The four cornerstones of the Stronger Smarter Approach show educators how to take a different approach to Indigenous education. Our research has shown that they are vital to improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
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The Stronger Smarter Approach is built on four cornerstones that provide practical principles and strategies to support transformational change in schools.
Our research has shown that these four cornerstones are vital to improving outcomes for First Nations students. Together, the cornerstones provide the strategies to challenge deficit thinking, honour cultural identity and build High-Expectations Relationships across school communities. The cornerstones are practical, actionable principles and strategies that support educations to lead change from a strength-based position.
Transformational change begins with personal responsibility. Transformation is a journey, both for the school and for personal leadership. It requires creativity and innovation and planning to change the future rather than maintaining the present.
The Stronger Smarter Approach not only asks leaders to set high standards and expectations for students, but to recognise their own role in providing the environment for students to succeed. It is about leadership at every level – teachers, principals, support staff – taking ownership of the change process. By embracing this cornerstone, educators become agents of change who challenge the status quo.
The Stronger Smarter Approach honours the humanity of others, and in so doing, acknowledges the strengths and capacity of others.
Taking a strength-based approach requires deep listening to see and value the strengths in local communities. This creates shifts in thinking, where we work ‘with’ our communities in a true collaborative partnership. The result is in an organisational culture where everyone has buy-in, and all voices are heard.
Strong and Smart is a belief that all students can be strong in their identity and smart in the classroom. This belief challenges low expectations and deficit narratives, replacing them with a strengths-based view of students and communities.
Dr Chris Sarra introduced this vision for Cherbourg State School in 1999, where he described ‘Strong’ as meaning ‘proud to be Aboriginal, proud to be from Cherbourg and holding our ground without letting anyone put us down’. ‘Smart’ meant ‘being smart enough to survive in any other school in Queensland; having the academic capacity to operate in any other classroom in Queensland; and to achieve academic outcomes that are comparable to any other child from any other school in Queensland’. (Sarra, C. 2003. Review of Strong and Smart Vision at Cherbourg State School).
The difference between a competent teacher and a quality teacher is relationships. If transformative change is to be built on collaborative co-design of local strategies, it has to begin with strong, supportive relationships between colleagues, with students, and with families and communities.
High-Expectations Relationships underpin the three Stronger Smarter Spheres and provide strategies to build challenging and supportive two-way relationships leading to collegiate work environments and collaborative partnerships.
