Collaborate

Introduction

Australia’s formal education system was first developed in the context of colonisation and, historically, was often used to deny Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children access to their cultures, identities, histories, and languages (AITSL, 2020). The National Agreement on Closing the Gap (Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations & Australian Governments, 2020) and other national strategies recognise the ongoing impact Australia’s colonial history has on life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Schools and early learning services now play a significant role in progressing reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians. Teachers and school leaders are supported by system-wide commitments and broader policy initiatives to make reconciliation a core part of their professional practice. The Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration commits all Australian governments to ensuring all students learn about Australia’s diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures and possess the knowledge and skills to contribute to reconciliation (Council of Australian Governments Education Council, 2019).

Reconciliation is embedded in education through various mechanisms. Focus areas 1.4 and 2.4 of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers require educators to develop specific strategies to effectively teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, and to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians (AITSL, 2011). The Australian Professional Standard for Principals encourages school leaders to foster reconciliation and build a school culture that promotes understanding of, and respect for, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and languages (AITSL, 2014).

The Australian Curriculum’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priority aims to provide “… Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students with the ability to see themselves, their identities and cultures reflected in the curriculum and allows all students to engage in reconciliation, respect and recognition of the world’s oldest continuous living cultures” (Council of Australian Governments Education Council, 2019). Emphasising the importance of early engagement with these concepts, reconciliation is embedded in early childhood education and care through the Early Years Learning Framework, which promotes a greater understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing and being (Council of Australian Governments, n.d.).

Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunnawali (pronounced narra - gunna - wally) program is an initiative available to early learning services and schools across all sectors to help guide their reconciliation journey. This Collaborate draws on findings from an evaluation of the Narragunnawali program conducted by the Australian National University Centre for Social Research and Methods (ANU-CSRM) between 2015 and 2022. Funded by Reconciliation Australia, the evaluation highlights the Narragunnawali program’s successes, challenges, and next-step imperatives.

Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education

Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunnawali program was launched in 2015 to leverage education as a tool towards reconciliation. The program aims to support early learning services and schools to engage in reconciliation activities in the classroom, across the learning setting, and with their local community. Narragunnawali comprises professional learning and curriculum resources, a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) framework and development tool, and the Narragunnawali Awards, which celebrate outstanding commitment to reconciliation in the education sector. The program plays a significant role in driving intergenerational change towards reconciliation.

Narragunnawali has expanded rapidly since its launch. As of the end of 2022, 10,446 early learning services and schools had registered to develop a RAP on the Narragunnawali platform. The most common type of user is teaching staff, comprising 38% (50,134) of total registered users. Importantly, teachers are able to access and use Narragunnawali resources even if their early learning service or school does not have a RAP or they are not involved in a RAP Working Group.

The importance of reconciliation activities in education

Reconciliation Australia monitors progress towards reconciliation through their biennial Australian Reconciliation Barometer (ARB) survey. Of the 2,522 general community members who responded to the survey in 2022, almost all indicated they think the relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians is important (89%). More than half said they want to do something to help improve reconciliation (53%), but fewer than one-third said they know what they can do to help (30%) (Reconciliation Australia, 2022).

This lack of know-how demonstrates an important role for education systems in giving young Australians the skills and insights to make a meaningful and informed contribution to reconciliation processes. Reconciliation activities in schools and early learning services can help educators to critically reflect on their own knowledge and cultural responsiveness. It is important that school leaders – and system and sector policies – provide time and resources for teachers to meaningfully reflect and embed culturally inclusive and responsive practices into their teaching.

These instances of racism limit the ability of workplaces to employ and retain diverse staff. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees who experience high cultural load and/or identity strain are less likely to be satisfied with their job or recommend their workplace to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and are more likely to intend to leave their workplace within the next year (Diversity Council Australia & Jumbunna Institute, 2020).

Reflecting broader societal behaviours and dynamics, racist and discriminatory attitudes inevitably permeate school gates. In addition to experiences of verbal and physical abuse, students who are victims of racism report higher levels of loneliness and depressive symptoms (Priest et al., 2014). These experiences can also undermine the development of healthy racial identities and have detrimental impacts on educational engagement and outcomes. Making learning settings culturally safe and inclusive spaces for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, staff, and community members, through meaningful reconciliation actions, can help to counter harmful attitudes. Broader societal changes can be supported by efforts to combat racism and support reconciliation at the early learning service and school level.

The potential positive impacts of reconciliation include increased social interactions, reduced stress, improved workplace productivity, and more positive perceptions of society (Biddle & Priest, 2019). Rather than encouraging negative feelings about national identity or history, reconciliation can, when done well, create positive views about the future. Reconciliation activities in education can help to combat negative attitudes between groups and increase trust and give Australians a more accurate understanding of history (Biddle & Priest, 2019). These activities can also foster learners’ abilities to engage with complex policy debates and understand the impact of different policies that support improved opportunities and outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (Biddle & Priest, 2019).

Support for reconciliation activities in early learning services and schools

As outlined above, schools and early learning services are required to foster reconciliation through numerous policies and frameworks. These national commitments are underpinned by strong public support for education settings to play an active role in reconciliation. According to Reconciliation Australia’s ARB research, close to three-quarters of the community agree that educational institutions should help to improve reconciliation (28% strongly agree, 44% agree), highlighting a clear call to action for early learning services and schools (Reconciliation Australia, 2022).

In line with strong community support, parents and carers also support reconciliation activities in education settings. A recent survey of 3,558 parents and carers conducted by the ANU-CSRM demonstrated strong support for the principles underpinning Narragunnawali and reconciliation activities in education more broadly. Approximately three-quarters of parents and carers supported:

• Teachers encouraging mutual respect between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous children/young people (62% definitely support, 16% probably support).
• Teaching all children/young people to value and recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and rights as part of a shared national identity (56% definitely support, 22% probably support).
• Encouraging participation in community events of significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (for example NAIDOC Week or National Reconciliation Week activities) (41% definitely support, 30% probably support) (Biddle & Ellen, 2022).

While awareness of the Narragunnawali program itself was low (8%), the vast majority of parents and carers said their child’s learning setting should participate in a program like Narragunnawali (48% definitely should, 39% probably should). Engagement among parents and carers who were aware of Narragunnawali was high. More than half (52%) of parents and carers who indicated they were aware of the program had visited the Narragunnawali website, and more than one in 4 (26%) said they had been a member of a RAP Working Group (Biddle & Ellen, 2022).

Parents' and carers’ awareness of the concept of reconciliation was strongly associated with support for participation in a program like Narragunnawali. More than half (56%) of those who were aware of reconciliation thought their child’s institution should definitely participate in a program like Narragunnawali, compared to only 27% among parents and carers who were not aware of the concept. Younger parents and carers were more likely to have heard of Narragunnawali, suggesting that the proportion who have heard of the program, and therefore want their own child’s institution to participate, may grow over time (Biddle & Ellen, 2022).

The impact of reconciliation activities in education settings

Participating in Narragunnawali gives students, staff and families meaningful opportunities to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories and cultures (Biddle et al., 2019). Qualitative findings from the ANU-CSRM’s evaluation of Narragunnawali highlight positive outcomes for learners, teachers and staff, parents and carers, and the broader community. At the whole-school and service level, the ongoing benefits are clear: “those schools and early learning services engaged with Narragunnawali maintain the [reconciliation] activities that they are already doing, and increase the activities through time” (Biddle & Ellen, n.d., p. 30). The research highlights the depth and diversity of education settings that are engaged in Narragunnawali, demonstrating the program’s accessibility and relevance to education settings across Australia.

Benefits for students

The evaluation of Narragunnawali revealed various benefits for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and non-Indigenous students. Interviews with school and early learning service staff revealed positive impacts on students and their wellbeing – no adverse effects on students were reported (Biddle & Ellen, n.d.).

Staff indicated that some students take on RAP leadership roles, either as RAP Working Group members or in specifically designed student ambassador roles. They also reported increased levels of knowledge and general awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, including cultural understanding, among students (Biddle & Ellen, n.d.). Staff also described growing enthusiasm and respect among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and non-Indigenous students towards learning about reconciliation, from early childhood all the way to senior high school year levels (Biddle et al., 2019). An additional positive effect of students’ participation in Narragunnawali was their sharing of knowledge and understanding with their families (Biddle & Ellen, n.d.).

Some staff members observed increased confidence among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, as well as enthusiastic cultural knowledge exchanges between Aboriginal and Torres Islander students and non-Indigenous students (Biddle & Ellen, n.d.). Similarly, some staff were surprised by the level of collaboration between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and non-Indigenous students to promote reconciliation and the active role non-Indigenous students played in advocating for their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peers. Research participants did not report that any students expressed negative attitudes towards the program (Biddle et al., 2019).

While such findings represent important reminders of the benefits of reconciliation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and non-Indigenous students alike, through-time evidence also helps to highlight the particular positive impacts of Reconciliation Action Planning on the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth. For example, data from the latest Wave (Wave 12) of the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children demonstrated a statistically significant link between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who attend schools that their parents know have a RAP and the students’:

• Reduced likelihood of being reported as not wanting to go to school.
• Increased likelihood of being reported to think that their school understands their needs and is good for them. (Biddle, 2022)

Benefits for teachers and other staff

While reconciliation activities are crucial to the wellbeing of students, these activities can also help teachers develop their culturally responsive teaching practice in a structured, supportive environment that enhances their wellbeing as well.

Education staff identified information sharing and improved within-institution knowledge relating to reconciliation as a positive outcome of engaging in Narragunnawali. Staff also reported that Narragunnawali provided a formalised process to engage stakeholders and to ensure that knowledge of reconciliation and reconciliation activities are embedded respectfully and meaningfully throughout the education setting (Biddle et al., 2019).

Staff indicated that engaging in reconciliation activities through Narragunnawali gave them the opportunity to discuss and challenge negative staff attitudes to reconciliation in a supportive environment. Participation also resulted in increased confidence and understanding of how staff can address reconciliation within their early learning service or school (Biddle et al., 2019).

Analysis of data from Footprints in Time: the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children, undertaken as part of the evaluation, found that teachers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who work in settings with a RAP are much more likely to feel that their school or early learning service is engaging in a range of positive activities than teachers in other settings. The teachers themselves are also more likely to be engaging in a range of positive activities (Biddle, 2017).

Longitudinal analyses of Narragunnawali RAP Reflection Survey data indicates that the longer schools and early learning services are engaged with the Narragunnawali program and RAP development process, the more likely staff are to incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, perspectives and contemporary issues into curriculum planning and teaching. There were no desired outcomes that worsened over time, indicating that the direct benefits of engaging with the Narragunnawali program overtime were achieved without any observed costs (Biddle, 2022).

Broader community benefits

Strengthened respect and community relationships are key tenets of the RAP Framework and the Narragunnawali program more broadly. All early learning services and schools are required to include the Build Relationships with Community Action in their RAP. This commits education settings to building relationships with their local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community that are founded on mutual respect, trust and inclusiveness.

Education staff interviewed through ANU-CSRM’s research indicated parent and carer engagement is an important and valuable part of RAP processes and reconciliation activities. Links with the broader community were usually forged through initial relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents and families. Staff reported that reconciliation activities often led to increased engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents, and improved relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and families (Biddle et al., 2019).

Beyond the immediate learning setting, staff reported increased engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders and community members through RAP development processes, including through invitations for feedback on learning settings’ proposed visions for reconciliation. Some early learning services and schools also reported they had strengthened their relationships with other learning settings through sharing ideas about the development and execution of RAP Actions (Biddle et al., 2019).

Case studies of Narragunnawali Awards winners

The Narragunnawali Awards recognise and celebrate schools and early learning services implementing outstanding reconciliation initiatives. Finalists and winners demonstrate commitment to strengthening relationships and building respect, and provide meaningful opportunities for learners and staff to engage in reconciliation activities.

Early learning services

The Early Learning category finalists and winners demonstrate that even the youngest learners can – and should – engage with reconciliation. Explore & Develop Penrith South (NSW) won the inaugural (2017) Awards for demonstrating that young learners can be sensitively exposed to reconciliation in meaningful ways. The service did not shy away from difficult conversations and engaged their young students in learning about topics such as Stolen Generations and the challenges of holding a national day on January 26.

Forbes Preschool (NSW) won in 2019 in recognition of their strong equality and equity-based approach to reconciliation, as well as their genuine commitment to cultural competence and community relationship-building. The service has strong relationships with community members and has shown a firm commitment to reconciliation, both during formal education/care sessions and ‘after hours’. Forbes Preschool has reported a substantial increase in its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander enrolments as a result of its reconciliation activities.

In 2021, the Early Learning category award was jointly presented to 2 winners: Tumut Community Preschool (NSW) and Balnarring Pre-School (Victoria). Judges were impressed by the early learning services’ commitments to building respectful and constructive relationships with local Traditional Owner groups. Tumut Community Preschool staff bravely embraced the important work of critical reflection and holding each other to account. They demonstrated commitment to anti-racism in policy and practice, working in partnership with their local Aboriginal community. Balnarring Pre-school recognises the importance of children learning the histories and cultures of Australia’s First Peoples. The judges highlighted their enduring partnerships with Traditional Owners and active engagement with the local community in developing learning, respect and understanding among members of their pre-school community.

Schools

In 2017, Queanbeyan Public School (NSW) was announced as the winner in the Schools category for having developed deep and broad relationships with community, creating a palpable sense that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories and cultures are an integral part of the school and its environs.

Similarly, Maclean High School (NSW) was recognised as the 2019 winner for engaging in respectful consultation and collaboration with local Elders and the Aboriginal community to implement strong cross-curricula learning projects with a focus on local perspectives. The school has fostered positive leadership opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, as well as learning opportunities for all staff and students.

St Virgil’s College (Tasmania) was chosen as the 2021 winner for the way in which it embedded reconciliation at all levels – including in the strategic plan; its exemplary inclusion of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community in its work; and for prioritising caring for Country on its campus grounds.

Numerous education and training sector organisations, including AITSL and the ANU, are engaged in Reconciliation Australia’s wider RAP program.

The ongoing role of education in reconciliation

Engagement in Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunnawali program continues to grow across Australia. The ANU-CSRM’s evaluation suggests approximately 100 early learning services and schools join the program each month; more than 15,000 early learning services and schools are anticipated to be involved by June 2027 (Biddle & Ellen, 2022). As the program expands, Reconciliation Australia hopes reconciliation activities will become a “normal” part of Australia’s education system, and that parents, carers and community members will expect children to engage in meaningful reconciliation-related learning and activities throughout their schooling.

While Narragunnawali facilitates broad engagement in reconciliation activities, reconciliation itself is a deeply personal journey. As more learners engage with concepts such as strengthened relationships, respect and trust between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians, this will precipitate broader societal changes. Achieving meaningful reconciliation across Australian society hinges on our individual willingness to engage in uncomfortable conversations in our personal and professional contexts. Reconciliation asks us to be truthful with ourselves in addressing our personal biases, assumptions and tendencies, and to engage in conversations about racism and discrimination with those around us. These conversations require bravery and honesty.

Teachers and school leaders are supported by various policies, standards and resources to make reconciliation a meaningful part of their professional practice. At the individual level, teachers and school leaders can continue to engage in critical self-reflection, work to create culturally safe and responsive learning settings, respectfully build relationships with their local community, and proactively address fears of being ‘tokenistic’ or offending (AITSL, 2022). The Narragunnawali platform offers tools and resources to help them do this, recognising that teachers and school leaders are lifelong learners, constantly engaged in learning, un-learning and re-learning. As demonstrated through ANU-CSRM’s research, learners’ enthusiastic engagement in reconciliation activities offers a worthy blueprint for their families, teachers, and communities, as well as Australian society more broadly.

Teachers and school leaders across Australia can use AITSL’s professional learning toolkit to strengthen their intercultural development and culturally responsive practice. A whole-school/service approach to intercultural development and culturally responsive teaching can help to ensure that all teachers feel included and supported, for the benefit of all learners.

To learn more about Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunnawali program, visit the website. You can sign up to Narragunnawali to start accessing information, tools and resources.