rc6vv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246622/original/file-20181121-161638-rc6vv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The evidence shows there were no negative impacts on the learning environment for non-autistic peers in mainstream settings.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
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<p>Some children on the spectrum may attend mainstream childcare, which is more affordable. But if staff don’t know how to meet their particular learning needs, the child may simply be present but missing out on learning and interacting with other children.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ndis.gov.au/html/sites/default/files/documents/Research/NDIA-ECEI-Approach-1.pdf">National Disability Insurance Agency</a> (NDIA) advocates choice and control and that young children should be supported in their local communities. But currently, options may be <em>either</em> attending local care with peers <em>or</em> receiving intensive early intervention.</p>
<p>Our team wondered whether we could successfully integrate evidence-based intervention within mainstream care. In 2015, with NDIA and Department of Social Services (DSS) support, we began a study to test this idea.</p>
<h2>Quality early intervention in mainstream settings</h2>
<p>Our study engaged 44 young children, each for one year. Half were placed in specialised care and half in mainstream care.</p>
<p>Specialised playrooms included only autistic children, at the Victorian Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Center (ASELCC). Mainstream playrooms - at the La Trobe University Community Children’s Centre and Gowrie Victoria - included mostly children without autism.</p>
<p>Children received the Group-Early Start Denver Model (G-ESDM). This is an intervention developed and evaluated <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10803-014-2168-9">by the Victorian ASELCC team</a>. Each child’s personalised learning goals are targeted within natural routines and activities across the childcare day. For example, at snack time staff may help a child develop interest in what peers are doing, practice communication skills such as requesting food, and practice independence skills such as using a spoon and waiting their turn.</p>
<p>We found this specialised intervention <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1362361318801341">could be delivered in mainstream childcare</a>. Educators learned the G-ESDM strategies and used these in everyday playroom activities. On average, the children’s social interaction, imitation, language and independence skills improved across the year. Encouragingly, gains were similar in both settings.</p>
<p>Other researchers - separate from our team, and unaware of what our study was about - rated the educational environment. They reported high quality teaching and learning practices across all playrooms. This suggests our program had no negative impact on the mainstream environments.</p>
<h2>Rigorous research in the real world</h2>
<p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-013-1877-9">Other studies on this topic</a> have recruited children who are already enrolled in a particular setting and/or compared mainstream and specialised settings offering different intervention programs. So, we can’t be sure whether the results are about the type of intervention program, the specific setting, or some other factor.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246623/original/file-20181121-161618-1voqva3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246623/original/file-20181121-161618-1voqva3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246623/original/file-20181121-161618-1voqva3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246623/original/file-20181121-161618-1voqva3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246623/original/file-20181121-161618-1voqva3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246623/original/file-20181121-161618-1voqva3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246623/original/file-20181121-161618-1voqva3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Support for children on the spectrum delivered in mainstream settings could be more accessible for families.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
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<p>We wanted a rigorous test of the setting, so we used the gold-standard randomised trial approach. For families keen to be involved, we more-or-less used a coin-toss to decide which children would be in the mainstream or specialised settings. </p>
<p>Implementing evidence-based practice into real-world settings <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aur.1900">is challenging</a>. This research occurred through genuine collaboration with early childhood educators, G-ESDM specialists, centre managers and researchers as equal partners. </p>
<h2>Continuous improvement</h2>
<p>This is a first step toward showing that quality early-intervention can occur within mainstream settings – without compromising child outcomes or the learning environment for peers. </p>
<p>The ultimate goal is for autistic children to access quality supports in their local communities including within mainstream settings, if that’s the best choice. But, just as no two children on the spectrum are alike, what works best for one will not be the solution for another.</p>
<p>Across both settings, we saw stronger gains for some children than others. Research with a larger sample would inform which individual children might be best supported within mainstream or specialised settings.</p>
<p>Delivering G-ESDM in mainstream settings also requires substantial resources such as time for initial training and ongoing support for staff. From 2019, we will begin to investigate whether a more streamlined approach might be more affordable but similarly beneficial for children and families. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>The authors would like to acknowledge the two childcare centres, La Trobe University Community Children’s Centre and Gowrie Victoria, involved in <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1362361318801341?journalCode=auta">the study</a> this article is based on.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104936/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kristelle Hudry works for La Trobe University and is currently on secondment as Senior Research Fellow to the Victorian Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre (ASELCC) at the La Trobe University Community Children's Centre. She has recieved funding from the Australian Government Department of Social Services (DSS), the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), and the Autism Cooperative Research Centre (Autism CRC).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Catherine works for the Victorian Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre (ASELCC) at La Trobe University. She has received funding from the Australian Government Department of Social Services (DSS) and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).</span></em></p>A recent study has shown educators can include and teach children on the spectrum in mainstream childcare, alongside their non-autistic peers.Kristelle Hudry, Senior Research Fellow, and Senior Lecturer in Developmental Psychology, La Trobe UniversityCathy Bent, Research Fellow, La Trobe UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/980132018-06-13T20:35:22Z2018-06-13T20:35:22ZHow flexischools could help close the gap in Indigenous education<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/222920/original/file-20180613-153665-16rhctj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">All Australian schools should provide high-quality education to all Australian students, including Indigenous ones.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>This year marked the tenth year of the Australian government reporting on targets made to <a href="https://closingthegap.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/ctg-report-2018.pdf">close the educational gap</a> between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian students. The report card showed some slow gains, but overall it was another national wake-up call. New policy approaches are needed to improve educational outcomes for Indigenous peoples. </p>
<p>One aspect of education that has been overlooked in Indigenous education policy over the past decade is the growth of “flexischools” around the country. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/flexischools-have-a-lot-to-teach-mainstream-schools-44589">Flexischools have a lot to teach mainstream schools</a>
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<p>Flexischools support young people who have been excluded (formally through expulsion or otherwise) from mainstream education to re-engage with education. With the recent reminder there’s still a long way to go in improving educational outcomes for Indigenous young people, it’s timely to look at what’s happening in flexischools. We need to consider what role they play in closing the educational gap and why they have been overlooked.</p>
<h2>Why look for gaps?</h2>
<p>Policy approaches to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education in Australia remain focused on the “closing the gap” <a href="https://closingthegap.pmc.gov.au">rhetoric</a> from the government. To some, this means Indigenous education policy is framed around <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/are-white-policymakers-maintaining-the-indigenous-gap-20180427-p4zc1e.html">measuring educational success</a> against non-Indigenous metrics. </p>
<p>The logic of much of this policy is flawed from the outset. Classroom education <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/fact-sheets/socio-economic-disadvantage-and-educational-opportunity-persistently-linked/">research</a> has identified a wide range of factors outside schools that have impacts on educational outcomes.</p>
<p>Social, cultural and economic capital (or lack thereof) means Indigenous students are expected to overcome hundreds of years of entrenched systemic racism and disadvantage, attributed to colonisation, with limited changes to the schooling system. </p>
<p>There is a need to look more closely and critically at aspects of Indigenous education that have been relatively ignored. This may help answer crucial questions about how to improve the system.</p>
<h2>Flexischools and Indigenous young people</h2>
<p>The term flexischools describes a myriad of educational programs or school sites operating outside mainstream education. There are <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF03216865">two defined types</a> of flexischools. One focuses on changing the young person to meet the needs of system. The other involves changing the system to meet the needs of the young person, in the short or long term. </p>
<p>The flexischools at the heart of this article are aimed at changing educational provision to meet the needs of young people. These sites appear to be engaging very high numbers of Indigenous young people. </p>
<p><a href="http://youthplus.edu.au">Recent estimates</a> indicate about 35% of students attending flexischools are Indigenous. This is high when considering Indigenous students represented <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4221.0main+features22017">5.6% of all school students</a> in 2017. </p>
<h2>What we know and what we need to know</h2>
<p>Policymakers could look at this large proportion of Indigenous flexischool students to help understand why they are pushed out of mainstream schooling, what they want to get out of education and, potentially, “what works”. </p>
<p>There have been limited studies on Indigenous students in flexischools. One small <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/australian-journal-of-indigenous-education/article/alternative-education-engaging-indigenous-young-people-flexi-schooling-in-queensland/E8193AB9F9868E31CD22B6FF7C5B71FF">study</a> found evidence of high numbers of both Indigenous students and staff working in them. </p>
<p>A recent <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/107925/4/Marnee_Shay_Thesis.pdf">study</a> on the voices of Indigenous staff reported Indigenous people are choosing flexischools as a desirable place to work in education because of the focus on relationships. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/stop-focusing-on-the-problem-in-indigenous-education-and-start-looking-at-learning-opportunities-71994">Stop focusing on 'the problem' in Indigenous education, and start looking at learning opportunities</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>There is no national published data on exactly how many Indigenous young people are enrolled in flexischools. There is no published data on whether flexischools participate in NAPLAN testing. There is no published data on the number of year 12 completions. There are no large-scale studies that investigate the short-term and long-term outcomes for Indigenous students. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/222492/original/file-20180610-191943-uj1ob6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/222492/original/file-20180610-191943-uj1ob6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/222492/original/file-20180610-191943-uj1ob6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222492/original/file-20180610-191943-uj1ob6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222492/original/file-20180610-191943-uj1ob6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222492/original/file-20180610-191943-uj1ob6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222492/original/file-20180610-191943-uj1ob6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222492/original/file-20180610-191943-uj1ob6.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">If flexischools are doing Indigenous education better than mainstream schools, we should invest in researching how they work.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The general absence of flexischools in policy aimed at closing the gap is problematic because significant numbers of Indigenous young people attend them. But transparency and accountability are very limited in a number of ways. </p>
<p>The lack of data for flexischools skews closing the gap data, because the same data are not being collected for the large proportion of Indigenous students in flexischools. This means we don’t have a full picture of where all Indigenous young people are in terms of literacy and numeracy.</p>
<p>We need to understand how flexischools ensure Indigenous people are in positions of leadership when there are high numbers of Indigenous young people in these schools. Having Indigenous leadership and governance is vital for accountability to the growing numbers of Indigenous peoples and communities interacting with these schools.</p>
<p>Having Indigenous teachers and leaders in schools <a href="http://matsiti.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/MATSITI-Final-Report-1.0.pdf">is important</a> because Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students “cannot be what they cannot see”. </p>
<p>We need to understand why the work being done in flexischools isn’t being done by mainstream schools. The latter receive additional funding for Indigenous students, yet some Indigenous students are still being pushed out of the mainstream.</p>
<h2>Lessons to be learned</h2>
<p>While more research may be needed on the academic outcomes of students who attend flexischools, <a href="http://www.yanq.org.au/uploads/1/4/1/7/14174316/engaging_students_in_engaging_schools.pdf">research</a> is finding they are successful in attracting, welcoming and supporting youth who, voluntarily or under duress, have left mainstream schools. </p>
<p>Flexibility, a focus on relationships and an inquiry-led curriculum seem more conducive to keeping young Indigenous and non-Indigenous people <a href="https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:727288">engaged</a>. Flexischools generally focus on acceptance rather than discipline, and social justice over regimented learning. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/infographic-are-we-making-progress-on-indigenous-education-78253">Infographic: Are we making progress on Indigenous education?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>If flexischools are doing Indigenous education better than mainstream schools, we should invest in researching how they work. We should also ask them to track outcomes the same way mainstream schools do. We need more accurate (and inclusive) data when looking at whether the educational gap is closing to give us the whole picture. </p>
<p>In the long term, though, we should aspire for there to be no need for flexischools. We should aim for all schools in Australia to provide high-quality education to all Australian students, including Indigenous young people.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/98013/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marnee Shay receives CRC funding from the Lowitja Institute. She is a board member of the Xavier network of flexischools. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jo Lampert does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Flexischools appear to be doing Indigenous education better than mainstream schooling. To close the gap in education, we should look at what these schools are doing and apply it in the mainstream.Marnee Shay, Senior Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow, School of Education and Centre for Policy Futures, The University of QueenslandJo Lampert, Professor, School of Education, La Trobe UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/719882017-02-13T03:04:27Z2017-02-13T03:04:27ZMainstream schools need to take back responsibility for educating disengaged students<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/155597/original/image-20170206-18741-j3ps0k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many young people drop out or are excluded from mainstream schools.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>In <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/educating-australia-35445">this series</a> we’ll explore how to improve schools in Australia. Some of the most prominent experts in the sector tackle key questions, including why we are not seeing much progress; whether we are assessing children in the most effective way; why parents need to listen to what the evidence tells us, and much more.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Mainstream schools need to take back responsibility of educating all students, even those who have temporarily become disengaged in education. </p>
<p>An alternative education sector has rapidly expanded in recent decades as Australian federal and state policies have sought to keep disengaged and vulnerable young people in education.</p>
<p>Over 900 plus so-called flexible learning programs are operating throughout the country, within and outside mainstream schools, catering for more than <a href="http://dusseldorp.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Victoria-Institue-1-7-MB2.pdf">70,000 students</a> each year.</p>
<p>The growth of this sector can be seen as both a reflection of changing labour markets – paired with <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-get-young-people-into-work-we-first-need-to-understand-how-the-workplace-is-changing-65394">rising youth unemployment</a> – and a pragmatic response to <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-we-expelling-too-many-children-from-australian-schools-65162">exclusion practices</a> by education systems that are focused on academic achievement and outcomes. </p>
<p>Exclusion from school places makes vulnerable young people at <a href="http://apo.org.au/research/family-factors-early-school-leaving.pdf">greater risk</a> of long term unemployment, dependence on welfare, mental health issues and social isolation. </p>
<p>Young people unable to attend mainstream education then need to look for an educational alternative that addresses the complexity of their lives and needs. </p>
<h2>Can these students still get a good education?</h2>
<p>With success increasingly defined through <a href="http://www.myschool.edu.au/">league tables</a> and comparison of schools through national tests such as the <a href="https://theconversation.com/naplan-results-reveal-little-change-in-literacy-and-numeracy-performance-here-are-some-key-takeaway-findings-70208">National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)</a>, a growing number (around 70,000) are no longer able to maintain their education in the mainstream system. </p>
<p>Many young people drop out or are <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-we-expelling-too-many-children-from-australian-schools-65162">excluded</a>. This is often because of their feelings of rejection and disillusionment with a system that fails to recognise the impacts of disadvantage, related social and mental health issues, and family trauma. </p>
<p>Ideally, alternative programs offer the potential of a curriculum that is individualised and relevant to their lived experiences. They offer:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>practical skills such as basic carpentry, motor maintenance or food preparation;</p></li>
<li><p>authentic learning experiences, which include real life tasks that are relevant to the student’s lived experience and facilitate success. For example, practical maths activities related to cooking and catering projects;</p></li>
<li><p>flexible learning that enables students to work at their own pace in small group or one-to-one situations;</p></li>
<li><p>a curriculum based on real-life scenarios, such as researching aspects of their local communities;</p></li>
<li><p>schooling that addresses the biological and developmental impacts of trauma before focusing on relationship-building and engagement with learning;</p></li>
<li><p>welfare and counselling support, which could include, for example, a school day consisting of two hours of counselling and two hours of classes.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Types of alternative education programs</h2>
<p>Alternative education activities in Australia fall into <a href="http://education.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1962718/User_croftsj_Stokes_26_Turnbull_Final_Web_18-5-16.pdf">three broad categories</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Programs within mainstream schools. These are usually aimed at keeping young people connected to school. Some are supported by philanthropic organisations, others by government initiatives.</p></li>
<li><p>Programs within Technical and Further Education (TAFE) or Adult and Continuing Education (ACE), such as Victorian Certificate of Alternative Learning (VCAL) (Years 11 and 12) or Certificate of General Education for Adults (to Year 10 level). </p></li>
<li><p>Standalone programs: often referred to as Flexible Learning Options (FLO). These programs operate either within mainstream settings but on separate sites or as separate schools in their own right. They typically offer alternative Year 9 to 12 options and/or curriculum and welfare support designed to meet the specific needs of their students, such as responding to the impact of trauma. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Such programs have the potential to support students at risk of disengaging entirely from mainstream education, but also to promote the resilience and well-being of all young people in mainstream schooling. This leads, in turn, to whole-school change that will benefit all students.</p>
<p>Many of the programs grapple with the delivery of a rigorous curriculum, the expectation of student academic achievement, and creating opportunities for students to return to mainstream education and training. </p>
<h2>Taking back responsibility</h2>
<p>Mainstream education needs to take back responsibility for adequately catering to the needs of a growing sector of marginalised young people, and learn to work in partnership with alternative education providers and community-based organisations to better support students. </p>
<p>One thing to consider is whether these sites of education offer a distinctive developmental approach that should influence curriculum and pedagogical design more widely.</p>
<p>Within the alternative sector, greater transparency is needed around curriculum and instructional quality, combined with better data on enrolments, course completion, and program outcomes. </p>
<p>We also need more consistent funding practices (many programs are dependent on the uncertainty of short-term grant allocations) and professional skills development.</p>
<p>These variables, consistently monitored and supported by effective local partnership between agencies, would contribute to a cultural shift in which Australian schools come to provide meaningful education for all young people, not just those engaged in the mainstream.</p>
<hr>
<p>• <em>The authors explore this theme further in a new book called <a href="https://www.mup.com.au/items/165663">Educating Australia: Challenges for the Decade Ahead</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/71988/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Fragmentation, inconsistency and a lack of accountability between alternative education providers means not all young people get access to a good education.Helen Stokes, Associate professor, The University of MelbourneMalcolm Turnbull, Research Fellow, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/445892015-08-20T20:24:51Z2015-08-20T20:24:51ZFlexischools have a lot to teach mainstream schools<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89894/original/image-20150728-7626-14164cc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Flexischools fill a gap for disenfranchised youth.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com.au</span></span></figcaption></figure><blockquote>
<p>Dead</p>
<p>Doing drugs</p>
<p>Jail</p>
<p>Crime</p>
<p>Hanging out in the streets</p>
<p>Nothing.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>These were responses given when pupils in flexischools across Australia and the UK were asked what they’d be doing if they weren’t at this school. </p>
<p>While this may sound dramatic, given the extremely complex and challenging life experiences of many of these young people, dismissing their predictions would be unfair and unwise. </p>
<p>Of course, not all responses have been so vivid. In many cases the answer has been a simple “don’t know”. Whatever their response, it has been quite clear that most of these young people are of the view that they would not be in any form of schooling if not for the existence of their flexischool. </p>
<h2>So what are flexischools?</h2>
<p>Flexischools are a relatively new form of alternative schooling in Australia. They have grown from just a few community-based projects to one of the fastest-growing type of new schools in Australia. </p>
<p>Just this week I have spoken with three different organisations in the process of setting up their own flexischool. These schools regularly support students from highly marginalised backgrounds, and those who have been failed by or have departed the mainstream school system. </p>
<p>Flexischools come in multiple forms. Some exist as an annex to mainstream government high schools, some are completely independent, some are run by community groups, some by church organisations and some have a philanthropist behind them.</p>
<p>Many of the original flexischools began in parks, shopping malls and community buildings with very little funding, and provided educational support to young homeless people. Now many flexischools open their doors as fully accredited schools. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89895/original/image-20150728-7662-7iaiv9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89895/original/image-20150728-7662-7iaiv9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89895/original/image-20150728-7662-7iaiv9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89895/original/image-20150728-7662-7iaiv9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89895/original/image-20150728-7662-7iaiv9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89895/original/image-20150728-7662-7iaiv9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89895/original/image-20150728-7662-7iaiv9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89895/original/image-20150728-7662-7iaiv9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Flexischools take into account that a student’s essay might not be the most important thing in their life at the moment.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There is no “ideal” flexischool, but there are core features that run through the vast majority of them: supports to address factors impacting on young people’s lives external to the school, flexibility, and curricula tailored to the needs of students.</p>
<p>Flexischools recognise that many young people have complex lives that make attending school regularly difficult. Thus they implement strategies to ensure that factors that work against young people attending school are mitigated.</p>
<p>These strategies include support with transport, housing assistance, food, crèches, showers, access to legal aid, court support, Centrelink negotiations, links to local Indigenous community organisations, and domestic violence assistance.</p>
<p>These schools are also, as the name suggests, flexible in many of their arrangements. There is a recognition that when someone is homeless, has no food at home or has had a sick child up all night, school and schoolwork become a low priority. As such attendance rules and due dates for assignments are often flexible. </p>
<p>Indeed, it is often the inflexibility of their previous mainstream schools that made life difficult for them. </p>
<h2>Learning is still important</h2>
<p>While the schools are very student-centred and ensure that the welfare needs of students are met, this alone is not sufficient. The very best of these schools also engage students in learning and provide pathways to employment and further education. Students are engaged through curricula that are meaningful to them, challenge them intellectually, enhance their enjoyment of learning and lift their aspirations. </p>
<p>Mainstream schools are not meeting the educational needs of a significant group of young people, making flexischools necessary. However, there are some inherent dangers in expanding the sector.</p>
<p>It provides mainstream schools with an easy option to give up on students who are deemed not to be fitting in. It can also lead to a differentiated education system where flexischools are constructed as “behaviour” schools. One principal of a flexischool stressed to me the importance of flexischools not becoming “dumping grounds” which students are “embarrassed” to attend. This seems to me to be critical to ensuring their success. </p>
<h2>Flexischools have a lot to teach mainstream schools</h2>
<p>There are many young people in flexischools who are now fully engaged in learning and yet they either rejected or were rejected by the mainstream. </p>
<p>Mainstream schools could follow the example of flexischools by avoiding rigid rules and expectations which provide no room for flexibility in young people’s personal circumstances, providing access to youth services, avoiding deficit constructions of young people who are not “achieving”, treating every day as a new day in relation to prior behaviours, building respectful relationships among those working and studying within the school, and providing an engaging and meaningful curriculum that builds upon students’ interests and needs.</p>
<p>As a principal once told us, these young people are not disengaged, they have been disenfranchised, and it is the responsibility of all in education to ensure that their right to an education is realised. At the moment flexischools are carrying much of the weight of this responsibility.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/44589/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Martin Mills receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>Flexi schools are a relatively new form of alternative schooling in Australia. They have grown from just a few community-based projects to one of the fastest growing type of new schools in Australia.Martin Mills, Chair professor, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.