Victoria Minister for Education Martin Dixon

Dixon Announces Education Reform Agenda – Victoria As A Learning Community

Victor P Taffa

Education Minister Martin Dixon today laid out the government’s vision for education reform in a landmark lecture at the University of Melbourne, entitled Victoria as a Learning Community.

Marking one year of the Coalition Government’s term in office, Mr Dixon outlined his plan to empower principals, teachers and parents as the key decision-makers in their schools through a new focus on professional trust.

“I trust school leaders and teachers. I believe in their professionalism. I recognise and respect their expertise. That’s why I want them to drive improvement in their schools, supported rather than managed by the Education Department.” Mr. Dixon said.

Mr. Dixon announced that as part of an increased emphasis on professional trust and autonomy for schools, the Victorian Coalition Government will develop a Compact with schools. The Compact will detail the responsibilities and expectations of the Education Department and of schools as part of a move to refocus the department as a support agency.

“In addition to a focus on professional trust, I want all members of the community to participate in strengthening Victoria’s education system in order to lift student outcomes. This is what I mean by Victoria as a learning community.” Mr. Dixon said.

Mr. Dixon described the three “non-negotiable principles” that will underpin the government’s approach to educational reform:

Parent choice: Parents make real sacrifices for their child’s education and they are entitled to expect that their local school is an excellent school, regardless of sector. The government will pursue high standards for all schools. It will also support parent choice by fostering diversity across the government school system, including support for specialist schools, selective entry schools and innovative programs such as the International Baccalaureate

Local decision making: Principals and school communities know and understand their local context and are best placed to drive improvement. The government will give principals, in partnership with their parent community, the freedom to make decisions that best suit their school communities

School community integration: The government will promote partnerships and greater involvement between schools and parents, business and the community. When schools are integrated with their communities, they can tap into expertise, facilities, resources and ideas, and the community benefits as well.

Mr. Dixon outlined the five key reform areas on which the government will focus:

Student outcomes – to equip young people with the knowledge and skills they will need for life and work in the 21st century, schools need to provide a broad educational experience that embraces skills such as problem-solving, creativity, flexibility and leadership. The government will also work with the entire education sector to determine what is essential to the curriculum and what is just desirable

Order and inclusion – building on its achievements in this area, the government will ensure schools are safe, orderly and inclusive with initiatives including professional development to manage classroom behaviour. The government will also return control of Student Support Service Officers (SSSOs), including psychologists, social workers, speech pathologists and others, to schools. Funding for students attending specified alternative settings will now also “follow the student”, giving students and their families greater flexibility

Innovation – in the context of a focus on professional trust, the government will promote a culture of innovation where educators are encouraged to explore and trial evidence-based approaches to teaching and learning

Partnerships – the government will support partnerships between schools, parents, business and community organisations. The Government will also work with schools and other stakeholders to ensure school networks are locally “owned” and facilitated. Schools will be empowered to design their own networks with local schools, schools in other regions or education sectors, community organisations and businesses, based on their needs

Internationalising education – in an increasingly globalised world it is imperative young people are equipped to compete in a global economy and participate in a global society. This will require not only knowledge of other languages but also the skills (including in science and maths) to excel in a highly connected world. This government has recently released its vision for languages education, including compulsory learning of a second language for Prep to Year 10 students, and will build on this achievement in furthering its internationalising education agenda.

Mr. Dixon described the achievements of the past year, including the announcement of funding for 100 science and mathematics specialists to work in Victorian primary schools, the largest single investment in special and autistic schools in the last decade, choice for schools in the level of responsibility they take for leading capital projects and the release of the government’s vision statement for languages education. The government has also given principals greater power to create safe and orderly environments.

“Pursuing the right reforms, setting high expectations and laying the foundations for the next 10 to 20 years are critical to improving student outcomes and to our success as a learning community.” Mr. Dixon said.

A discussion paper will be released early next year for community feedback.