Core Issues 8

7/31/2019 Core Issues 8

1/12

1

What Works.The Work Program: CORE ISSUES 8

Education and student

health: the big picture

What Works. The Work Program is a set o resources designed to help schools and those who work

in them improve outcomes or Indigenous students. The Core issues series is an attempt to distil

some topic-based key directions or practical action.

Many Indigenous students are in good health and succeeding at school. However,we also know there are large numbers o Indigenous students whose perormance at

school is seriously impeded by poor health.

This paper looks at some o the health issues aecting Indigenous students and the

part schools and teachers can play in dealing with them. It is not intended to addressallhealth issues; rather, it provides background inormation and advice or teachersabout some issues o particular relevance to schooling.

This core issues paper has been developed with assistance rom Associate Proessor

Garth Alperstein and Associate Proessor Maria Egan, University o Notre DameAustralia, School o Medicine, Sydney.


2/12

2

What are the causes?It is important to acknowledge that most

health issues among Indigenous people do

not, in most cases, stem rom Indigeneity.

Sometimes it is easy to identiy the person with

the health issue, but there is a correlation not

a causal relationship.

As Chris Sarra remarked when discussing

negative social issues in Indigenous

communities, and their consequences:

Our children need to understand that these

things exist in our community because

they are a legacy o other historical and

sociological processes, and that they are not a

legacy o being Aboriginal.2

Not only Indigenous children, but teachers and

the community as a whole need to understand

this.

According to the Overview of Australian

Indigenous Health Status (2009)

There is an irreutable relationship between

the social inequalities experienced by

What are the issues?

According to Health and Welfare of

Australias Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander

Peoples (2008):

The burden o disease suered by Indigenous

Australians is estimated to be two-and-a-hal

times greater than the burden o disease in

the total Australian population. Long-term

health conditions responsible or much o

the ill-health experienced by Indigenous

people include circulatory diseases, diabetes,

respiratory diseases, musculoskeletal

A range o inormation about the health oAustralias Indigenous people can convenientlybe accessed through the Australian IndigenousHealthInoNet:www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au

conditions, kidney disease, and eye and ear

problems. For most o these conditions,

Indigenous Australians experience an earlier

onset o disease than other Australians.1

Chris Sarra is a ormer principal o CherbourgState School in Queensland and currentlydirector o the Stronger Smarter Institutewww.strongersmarter.qut.edu.au

Indigenous people and their current health

status. This social disadvantage [is] directly

related to dispossession and characterised by

poverty and powerlessness3

Healtheducation connection

Every teacher knows that students who are

consistently unwell may not achieve their

potential. The exactmechanism at work is

not clear, however according to Health andWelfare of Australias Aboriginal & Torres

Strait Islander Peoples (2008):

While the positive association between

education and health has been well

established, the explanations or the

association have not. []

the association between education and

health may be partly explained by the act

that healthy individuals are better able to

undertake education in the frst place. Achilds health has a powerul impact on

whether or not they attend school and on

their ability to learn and participate in school

activities. Thereore children with disability

or chronic health conditions may be at risk o

not completing their education []4

These observations will be amiliar to those

involved in the day to day lives o students at

school.


3/12

3

A whole o lie approach

The big picture involves looking at a childs

lie rom conception through the early years

and then the years o schooling. The bestoutcomes or children will occur when there is

cooperation between the various agencies that

impact on their lives.

In the past, opportunities or school

personnel to cooperate with other agencies

have not always been common, but

things are changing. There is a growing

acknowledgement o the importance o

agencies working together, and increased

investment in the years o early childhood.

The Council o Australian Governments(COAG) has agreed to substantial investment,

particularly or Indigenous children,6 and in

Victoria, or instance, an integrated health and

wellbeing ramework is under development. It

General advice

While your contribution to dealing with students health issues is important, your

expertise is in the area o pedagogy and your primary responsibility is to teach your

students to the best o your ability. Do not be distracted rom that.

Even though a whole o lie approach will produce best results, there are manyexamples o students educational outcomes being improved in less than optimal

situations. Dont wait or conditions to be optimal. Everyone can take action to

improve outcomes to some extent right now.

I you know or suspect that a student has a health problem, consult parents or

carers and ensure that the student is reerred to appropriate health proessionals.

I appropriate services are not available, be persistent in requesting them rom the

responsible authorities.

It is never the job o a teacher to diagnose medical conditions. Do not make

assumptions, but once a diagnosis is made by appropriate proessionals you are in a

position to seek urther targetted assistance i necessary.

Your frst port o call or advice and assistance should be the support services o the

educational jurisdiction in which you are working.

Hungry students cant concentrate. Providing ood has been criticised as outside the

province o schools, a welare operation which builds dependency. On the other hand,

i a Vegemite sandwich makes the dierence between a good session and a bad one,

then in the short term that might be helpul.

Physical activity has long been associated with good health. Research now suggests

that physical activity is associated with brain unction and readiness to learn.5 All

schools can contribute to students health andlearning by making sure that physical

activity is a regular part o the school program.

Read a principals account o a low-key approach at www.whatworks.edu.au > Case studies> Rural and regional > Cairns West State School

places the child or young person at the centre

surrounded by amily, community and services

that impact their outcomes.7

The impact o the early years

Educators sometimes think o early

intervention as the inclusion o three or

our year-olds in a regular program that

supports their cognitive, physical and

social development. However, or health

proessionals early invention begins beore

birth. They are aware that both the health

o a mother and her health practices will

have a lasting impact on the health and wellbeing o her child and subsequent educational

outcomes. It is well known, or instance,

that smoking during pregnancy is a high risk

activity, as is drinking alcohol excessively.


4/12

4

Early childhood is a time o rapid growth and

development; in act, aster than any other

time o lie. A childs early experiences set the

stage or later success or ailure in school,

adolescence and adulthood and that is why

early intervention is so important.

By age three, critical periods or the

development o a childs primary sensory

processing mechanisms o sight and hearing

has been completed. A childs patterns o

emotional control and habitual ways o

responding has developed into the pattern

which teachers are likely to see at school.

A child has the basis o oral language,

both expressive and receptive, and an

understanding o symbols. The degree to

which the child is immersed in language

experience at this age the amount andcomplexity o oral language they are exposed

to, the tasks set, the responses sought will

continue to be evident through the childs

school lie and beyond.

For anyone trying to optimise the impact o

ormal education these must be undamental

considerations.

The need or cooperation

Most Indigenous parents and young children

will receive services rom a variety o

agencies. Figure 2 illustrates this by placing

the child centrally.

FIGURE 1: KEY INITIATIVES IN THE EARLY YEARS

Given the importance o the early years, it

seems sensible or the various agencies to

work in cooperation. More specifcally, such a

strategy is

Pragmatic : It gives all agencies a clearer

picture o all the actors that impact uponthe lie o the child.

Time-efcient : All agencies state that they

are oten time-poor and fnd it difcult

to address the needs o all clients. This

cooperative approach ensures there is

no duplication o services and allows

opportunities or gaps to be flled.

Costeffective : Money saved through

avoiding duplication or working with an

entire amily across all agencies allows

unds to be used more efciently.

Proventobeeffective : Most importantly,

collaboration has been proved to directly

improve the health and wellbeing o

Indigenous students and thereore their

educational outcomes.8

The challenge or uture practice, however,

is to create sustainable systems that support

collaboration over long periods o time. That

will involve the eort and commitment o all

concerned.

UniversalAntenatal Care

Immunisation

Attachment, language/literacy (eg SHELLS), social/emotionallearning, Parenting Programs

Parenting Programs

Sustained Nurse Home Visiting

Smoking Prevention/Cessation

Breastfeeding

Quality Early ChildhoodEducation and Care

Community Development Programs

TR

AN

SITION

TO

SCHOOL

Paid Parental Leave

Education (Preconceptual)

CONCEPTION BIRTH 2 YEARS 5 YEARS

Based on Nossar, V and Alperstein, G NSW Public Health Bullet in : 9(11):126127


5/12

5

MaariMa,farwesternNewSouthWales

FIGURE 2: THE NEED FOR

COOPERATION

A whole o lie

strategy has

been adopted

by Maari Ma

Health Aboriginal

Corporation in

Broken Hill, which

has ormed the Far

West Aboriginal

Child Developmentand Wellbeing

Management Group. This group consists o a

number o agencies servicing the community,

including the NSW Department o Education and

Training, and is assisted by the Dr Garth Alperstein

rom the University o Note Dame School o

Medicine, Sydney.

The central thematic driver o the strategy is:

Investment in promoting child development

and well being in the early years is more cost

eective than addressing ill-health, poor social

outcomes and educational defcits later in lie.9

Like all Indigenous population groups, Maari Ma

has its own distinctive characteristics. Aboriginal

children under 15 in the area make up 16% o the

total child population, which is comparatively high

or New South Wales. However, the sorts o health

and well being issues that are present in the wider

Indigenous community exist there as well. Rates o

low birthweight babies are comparatively high and

the prevailing socio-economic conditions are likely

to generate chronic disadvantage.

The goal o the strategy is

Optimising the development o Aboriginal

children and their amilies rom pregnancy to

school entry in Broken Hill, Central Darling,

Wentworth, and Balranald Shires and the

Unincorporated Far West.10

It maps out what all organisations need to do to

improve child development and well being through

eective prevention, promotion o health and well

being, and early intervention. Principles endorsed or

this work are:

Promote a health and well-being perspective.1.

Promote a ocus on enhancing protective2.

actors and building resilience

Promote a population health approach, which3.

ocuses on outcomes and strategies that have

wide population coverage.

Promote a whole o government and4.

community approaches where partnerships are

ostered and responsibility is shared.

Promote equity and social justice with5.

commitment, eort and strategies (universal

and targeted) weighted to address the needs o

the most disadvantaged.

Promote initiatives that are sustainable and6.

have long-term commitment.

Promote age appropriate evidence based7.

strategies, based on the best available

evidence, and where the strategies adopted are

designed to address multiple health issues and

determinants and result in multiple outcomes.11

It is beyond the scope o this paper to reproducethe strategy in more detail, but it can be accessedat www.maarima.com.au > Publications> Child Development Framework.

HEALTHPROVIDERS

LOCALCOUNCIL

NON-GOVERNMENT

AGENCIES

GOVERNMENTAGENCIES

THEFAMILY

THECOMMUNITY

THESCHOOL

THECHILD


6/12

6

Intervention in the early years

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SCHOOLS ASCOMMUNITY CENTRES

www.families.nsw.gov.au > Support andservices > School and community (includes goodnews stories about the work)

www.whatworks.edu.au > Case studies > Ruraland regional > Kempsey South PS

www.dhcs.act.gov.au > Child and amily centres> Schools as communities (a program similar toSaCC running in the Australian Capital Territory)

MORE INFORMATION

In the Northern territory, there is the Families asfrst teachers program, which also has a useul

booklet or download Learning with amily. Thiscan be ound at www.det.nt.gov.au > Parentsand community > Early Childhood Services> At home with your child > Families as FirstTeachers program

An older example o schools providing earlyliteracy materials or parents can be ound atwww.whatworks.edu.au > Case studies > TheKimberley Literacy Project > Literacy backpacks

We have outlined the importance o the years

beore children begin school. As Proessor

Frank Oberklaid put it

Resources need to be ocused on providing

parent inormation, amily support,

and high quality early learning and care

settings or allchildren.

Targeted services or at risk children

and amilies who have additional needs

that go beyond the universal services [are

needed].12

Schools and teachers have the opportunity to

be involved in these matters, not necessarily as

lead agencies, but rather in cooperation with

other agencies. As well as increasing numberso examples o cooperation, there are also

increasing numbers o resources that can be

used to work with parents.13

Schools as community centres

In New South Wales, Schools as Community

Centres (SaCC) use a community development

approach to link amilies with their local

school.

In a What Works case study compiled some

years ago, one SaCC acilitator noted thatIts about knowing your community, and that

local knowledge is just so important.

Parents as frst teachers

In Queensland, a number o schools are

running Parents as First Teachers programs.

The initiative has two points o delivery. Thefrst point o delivery is to train parents in

supporting childrens literacy and numeracy

skill acquisition. This support may take

the orm o material and resource creation,

activities that they can use with children and

strategies or working with children. The

second point o delivery is to work with the

children directly. Sta and volunteers use

many o the activities and strategies used

to engage young children in kindergartens,

playgroups and pre-school settings. This

initiative moves school beyond the traditional

confnes o the school ence and into the

school community, operating in areas where

the community eels comortable.14

The program was developed at Western Cape

College in ar North Queensland in 2007 and

partners an Indigenous teacher with a non-

Indigenous health worker. As well as other

responsibilities, they are able to

Work in the community to provide

support to parents rom pregnancy rightthrough to pre-school;

Act as a frst link between parents and

the school and provide inormation and

advice about the school; and

Provide health and nutrition advice.


7/12

7

Resources or parents

A range o resources is now available or parents o young Indigenous children, much o it

localised to suit particular circumstances. Schools can also use this material in their work with

parents.

MORE INFORMATION

The ollowing are some o the most accessible resources.

Parent Easy Guidesare rom Parenting SA. A range o inormation sheets is available, including some specifcally orAboriginal parents. These can be ound at www.parenting.sa.gov.au > Parent Easy Guides > Aboriginal PEGs

New South Wales Community Services has a set o booklets, each specifc to a regional language group. These can beound at www.community.nsw.gov.au > Parents, carers and amilies > Parenting > For Aboriginal parents and carers

The Northern Territory Department o Education and Training also has a range o tip sheets. These can be ound atwww.det.nt.gov.au > Parents and community > Early Childhood Services > At home with your child >

Indigenous kids read is a web-based resource that provides straightorward advice or parents. It can be ound at

www.batchelor.edu.au/ikr > Helping little kids


8/12

8

Particular issues

1. Hearing problems

Its well known to teachers that classroom

activities and student learning depend heavily

on students ability to respond to instructions

and comments rom the teacher and otherstudents. Its hardly surprising that any

hearing impairment is likely to aect student

perormance.

Sometimes students have undiagnosed

hearing loss. In many parts o Australia, large

numbers o Indigenous children in particular

are aected by the middle ear inection called

Otitis Media, which can lead to temporary

or even permanent hearing impairment

(Conductive Hearing Loss or CHL). Those

conditions can also lead to shyness orbehaviour problems.

On average, non-Indigenous children have

ear inections or two or three months during

childhood, whereas Indigenous children have

such inections or almost three years.

What can teachers do?

Awareness that some students have hearing impairment leads to common sense actions,

such as trying to speak more clearly.

Here are some other strategies teachers can use to assist students with hearing loss:

Correct diagnosis is essential. CHL can sometimes be mis-diagnosed as Attention

Defcit Hyperactivity Syndrome (ADHD).

I a student is using hearing aids, check that they are working properly.

Provide classroom sound feld amplifcation systems.

Implement a BBC (Breathe, Blow, Cough) program.

Face the students, speak clearly and loudly and stay still while talking.

Foster predictability, so students can rely on routines and reduce the listening

demands on them.

Prepare students in advance or any change to routines.

Consider teaching in ways that support the visual learning styles usually preerred by

students with hearing loss.

Provide regular listening breaks where children do not need to listen as attentively.

Try to reduce background noise in the classroom.

Involve more Indigenous adults to provide in-class support. 17

At any time, about 50 per cent o Indigenous

children have a hearing loss that can aect

their schooling, compared with about fve per

cent o non-Indigenous children.15

According to the Western Australia Do you

hear what I hear? resource kit:

CHL is usually an intermittent loss it

comes and goes according to the health o the

childs ears. I Otitis Media is let untreated,

or there are requent bouts o it, it can result

in a permanent hearing loss.

It appears that children with an intermittent

hearing loss are actually worse o than

children with a permanent loss. This may bebecause children with a permanent loss have

ample opportunity to practise and perect a

range o coping skills, whereas children with

an intermittent loss do not.16


9/12

9

2. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a

term describing a range o clinical diagnoses

including at least Fetal Alcohol Syndrome,

Alcohol Related Birth Deects and Alcohol

Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder.

These occur as a result o a mother drinking

alcohol during pregnancy. No level o alcohol

consumption during pregnancy can be

considered sae and or aected children there

is no cure.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the extreme

end o the disorder spectrum. A child with

FAS will have confrmed prenatal alcohol

exposure, a set o characteristic acial eatures,

central nervous system dysunction and growth

restriction.18

The frst Australian national data about

FAS were published in 2007.19 Despite the

act that ewer Indigenous people than

non-Indigenous people drink alcohol,20 it is

reported that the incidence o FAS among

Indigenous children under 15 at the time o

diagnosis was over 40 times that o their non-

Indigenous counterparts.21

SOURCES AND RESOURCES

Australian Hearing, an Australian government agency, has basic inormation and act sheets atwww.hearing.com.au/fact-sheets> Indigenous publications

The comprehensive resource kit Do you hear what I hear?, developed in Western Australia, is available ree to WA schoolsor can be purchased by others. Parts o the kit (including strategy sheets or working with students) are available online atwww.det.wa.edu.au/aboriginaleducation > Teaching and Learning > Health and Wellbeing > Conductive Hearing Loss

> Do You Hear What I Hear. An approach to Breathe, Blow, Cough (BBC) can be ound in the same section o the websiteunder Strategy 2.

Damien Howard o Phoenix Consulting has extensive experience in this area, especially in the Northern Territory. Hiswebsite www.eartroubles.com includes a range o advice and inormation or teachers and communities, as well as anactivity that can be used as a preliminary tool to detect hearing loss. Also included is a video o Damiens presentations.

Hear this is a Northern Territory initiative based on the work o Damien Howard and others. It includes video and audioresources in which Aboriginal adults aected by hearing loss talk about their experiences, as well as a simple childrensbooklet about having hearing tests. Available at www.hstac.com.au/HearThis/

In other words, Indigenous children were

highly over-represented, constituting 65.2%

o all cases reported (the proportion o

Indigenous children in Australia in 2004 was


10/12

10

What can teachers do?

The FASD spectrum is a good example o a health issue that is best tackled by a

collaborative approach among agencies, rom conception through to the years o schooling.

Clearly, i mothers-to-be do not use alcohol, children will not be aected by FASD.

On the other hand, we have aected children in our schools.

To date, there has been little available advice or teachers in Australia. More work has

been done in Canada and other countries.

Correct diagnosis is essential. FASD can be mis-diagnosed as Attention Defcit

Hyperactivity Syndrome (ADHD).

Children with FASD may best be considered as having a disability, but in some

locations they may not be considered eligible or special education unless there is

evidence o intellectual impairment.24

Avoid being judgemental about parents or the child. Accept that the child has every

right to reach his or her potential at school, just as does any child with or withouta disability. Understanding more about FASD will help you make sense o the

challenges acing students.

Students are likely to beneft rom established, predictable routines.

High levels o sensory stimulation are likely to be counter-productive, so quiet,

orderly, evenly lit spaces work best. Some students will beneft rom having a

private ofce such as a study carrel.

Like anyone else, students with FASD need to learn to work with others. Random

groupings are unlikely to be successul, so observe the students behaviour with

various others and structure groups accordingly.

Specifc teaching o planning and time-management techniques is important,preerably through the use o concrete, visual representations. Checklists can work well.

As ar as possible, break down students work into small, achievable steps.

Some social behaviours will need to be specifcally taught.

SOURCES AND RESOURCES

The Provincial Outreach Program or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, a Canadian initiative, has an excellent online range oe-learning materials or teachers, using slides and video. Accessible at www.fasdoutreach.ca > Modules Guide

Several Canadian provinces have developed excellent, detailed advice or teachers. Among the best o these is thedownloadable publication rom Yukon Department o Education, Making a Difference: Working with Students Who HaveFetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, which is readable and practical. Accessible at www.education.gov.yk.ca > Publications > Reports and Handbooks > Making a Dierence: Working with students who have Fetal Alcohol SpectrumDisorders

In 2009, the ABC program Lateline had two programs dealing with these issues, Suzanne Smith investigates FoetalAlcohol Syndrome. The frst program (on 23 March 2009) looks at the eects in some Indigenous communities while thesecond (on 24 March 2009) looks at non-Indigenous communities. Both are available as transcripts or video. Accessibleat www.abc.net.au/lateline> Archives > March 2009 > 23/03/2009, 24/03/2009

The National Organisation or Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Related Disorders is Australias peak body representing parents,carers and others interested in or aected by FASD. Their website www.nofasard.org.au has a range o inormation.

National Indigenous Australian Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Education Network (NIAFASEN) provides workshops and

assessments through epidemiologist and FAS educator Lorian Hayes, who is an Aboriginal woman rom Queensland.http://fas-lorian-hayes.tripod.com/index.html

Craword, K (2008), Education o students with etal alcohol disorder, Churchill Fellowship Report, 2008. Kym Craword isPrincipal, Karratha Education Support Centre WA


11/12

11

Endnotes

1 ABS and Australian Institute o Health and Welare (2008) Health and Welfare of Australias Aboriginal & TorresStrait Islander Peoples, ABS cat.no.4704.0, AIHW cat.no. IHW21, ABS and AIHW, Canberra, p 99.

2 Chris Sarra speaking at the 2005 Communities in Control Conerence, Melbourne, convened by Our Community andCentacare Catholic Family Services. [citation as requested on website]

3 Thomson, N, MacRae, A, Burns, J, Catto, M, Debuyst, O, Krom, I, Potter, C, Ride, K, Stumpers, S, Urquhart,B (2009) Overview of Australian Indigenous Health Status, December 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2010 romwww.healthinonet.ecu.edu.au/health-acts/overviews. [citation as requested on website]

4 ABS and Australian Institute o Health and Welare, op.cit., p 23.

5 See, or instance, Ratey, J (2008) Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, Little Brown andCompany, New York.

6 Council o Australian Governments Communiqu, 2 October 2008. Accessed at www.coag.gov.au/coag_meeting_outcomes/2008-10-02/index.cm

7 Student Wellbeing Division and the Child and Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Division, Department o Educationand Early Childhood Development Victoria, Towards a health and wellbeing service ramework: a discussionpaper or consultation, February 2010, p 5. Accessed at www.education.vic.gov.au/healthwellbeing/childyouth/hwsramework.htm

8 Outlined in Alperstein, G, Burke, H and Kennedy, C on behal o the Far West Aboriginal Child Development AndWell Being Management Group (2009) Strategic Framework Document to Improve Child Development and Well-being for Aboriginal Children in the Far West, Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation, Broken Hill. Accessed atwww.maarima.com.au > Publications > Child Development Framework

9 ibid. p 3.

10 ibid.

11 ibid. p 4.

12 Oberklaid, F (2008) Address to the 2008 Curriculum Association Conerence on 10 November 2008 in Melbourne.Proessor Oberklaid is the Director, Centre or Community Child Health, Royal Childrens Hospital Melbourne.

13 Those interested in the types o intervention that are most eective could consult:Wise, S, da Silva, L, Webster, E and Sanson, A (2005) The efcacy o early childhood interventions, in AIFS ResearchReport, 14, July 2005, Australian Institute o Family Studies. Accessed at www.ais.gov.au

14 Queensland Department o Education and Training (2009), Closing the Gap Education Strategy. Accessed athttp://education.qld.gov.au/schools/indigenous/strategies/closing-gap.html

15 Fact sheets rom Australian Hearing. Accessed at www.hearing.com.au/act-sheets

16 Do you hear what I hear?. Accessed at www.det.wa.edu.au/aboriginaleducation > Teaching and Learning > Healthand Wellbeing > Conductive Hearing Loss > Do You Hear What I Hear?

17 Adapted rom:Hearing in the classroom. A act sheet rom Australian Hearing. Accessed at www.hearing.com.au/act-sheets> Indigenous publications > Hearing in the classroom.Howard, D Poor school attendance and conductive hearing loss. Accessed at www.eartroubles.com/index.php/Articles.

18 Craword, K (2008), Education o students with etal alcohol disorder, Churchill Fellowship Report.

19 Fetal alcohol syndrome: a prospective national surveillance study, E J Elliott, J Payne, A Morris, et al. Arch Dis Child2008 93: 732737 originally published online August 17, 2007, p. 736. [citation as requested on website]

20 ABS and Australian Institute o Health and Welare, op.cit., p 141.

21 E J Elliott et al, op. cit., p 735.Non-Indigenous population 0.18 per 100,000 births, Indigenous population 8.11 per 100,000.

22 ibid, p 736.23 Alcohol and pregnancy and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, act sheet published by Telethon Institute or Child

Health Research, Subiaco. Accessed at www.ichr.uwa.edu.au/alcoholandpregnancy

24 Inormation package published by the National Organisation or Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Related Disorders Inc,p 15. Accessed at www.noasard.org.au


12/12

12

What Works. The Work Program

The What Works materials are based on a three part analysis of the way teachers and schools generally

work to improve outcomes for Indigenous students.

Building awareness

Forming partnerships

Working systematically

The website (www.whatworks.edu.au) provides resources to support all of these.

The Workbookis the central support for targeted, systematic action.

The School and Community: Working Together series supports the development of partnerships

between schools and their Indigenous communities.

The Core Issues series, includes

Core Issues 1: Setting Up For Success suggests ways in which schools might best be set up to

maximise success for Indigenous students.

Core Issues 2: Reducing Suspensions explores positive alternatives to suspension and ways they can

be implemented in schools.

Core Issues 3: Literacy explores questions about what it means to develop genuinely effective

literacy.

Core Issues 4: Numeracy tackles important questions about the meaning and importance of

numeracy.

Core Issues 5: Engagement discusses attendance, participation and belonging.

Core Issues 6: Boarding looks at current practice in this small but growing area of Indigenous

education.

Core Issues 7: International Perspectives is a report of the DEST/OECD seminar held in Cairns in

May 2007.

Core Issues 8: Education and student health: the big picture looks at some of the health issues

affecting Indigenous students and the part schools and teachers can play in dealing with them.

All these and other print materials are available for download through the Publications link on the website,

where you can also sign up for What Works eNews, to keep in touch with the What Works project.

Experienced What Works consultants are available free of charge to work with schools on the materials.

What Works National Ofce, National Curriculum Services

PO Box 361, Abbotsord VIC 3067

p (03) 9415 1299f(03) 9419 1205 e [email protected]

www.whatworks.edu.au

The views expressed in this publication

do not necessarily represent the

views o the Australian Government

Department o Education, Employment

and Workplace Relations.

Core Issues 8

Documents

Transcript of Core Issues 8