Understanding the Complex Work of Aboriginal Education Workers in Schools

Abstract

The work of Aboriginal Education Workers (AEWs) in Australian schools is complex and multifaceted, and yet it is often misunderstood, or worse, devalued. Added to this, the conditions of employment for many AEWs is often insecure, with minimal pay, few opportunities for career progression or meaningful professional development. Despite this there continues to be, as there have been for decades, research findings, policies and reports attesting to the invaluable role of AEWs in schools and communities. The theoretical standpoint of Nakata's (2007) ‘cultural interface’ is used in this paper to critically (re) examine the role of AEWs in Australian schools. Drawing from relevant past and contemporary literature, this paper draws attention to past and contemporary theorising and policy concerning the roles of AEWs. It asserts that if the work of AEWs is to be better understood and valued then it must be reconsidered in a more transformative way that benefits both the students and schools which they support.

Counter stories: The voices of Indigenous peoples undertaking educative roles in flexi schools

“…These accounts were supported across a number of flexi school sites, where another example of this over-reliance was that "teachers want to leave it up to the experts". This data was consistent with other studies relating the discomfort, avoidance and uncertainty non-Indigenous teachers feel with Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing and being (Castell et al, 2018), as well as their reliance on Indigenous non-teaching staff in mainstream school settings (Price et al, 2019). We now have a growing body of evidence across various schooling contexts, including flexi schools, where there are high numbers of Indigenous students engaging, that professional Indigenous education roles are still being attributed by schools as being the responsibility of oftendevalued Indigenous staff, irrespective of their job titles.…”

Learning from high-attending urban Indigenous students: a case study

“…Friendships can affectively engage students (Dunstan et al ., 2017) even when cognitive engagement is low and contribute to high attendance. Through the school's cultural inclusion strategies (Baxter and Meyers, 2016) and the presence of an Indigenous Worker, whose skills are most often vastly under-rated (Price et al ., 2017), high-attending students experienced cultural safety, trust and belonging, which built social cohesion and connectedness that facilitated higher attendance; they are ‘eagerly attending school because it is a place that makes them feel strong and good about themselves—as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people’ (Shay and Wickes, 2017, p. 118). High-attending students, whether motivated by positive social experiences or academic success, habitually attend school every day, with very few absences.…”

“…Working at the cultural interface (Nakata, 2007), the Indigenous Worker provided the nexus between Watney staff and the Indigenous school community, which proved a strong partnership (Baxter and Meyers, 2016). Commonly, Indigenous Workers' capabilities are under-estimated and under-utilised (Price et al ., 2017), although at this school, the Indigenous Worker's knowledge and expertise was sought by staff and highly valued. The Indigenous Worker and Indigenous community were keen on the implementation of evidence-based research to evaluate Indigenous students' attendance and initiatives that stemmed from the school and Indigenous community partnership.…”

Agency and leadership by Indigenous education workers for family-school-community engagement

“…The work of Indigenous education workers (henceforth IEWs) employed in remote schools and communities is central to improving education outcomes for Indigenous children in a culturally sensitive manner (Price et al, 2017). It is well documented that although the work of IEWs is complex, in that it is essential to decolonising and promoting Indigenous culture and knowledge in primary schools, it remains largely undervalued by systems and schools (Peacock & Prehn, 2019).…”

“…We argue that, to date, the IEW role remains one of "invisible leadership": invisible to systems and schools, but not necessarily to IEWs, Indigenous parents/families and community. IEWs have reported disappointment that their work is so often devalued with little likelihood of formal recognition and promotion (Price et al, 2017). In 2021 there remain few opportunities for IEWs to move from the periphery of involvement in core business for Indigenous education.…”