A Policy Statement by the Australian College of Educators (ACE)- What do educators want from the next government?
What do educators want from the next government?
A Policy Statement by the Australian College of Educators (ACE)
The Australian College of Educators (ACE) is a national professional association which represents educators in all sectors and systems. With over 5000 members, the College provides a forum for Australian educators to share expertise, provide analysis of educational policy and maintain professional standards among educators. ACE has been in operation for over 50 years and has members in every state and territory.
ACE believes that this election is a critical one for education. Educators will be looking for party policy commitments that go beyond slogans and the fever of the electoral process. In this policy statement ACE outlines a set of key principles that should inform Australian government education policy across all levels of education, from the early years through to lifelong learning.
Ensuring that all young children, young people and adults have access to high quality education and training and that they have equal opportunity to learn and to achieve their personal best.
- There is much evidence that adopting policies that exacerbate achievement gaps between rich and poor, and between urban and rural citizens is against the national interest, as well as the interests of the individuals most directly disadvantaged.
Building consensus about the purposes of education and training and a rational and explicit link between those purposes and funding frameworks.
Overcoming rigid divides between technical and academic learning pathways that fail to meet individual or workforce needs.
Recognising the importance of integrated servicing and partnering with community, family and social services, especially in the early years and in high need communities
ACE believes that priority should be given to:
Planned and sustained public investment in the professional capacity of teachers including teacher professionalism and in the status of teachers
- through providing the conditions, resources and structures that support whole of career professional learning, improved practice and achievement of professional standards as part of a coherent career structure.
Providing an adequate supply of high quality teachers and equality of access to skilled and experienced teachers across all education and training sectors.
- This will require a commitment to collaborative action by governments in order to end the dysfunctional and irrational ways in which responsibilities for education and training, public and private, are currently apportioned between the two levels of government.
Ensuring that policy development is informed by rigorous analysis and discussion by independent bodies that include representation of the broad views of educators.
- Independent policy advice should be sought for all major policy decisions and made public in the interests of transparency and accountability, so that policy makers and political leaders are accountable to those at the receiving end of their policy decisions.
Developing high quality accountability frameworks with educational integrity.
- Achieving high overall standards of participation, achievement and outcomes should drive accountability processes, using measures of the actions known to make the greatest difference to student outcomes.
- Accountability should be a reciprocal process, focusing not only on educational and training institutions but also on the policies and systems designed to support their operation and within which they are required to operate.
We call on all political parties in Australia to explain how their education policy and funding commitments will contribute to the education priorities outlined in this paper, for the benefit of all Australians both individually and collectively.
Please click here to download the accompanying media release.
Please click here to download ACE's availability for comment.