Canberra's children face a challenging future, with the threat of global shocks and automation-driven changes to the job market.
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We must use a data-driven approach to ensure that students master the fundamentals before navigating the complexities of the world beyond the classroom.
The Mississippi Miracle is the story of how Mississippi rose from having some of the lowest reading scores in the United States to having the most improved.
All students improved, including marginalised groups like African American and Hispanic students.
The key changes included: the reorganisation of the education department to focus on literacy; a big investment in research-backed instructional strategies; investment in preschool education; and requiring third graders to pass a reading gate, or potentially be held back.
In practical terms, this meant holding reading assessments at the beginning, middle and end of the school year, along with quarterly reports detailing student progress and strategies to help those still struggling.
Rather than targeting students based on race, income or geography, Mississippi's accountability model deliberately focused on the 25 per cent of students performing at the lowest levels in each school.
This approach avoided stigmatising individual students, teachers or schools and created a culture of advancement and accountability in every school, regardless of location or demographics.
Canberra needs its own educational miracle.
As it stands, at least a third of Canberra's students do not have the basic skills they need. NAPLAN 2023 results for year 9 students in the ACT show that:
- 29 per cent are not proficient in reading
- 38 per cent are not proficient in writing
- 38 per cent are not proficient in grammar and punctuation
- 25 per cent are not proficient in spelling
- 31 per cent are not proficient in numeracy
PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) is an international study that measures 15 year olds' knowledge and skills in reading, maths, and science.
PISA indicates there has been a significant decline in the performance of ACT students over the past two decades.
A drop of 20 points is equivalent to a year of learning. The latest PISA report for 2022 shows that the performance of students in the ACT has reduced over the last twenty years in:
- mathematical literacy by 50 points (equivalent to two-and-a-half years of learning)
- reading literacy by 35 points (equivalent to one-and-three-quarters years of learning)
- scientific literacy by 26 points (equivalent to one-and-a-third years of learning)
It is possible to halt this decline in performance and lift outcomes for all students. This can be achieved by adopting successful strategies from education systems that have beaten the odds, such as government schools in South Australia and in Mississippi, where meaningful gains in student learning have been achieved.
The key elements of reform include:
- screening all students three times a year to identify those who may be at risk of not meeting standards, and who may need additional support;
- progress monitoring to ensure all students are improving, and to evaluate the effectiveness of classroom instruction and interventions;
- a progressively intensive system of support, starting with whole class instruction, then adding small group tutoring and one-on-one support for students who require extra doses of instruction;
- data to inform decision-making about instruction, intensification of support, and allocation of resources
- investing in teachers through professional development and coaching.
Bringing ACT schools into the 21st century through this data-driven approach will require a significant investment in the upcoming budget. Equity Economics estimates that an investment of $92 million over four years is required.
This may seem like a lot, but it will generate a significant increase in lifetime earnings for students and it will allow the ACT to become a world leader in delivering evidence-based literacy and numeracy initiatives.
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The investment would support schools to access high quality curriculum resources, screening and progress monitoring data tools, and small group tutoring for children struggling with literacy and numeracy.
It would also fund a transformation office to oversight reform in the Education Directorate, and a community advisory service to provide resources and support for families with learning disabilities.
In real terms, it will give every child the best chance at finishing school and going on to access further education through TAFE or university, which will increase their job prospects and allow access to higher earnings, better healthcare and better quality of life.
- Jessica Del Rio is the government and public finance lead at Equity Economics.
