EXPLORING THE PUBLIC PURPOSES OF EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIAN PRIMARY SCHOOLS Report of an ARC Linkage Project: July 20101 Chief Investigators Professor Emeritus Alan Reid: University of South Australia Professor Neil Cranston: University of Tasmania Professor Jack Keating: University of Melbourne Professor Emeritus Bill Mulford: University of Tasmania Industry Partners The Australian Government Primary Principals Association The Foundation for Young Australians 1 Note: This report is a summary of the research conducted. More detailed discussions of various aspects of this research are provided in the links contained within the report. 1 Exploring the Public Purposes of Education in Australian Primary Schools Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ 6 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................ 7 Part 1: The research questions and their rationale ............................................................................. 15 1.1 The genesis of the project ................................................................................................... 15 1.2 Deciding on the research questions and process ............................................................... 16 1.2.1 Why study the purposes of education? ....................................................................... 16 1.2.2 The research questions ................................................................................................ 18 1.2.3 The research process ................................................................................................... 19 1.3 The uses of the research findings ....................................................................................... 20 Part 2: What is meant by the concept of the purposes of education? ............................................... 21 2.1 The struggle over the purposes of education ..................................................................... 21 2.2 Representing the purposes of education ............................................................................ 22 2.2.1 Democratic equality (democratic purpose) ................................................................. 23 2.2.2 Social mobility purpose (individual purpose) .............................................................. 24 2.2.3 Social efficiency (economic purpose) .......................................................................... 25 2.3 Three modalities of schooling ............................................................................................. 26 Part 3: An argument for the public purposes of education ................................................................ 27 3.1 An argument for a democratic purpose .............................................................................. 27 3.2 Reassessing the democratic purpose of education ............................................................ 28 3.2.1 Altering the dominant discourse in education ............................................................ 28 3.2.2 Clarification about the public purposes of education.................................................. 30 3.2.3 Representing public purposes in the three modalities of schooling ........................... 32 3.2.3.1 Structure of schooling ................................................................................... 32 3.2.3.2 Curriculum ..................................................................................................... 33 3.2.3.3 Culture and processes ................................................................................... 33 2 Exploring the Public Purposes of Education in Australian Primary Schools 3.3 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 34 Part 4: How are the purposes of schooling understood and enacted? .............................................. 36 4.1 Overview of the research .................................................................................................... 36 4.1.1 An analysis of the role of policy texts, policy makers and the media .......................... 36 4.1.2 Case studies of schools ................................................................................................ 37 4.1.3 Survey questionnaire of Australian government primary school principals................ 37 4.2 Overview of analysis of policy makers, policy texts and the role of the media .................. 37 4.2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 37 4.2.2 Interviews with key policy makers ............................................................................... 38 4.2.2.1 Purposes of education .................................................................................. 38 4.2.2.2 Facilitating factors and barriers to public purposes ..................................... 39 4.2.3 Analysis of key policy documents ................................................................................ 41 4.2.4 An overview of the media case studies ........................................................................... 43 4.2.4.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 43 4.2.4.2 The role of the media and public views .................................................................... 43 4.2.4.3 Media case studies .................................................................................................... 44 4.2.4.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 47 4.3 An overview of the school-based case studies ................................................................... 48 4.3.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 48 4.3.2 The schools ................................................................................................................... 49 4.3.2.1 Case study 1: Lansdowne Crescent ............................................................... 49 4.3.2.2 Case study 2: Southbank .............................................................................. 49 4.3.2.3 Case study 3: Eastfield ................................................................................. 50 4.3.2.4 Case study 4: Bluehills .................................................................................. 50 4.3.2.5 Case studies 5 and 6 ...................................................................................... 50 4.3.3 Purposes of schooling .................................................................................................. 51 3 Exploring the Public Purposes of Education in Australian Primary Schools 4.3.4 Enactment of purposes ................................................................................................ 52 4.3.4.1 Culture of the school ..................................................................................... 52 4.3.4.2 Leadership ..................................................................................................... 52 4.3.4.3 Community .................................................................................................... 53 4.3.4.4 Curriculum ..................................................................................................... 53 4.3.5 Observations about the public purposes of education ................................................ 54 4.3.6 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 56 4.4 An overview of the results of a national survey of primary school principals. ................... 58 4.4.1 The national survey ...................................................................................................... 58 4.4.1.1 Survey description ......................................................................................... 58 4.4.1.2 Survey distribution and return rate .............................................................. 59 4.4.1.3 Demographic responses ................................................................................ 59 4.4.2 Summary of analysis of survey items ........................................................................... 59 4.4.3 Data reduction: factor analysis .................................................................................... 61 4.4.3.1 Purposes of education .................................................................................. 61 4.4.3.2 Strategies to achieve purposes ..................................................................... 62 4.4.4 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 62 4.4.5 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 64 4.5 The gap between aspiration and enactment ...................................................................... 66 Part 5: The national education agenda: is it serving public purposes? .............................................. 68 5.1 Critical analysis of policy