Page 3893 - Week 12 - Thursday, 30 October 2014
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more freedoms they should be encouraged to do so. The federal funds will no doubt go a long way to assisting them to take those decisions and better equip them to make the right choices.
As I said at the beginning, the opposition welcomes this MPI and firmly believes in both principles of parental engagement and empowered public schools.
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Disability, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Racing and Gaming, Minister for Women and Minister for the Arts) (4.04): I do thank Ms Berry for bringing this important matter to the Assembly. I do believe absolutely that effective parental engagement in schools is very much central to bringing out the best in our students.
Education is and always will be one of the ACT government’s highest priorities. Parental engagement is an essential element of this priority and is highly relevant to the national reform agenda. I am a strong advocate of parental engagement, as I believe the best learning outcomes can only be achieved through a shared approach to, and a true partnership with, children’s learning, informed by leaders, educators, parents and teachers.
The ACT government is committed to identifying the best evidence on what works and on translating that into practice. The things that make a difference are when parents read and tell stories to their children, support numeracy through everyday experiences, talk about ideas, school and family events, have high aspirations and demonstrate their commitment to education by being engaged and interested in their child’s schooling. You need strong relationships between teachers and families to achieve this and you need a welcoming school to give parents a say in how their school is run. This is not just about what happens on school grounds; it is the relationship between the home and the school that is essential.
In this alignment with best practice and current research, the ACT is a nation leader in its current parental engagement initiative in partnership with the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth. The progressing parental engagement in the ACT project builds on the positive relationships that our schools have with their families and communities and will equip parents and schools to build that partnership, focus on children’s learning and wellbeing and measure the impact that parental engagement in learning can achieve for children.
In the first year of the project ARACY has been exploring parents’, teachers’ and leaders’ views about parental engagement. Throughout next year ARACY will continue to work with the ACT community, and the indicators of positive parental engagement in non-government and government schools will be determined, measured and acted on using a specially developed parent survey. This cross-sectoral initiative will provide the ACT with a comprehensive measurement on what strategies work best, in which contexts, and will enable schools to measure impact over time. It is through the partnership and work of ARACY and the ACT government that we will lead the nation in defining, measuring and enhancing parental engagement.
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