On March 21st, Harmony Day, internationally recognised as International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a significant milestone in education advocacy will be marked with the National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition’s (NIYEC) release of, "The School Exclusion Project" research report.
An Australian first, the report provides a detailed historical overview of how government laws and policies in each state and territory have - from the nineteenth century to present - been applied to exclude Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
This report was developed by a team of four multi-disciplinary researchers, including UTS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences academic and researcher in Social and Political Sciences Dr Archie Thomas, Samara Hand, Dr Beth Marsden and Dr. Mati Keynes.
Most people think that Australia has had public education for all since the 1880s, but Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth were not provided access to public schools in many states and territories until well into the twentieth century. Teachers, principals and non-Indigenous people campaigned to exclude Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from public schools.
‘Understanding this history is crucial for addressing exclusion and inequity in Indigenous education today, especially when it comes to school suspensions and expulsions. These are more often targeted at Indigenous students than non-Indigenous students in all Australian jurisdictions.
Dr Archie Thomas, FASS Academic and Researcher
The report's findings highlight the urgent need for inclusive education practices that address the systemic barriers faced by marginalised students. It calls for a collective effort to address racialized school exclusion, and adds to the existing calls for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led learning system.
Dr Archie Thomas (UTS), Dr Mati Keynes (Uni Melb), and Dr Beth Marsden (ANU), three of the report’s authors at the report launch.
“We hope this report will inspire people working in education, and that they will use this knowledge of the past in their future work. Teachers, researchers, and policymakers need to be aware of this history as they undertake the crucial work of dismantling the legacy of this history that remains as systemic racism in contemporary schooling,” said researcher Dr. Beth Marsden.
“The rates of school exclusion happening today are unacceptable. The research shows that suspensions and expulsions do not work. When schools suspend or expel children and youth, they put them at great danger of ending up in courts or prisons,”, adds Archie.
Hayley McQuire (left), CEO of the National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition (NIYEC), with Alinta Williams of the Australian Education Union and Professor Mark Rose (Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous, Deakin), at the report’s launch.
In addition to this report, a “School Exclusion 101” Youth Guide is also launched on the website to equip people with the knowledge about school exclusion.
“It’s vitally important that student voice and agency is centred in our collective pursuit to address school exclusion. This is why NIYEC has produced a, ‘School Exclusion 101 Youth Guide’ to support young people are equipped with the knowledge and strategies necessary to challenge school exclusion,” said NIYEC CEO, Hayley McQuire.
“This foundational research marks the cornerstone of our efforts within the NIYEC Education Justice League, igniting a pathway for further youth-led action research on school exclusion,” said Hayley McQuire.
Dr Mati Keynes (Uni Melb), Dr Beth Marsden (ANU), Dr Archie Thomas (UTS), Hayley McQuire (NIYEC), Alinta Williams (Australian Education Union), Professor Mark Rose (Deakin), Associate Professor Crystal McKinnon (Uni Melb) and Coree Thorpe celebrating the report’s launch.
To support this work, the public will have the opportunity to support the cause by purchasing exclusive promotional t-shirts aimed at promoting the School Exclusion report and facilitating related youth-action research projects.
For more information about the report, promotional collateral and resources, please visit The School Exclusion Project webpage.
For any media enquiries for Dr Archie Thomas please contact: newsroom@uts.edu.au.