The release of a new report by the Mitchell Institute highlights the importance of achievement in mathematics as a predictor of which students are likely to successfully complete their secondary schooling to the end of Year 12.
Mathematics education is a fundamentally important linchpin to ensuring young Australians can meet critical educational benchmarks, and so make successful transitions into adulthood and the world of work. Overall, Australian students (measured at Year Four level) are underperforming their OECD peers by 2.4% in mathematics.
Of particular concern is data demonstrating that Year Four students in provincial locations in Australia remain 3 per cent below their metropolitan counterparts in regards to achievement in mathematics, while the comparison figure for students in remote schools is a glaring 12 per cent.
In addition, against criterion such as interest, confidence, anxiety and self-efficacy in mathematics learning, remote and Indigenous students in Australia consistently fall well below their metropolitan and even provincial counterparts.
‘Educational Opportunity in Australia’ has collated and reported on a wide range of data pertaining to educational access and achievement across a range of social, geographic and economic groupings.
The overall conclusions of the report present some deep concerns for parents, educators and policy makers regarding the extent to which Australia’s educational systems provide access for all young Australians to learning that enables them to meet basic, essential educational benchmarks.
The full report can be accessed here on the Mitchell Institute’s website.
