Statistics showing Indigenous school students in a negative light are regularly reported in the Australian media and policy debates. We often hear how Indigenous students “trail” their non-Indigenous peers in NAPLAN results and how there are persistent “gaps” when it comes to finishing high school.
These messages unfortunately reflect a common bias against Indigenous Australians in the community. These stereotypes – such as “Indigenous people aren’t interested in education” – often seep into schools, creating obstacles for Indigenous students.
Until now we have not had a lot of quantitative evidence on Indigenous students’ actual attitudes towards education.
