We know that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children will succeed in school when the classroom is a place where they can be proud of their culture, the standards are high, and the curriculum is relevant to their lives. This is the Strong and Smart classroom developed by Dr Chris Sarra at Cherbourg.
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The Stronger Smarter Institute works with educators from across the country as ‘partners in change’ to enact the Stronger Smarter Approach in their schools. We have seen strong regional learning communities grow as schools work together to drive high expectations, build authentic relationships with students, families, and local communities, and establish quality environments for learning.
Our mission is to create transformative change in Indigenous Educational outcomes. We want to see every child succeeding in a Stronger Smarter classroom. We do this by working in partnership with educators across the country.
We have a vision for Stronger Smarter communities across Australia, where all people are strong in culture, strong in identity and enjoy prosperous, safe and health lives.
We know the importance of local context and recognise that there is no one path to follow that will work in every school. We frame Stronger Smarter processes as ‘tools’ or ‘gifts’ that alumni can add to their ‘dilly bag’ and apply as needed in their social and cultural contexts.
We value environmental approaches that are grounded in country. We continue to ensure that our programs are grounded in strong local connections. We know that communities already have the tools to address complex challenges, and that sustainability comes from local solutions.
The Stronger Smarter Approach is a community empowerment model where the voices of parents and community are privileged in the decisions about what a ‘great education’ looks like and how to achieve quality outcomes for their children.
Our alumni are our ‘partners in change’. Feedback from our alumni about how the Stronger Smarter Approach supports their work provides us with a valuable data resource to continually refresh and build our programs and our thought leadership. Into the future, we seek to continue to expand our impact, both at the local level in schools and at the regional and national levels of policy influence.
The Stronger Smarter Institute is represented by the soaring wedge-tailed eagle. This honours the contributions made by the Cherbourg community on Wakka-Wakka country and symbolises pride and a strong sense of identity.
The eagle soars high towards a new horizon, creating transformative change in Indigenous education – where we move beyond hope to positive outcomes and great achievements for Indigenous children and our communities.
From the wisdom of our elders, “We are Eagles”, Yorta Yorta leader, Sir Doug Nicholls said in 1937.
