“So will you be remembered as a deadly teacher, the one who said, ‘I reckon you can do this?’  Well you get to make that choice.  This is the power and the magic of our profession as teachers.”  In his 2012 Keynote address at a MATSITI conference, Dr Chris Sarra asked, “How will you be remembered as a teacher?”  Dr … Read More

Results from the 2020 Stronger Smarter Census suggest that if we are to enact transformational change for Indigenous students in our schools, everyone needs to be on board with a collective vision and mindset of ‘high expectations.’    Census respondents, our alumni from the Stronger Smarter Leadership Program (SSLP), view the Stronger Smarter Approach (SSA) as something to be implemented beyond … Read More

Everyone who works in the Early Years spaces knows the importance of supporting Jarjums (children) through the series of adjustments from one Early Years educational space to the next. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Jarjums, there is an additional layer of adjustments: the cultural and world views they bring from their home life can be very different to those … Read More

What does the Stronger Smarter Approach (SSA) look and feel like when it is enacted in a school?  In the SSA, we describe the three spheres of ‘personal’, ‘school’ and ‘community’.  When the SSA in enacted, we see these spheres coming together as a connecting space of innovation and creation. This cross-over or flow space between separate moving parts is … Read More

The Stronger Smarter Approach (SSA) is grounded in the belief that every educator can make a difference to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in their classrooms.  Our programs ask participants to find their own space where they can challenge the status quo and uncover their own role in a collective ‘responsibility for change’.   This is exactly what is … Read More

We aim to nurture a strong and positive sense of being Aboriginal in a contemporary society: Strong and smart.   DONATE The film In My Blood It Runs follows the life of ten-year-old Arrente/Garrwa boy Dujuan.  Dujuan is a child healer, a good hunter and speaks three languages.  He enjoys being at school.  But his strengths and knowledges are not recognised … Read More

The concept of High-Expectations Relationships, as developed by Dr Chris Sarra, is a key strategy that many Stronger Smarter Leadership Program alumni have taken back to their schools and used to ensure shared understandings of high expectations across their school community. We were pleased to see the concept included in the AITSL discussion paper on Indigenous cultural competency in the … Read More

Last year, Jesse King, our Digital Solutions Team Leader was asked to write on behalf of the Stronger Smarter Institute for the ABC. Jesse’s passion for education and desire to enact transformational change in the Australian educational system for Indigenous students is woven beautifully into his explanation of the challenges we face. In his article, King urges us to consider … Read More

In the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, the focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students is evident in only two of the standards:   1.4 – Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and  2.4 – Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. In the National School Improvement … Read More

While many relish the public holiday and various associated activities not everyone sees January 26th as a reason to celebrate (in fact the number of people choosing to celebrate it specifically are declining – if you trust media polls https://essentialvision.com.au/category/essentialreport)   Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people see the date as the beginning of the deliberate destruction of our people … Read More