Stan (1)
Stan has been teaching at his outer metropolitan high school for 20 years now. Over this time he has seen the community change from a reasonably affluent Anglo community, where many people lived on large semi-rural blocks to a near suburb of medium density housing and many ‘new Australians’. If you ask Stan will tell you that the school has gone down hill over the years as the students are just not what they used to be. It has changed from a small high school with a sense of community to a new reasonably large school with rows of demountable classrooms on the old oval. The sense of community has been replaced by an undercurrent of discontent with notable divisions between parents of the old community and the ‘new arrivals’. Last year a fence even went up around the school. In the past parents used to help out a lot at the school, while nowadays you hardly see a parent as they all leave on the 7am train for Sydney and don’t get back till the evening.
Response
The key point in this scenario seems to be that the school has gone downhill. Therefore, I have attempted to ascertain how the school might have 'gone downhill', and give possible explanations as to why.
'Going downhill' implies the school is worsening in performance, presumably in fulfilling its educational purpose. There are many views to the purpose of education, including passing on culture and values, preparing students to function in society, value to the economy, allowing people to live enriched and fulfilled lives, teaching students to be life long learners etc. (Kaplan and Owings, 2011). I will assume that 'going downhill' means worsening performance relating to all these purposes.
Stan's community seems representative of many outer western suburbs in Sydney and other eastern capitals around Australia. What was once a semi-rural community, close to the big city, has become an outer suburb, with immigrants who want to move to the city and the opportunity it provides, buying in the more affordable outer areas.
Mention is made of division between the old community and 'new arrivals/new Australians', implying a difference in cultural backgrounds and values. The observation that the parents are working longer hours sheds some light on the values of the immigrants. There could be multiple reasons for this, such as a poor family wanting to make a new start, or cultural and socio-economic background valuing a particular type of success. Without further details in the scenario, their specifics are unknown, however it is certain that there would be differences in the values of the 'new Australians' and those typically fostered in the Australian education system throughout its history.
This gives us our first hint at why the school may be 'going down hill'. Australia's education system and educational values have been very heavily influenced by British and western cultures, the values of which differ greatly to many of the cultures now immigrating to Australia. (Sherington and Campbell, 2007). It is also worth noting that Australia's educational roots had heavy Christian influence, while our likely 'new Australians' could have values influenced by a number other religions.
Misaligned culture and values of students with those of the education system can affect student outcomes. The prime example in Australia is the continual failure of the education system to meet the needs of aboriginal students (Vick 1992). In this scenario it seems particularly relevant that the parents have become less involved with the school. Parental involvement in education is known to be particularly valuable in student outcomes (Desforges and Abouchaar, 2003, http://education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/RR433).
The scenario mentions in a number of ways in which the changes in community have impacted the school. Growth is mentioned, with a suggestion that the school's resources are being stretched, as demonstrated by the need to have demountables on the old oval. While not necessarily a major influence on the school performance, educational resources and technology, and all that they encompass play a significant role in teaching and its outcomes. This includes, but is not limited to potentially affecting teaching methods and classroom management approaches (Churchill, 2011).
The scenario also mentions that a fence has been put around the school. Why is the fence needed? One possibility is an increase in truanting. Students leaving the school suggests discontent or disinterest on their part. There could be many reasons for this, however discontent and disinterest implies that the school is disconnected from the needs of the students, and in this case it seems likely that it is related to a social and cultural divide (Zyngier, 2006). This point has shed some light for me on one of the nine provocations, "what will students want and need from me?". What they want and need will vary greatly, and be strongly influenced by many aspects of their community, their background and their values.
Teaching, and all that it encompasses including curriculum and classroom management can easily be bogged down in 'normalised practice' (Churchill, 2011). It is possible that in view of the changes in the community described in the scenario, and the history of Australian education in general, that the values, teaching practices and curriculum of the school have become less appropriate for the needs of its students in the past 20 years.
