Our Impact
“We didn’t go to Cherbourg and give the children a sense of being ‘Strong and Smart’… That was inside them already…. That sense of being strong and smart resides in every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child”. Dr Chris Sarra
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Transforming the Vision
Since launching in 2006, the Stronger Smarter Leadership Program has been in constant demand as a unique, transformational, and highly regarded professional development in Indigenous education. This success comes from a focus on transformational leadership and using Indigenous Knowledges to create a place of safety where educators can engage in a deep self-reflection to unpack any underlying assumptions or deficit thinking.
Alumni report a greater sense of personal efficacy and being more open to other perspectives leading to greater staff empowerment, sharing ideas, and collaborative decision making. The results are a shared language of high expectations with everyone ‘pulling in the same direction’ of delivering on ‘Strong and Smart’.
A growing footprint
The Institute’s footprint continues to grow. We have already reached 47% of schools in our target group (schools with lower than average ICSEA value and high number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students).
We have reached over 12% of all Australian schools.
Program alumni are situated in schools across the country in contexts from the very remote to metropolitan and across all jurisdictions, State, Independent and Catholic
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.
6,019
Alumni
366
Programs
1,279
Schools
Rewriting the Narrative
Every SSLP participant returns to their school to undertake a ‘Workplace Challenge’ specific to their localised community context. Alumni tell us that the changes they are making to their teaching practice to enact the Stronger Smarter Approach are making them better teachers. Much of this is about building stronger relationships with students, where there is a greater bond of trust and greater student voice.
Creating this Strong and Smart learning environment is a rewriting of the narrative of the school to a shared vision of high expectations, where all students feel connected to their teachers, connected to the learning, and believe in their own ability to achieve.
