The importance of the home-school relationship supporting children in their early learning is well known.  However, as Hare (2011, p 390) noted “when children’s language and literacy experiences within their families and communities are different from the literacy expectations and practices of formal school, children do not do well”.

Educational outcomes of Indigenous children, particularly in remote areas of Australia, are known to be markedly lower that their non-Indigenous counterparts (ACARA, 2013; Australian Government, 2009).  One recent response to address this deficit has been the widespread introduction of the approach known as Direct Instruction (DI), with a full emersion approach being introduced through schools operating under the Cape York Academy (i.e. Aurukun, Coen and Hope Vale) and some application of this approach also in other schools in far north Queensland.  This introduction was recently extended with an additional $22 million funding from the Commonwealth Government (Louden, 2014).

There have been varied responses to the introduction of DI.  McCollow (2012) discussed issues in the implementation of this controversial approach, focusing on sustainability of the approach and also its performance against alternative approaches that the additional resources could have applied.  At this point no definitive conclusion on the strategy has been made, with ACER (2013) concluding from its evaluation that while there were numerous positive views reported from the school communities, positive outcomes, particularly in relating to student learning, have been difficult to quantify. 

The value of DI as a teaching strategy has been strongly advocated by John Hattie (for example in Hattie, 2009).  However, as indicated by Luke (2014) there is continued debate on the application and impact of DI.  As Luke notes, “there are over three decades of claims, counter claims, and debates amongst empirical researchers about the conventionally-measured educational outcomes and effects of DI” (p.2).  Luke raises a number of issues, including the deficit model implicit in the behaviourist approach of DI, the potential deskilling of teachers from reducing the need for their professional judgment and also the possible lack of cultural alignment in the DI approach when applied for Indigenous children.

Luke takes a necessary but not sufficient approach to DI, recognising the need not just for skills but also the importance of values, beliefs, histories and cultures, concluding that “ in my opinion, while explicit instruction in its various forms is a necessary part of an effective school-level response – direct instruction is not and by definition cannot be seen as a universal or total curriculum solution“ (p. 4).

One of the key issues in children’s learning will remain the parent’s engagement with the school and the associated home-school relationship.  Attendance, generally low in remote Indigenous schools (Klieve & Fluckiger, 2015), is recognized as a key issue in learning. And parent’s support and their engagement is essential to increased attendance levels and thus effective learning. 

The focus of this paper is on the perceptions of parents on the experiences of their children as they enter school - and where, for many, also enter classes operating under a DI approach. Given the very different style of DI it is interesting to consider the parents perceptions of how their child adapts to school. For example, are they able to provide strong home support for their child?  And has the relationship between home and school during this implementation process evolved in response to child and parent needs? A better understanding of how these relationships are operating and how parents have managed to support their children through early school will provide a capacity to develop information and strategies that may be provided to other parents as they move into this transition period.

Australian Council for Educational Research (2013). Evaluation of the Cape York Aboriginal Academy Initiative, for Department of Education, Training and Employment, Queensland. ACER. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (2013). NAPLAN Achievement in Reading, Persuasive Writing, Language Conventions and Numeracy: National Report for 2013, ACARA, Sydney. Australian Government, (2009). Closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage: The challenge for Australia. Canberra: Author. Klieve, H & Flückiger, B. (2015). Towards an evidence base: Exploring the impact of community-based literacy programs in remote Indigenous communities. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 40 (2). Louden, W. (2014). Direct Instruction and the teaching of reading. The Conversation. July 18, 2014. Luke, A. (2013). Back to the future. The Australian Educator, Summer (80), pp. 14-15. McCollow, J. (2012). A Controversial Reform in Indigenous Education: The Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education / Volume 41 (2): pp 97 – 109.