Beyond boarding: An exploration of post-boarding school expectations, experiences and outcomes for remote Aboriginal students, their families and their communities

Benveniste, TC ORCiD: 0000-0002-7189-5118Education delivery and outcomes in remote Australia frequently feature in political, educational and research discourses. In particular, improving educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, who are largely achieving at lower levels than non-Indigenous, urban students, has been a priority for decades. Recently, boarding schools are being increasingly viewed as a ‘solution’ to the complexities and purported failure of remote education. However, the discourse supporting boarding school models has developed from a limited evidence base. Further, little space has been awarded in such discussions to the voices of those who work in, send their children to, and who access boarding. Therefore, this thesis explored the expectations, experiences and outcomes of boarding for remote Aboriginal students, their families and their communities. The research focus was developed collaboratively alongside boarding providers, community members and past boarding students from the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands, and employed a case study approach to a residential program in South Australia. The research was conducted from a Grounded Theory approach, with qualitative methods combining ethnography, narrative and semi-structured interviews. 55 interviews were conducted with families (11), past students (11), community members (9), and boarding staff (24) across six APY communities, Alice Springs, and Adelaide. Findings fall broadly into three meta-themes; (1) the residence, (2) family and communication, and (3) post-boarding life. While boarding staff were clearly able to articulate the goals for the program, Critical Race Theory provided a useful lens through which to highlight underlying tensions between race, rules and relationships. Strategies for communicating with families were also identified, however it was clear that despite useful technologies, families often relied on relationships with local remote schools to support their communication with the boarding program. Further, while many families made an active choice to send their children to board, for some, lack of alternative options or the knowledge and resources to access alternative options restricted their capacity to make informed choices. Many students were found to have left boarding prior to graduating from high school, making transitions post-boarding difficult and dependent on community, family and personal contexts. This thesis makes a significant contribution to a small but growing field, and is the first to holistically explore the implications of boarding for staff, families, remote communities, and for past boarding students. It explores novel applications of theory in the space, and links findings to implications for future research, policy and practice. Key recommendations include; (1) valuing and building unstructured time into residences to create informal learning opportunities and enhance relationships between staff and students, (2) bridging differences between community and residence life through introducing Anangu mentors and staff into the residence, (3) increased efforts for staff to physically visit communities for longer periods of time (for example through exchanges with remote community teachers or youth workers), (4) providing an external supports to help families to make informed choices about boarding and to navigate application processes, and (5) integrating community educators, family support and employment networks to support transitions beyond boarding

Race, rules and relationships: What can critical race theory offer contemporary aboriginal boarding schools?

Benveniste, TC ORCiD: 0000-0002-7189-5118; Dawson, D ORCiD: 0000-0001-7385-5630Boarding schools have been increasingly championed in strategies to move closer to educational equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. However, there is a significant lack of research and evidence on the implications of the boarding environment for Aboriginal students, families and communities. This paper presents a study of an Aboriginal residential program in South Australia. Semi-structured and narrative interviews with 55 participants (including residence staff, family, and past students) reveal the centrality of rules and relationships within this setting. Consideration of these themes from a Critical Race Theory perspective provides a sociocultural basis to analyse the implications of race, racism and power. In doing so, the underlying implications of the boarding model that should be acknowledged, explored and applied in this setting are identified. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. © 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Out of sight, out of mind? Bringing Indigenous parent-boarding school communication to light

Benveniste, TC ORCiD: 0000-0002-7189-5118; Dawson, D ORCiD: 0000-0001-7385-5630; Rainbird, SJ ORCiD: 0000-0003-2971-9222Despite numerous reviews, strategies and programs, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students still have lower academic achievement levels than non-Indigenous Australian students (as measured by NAPLAN). Educational research suggests that parental involvement in their children’s education significantly contributes to improved academic, social, personal and professional outcomes for students, parents, and educators alike. However, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from remote and very remote communities are educated at boarding schools or colleges in larger cities or regional areas, with a recent push to expand this. The limited ability for parental involvement for such students has largely been ignored, yet requires detailed consideration. The purpose of this paper is to highlight this need by defining and exploring the barriers to, and potential improvements for, parental involvement and the role of parent- school communication in educational outcomes. The paper is written as part of a PhD research project that considers the importance of cultural and educational contexts in parental involvement and communication, especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families

Parent perspectives on boarding: Insights from remote Aboriginal families

Benveniste, TC ORCiD: 0000-0002-7189-5118Increasingly, remote Aboriginal families are being encouraged to transition their children into boarding environments to complete secondary schooling. This comes largely from recent policy recommendations and implementation of a strategic plan to redistribute funding and resources away from secondary education provision in remote and very remote communities in the Northern Territory. Although some suggest that boarding environments are contributing to improved educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students across Australia, others have cautioned the need to address the complex considerations that families, boarders, and boarding environments encounter before, during and beyond boarding. With limited data currently available, analysed, or reported on, we propose that careful consideration and understanding of the frontline experiences of boarding providers, families, and past boarders will provide a more solid grounding for current and future policy decisions. This paper presents data from a broader doctoral research project examining each of these, however specifically aims to highlight the experiences of families of boarding students, and their integral role in the boarding process. Encouragingly, increasing awareness and care is being taken by boarding providers to understand parents’ experiences and to guide and support them if necessary. However, to date, limited research presents the perspectives of remote Aboriginal families. Employing a Grounded Theory approach, this project used qualitative semi-structured interviews conducted with 11 participants (parents, caregivers or family members of students in a residential program) from the remote South Australian Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands. Thematic analysis is currently being conducted on this data, however initial findings suggest three key insights. Firstly, the decision to board was not always the parents’ decision, often coming from the students themselves or as a suggestion by community teachers. Secondly, families often navigate between different boarding providers depending on the child, the situation, or their knowledge and trust in particular programs. Finally, support and guidance from parents and family were found to be integral to the outcomes of students who had returned home prematurely (i.e. prior to finishing schooling). This research provides valuable a valuable contribution to the field with stories from families who have and continue to engage with boarding providers. The implications of this research are useful not only to boarding providers but to education departments and policy makers alike as they consider how best to support and engage meaningfully with remote families and communities transitioning in and out of boarding

Boarding schools for remote secondary Aboriginal learners in the Northern Territory. Smooth transition or rough ride?

Benveniste, TC ORCiD: 0000-0002-7189-5118After the 2014 Northern Territory Wilson Review of Indigenous education, the NT Department of Education committed resources support secondary aged students to take up boarding options. The basis for this was firstly, low retention rates of students to Year 12, and secondly, difficulties associated with providing quality secondary education in remote communities. Beyond the Review, the Department’s policy had a small evidence base. It did not know how many young people were attending boarding schools, where, how long they were attending or what the impact of the strategy would be for students or communities. In response, the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation’s Remote Education Systems project commissioned the Australian Council for Educational Research to uncover the missing evidence. It became apparent that finding data to fill the gap would be a challenge. Nevertheless, the project revealed findings following interviews with community stakeholders, principals and heads of boarding schools. While the research project itself cannot fill all the gaps it can offer an independent critique of a strategy designed to increase boarding school participation. It also poses questions for further research in a field where transformative impact is assumed to be positive, but where evidence for transformation is limited

Can it be done? A process evaluation of the acceptability, feasibility and affordability of a school-based resilience intervention for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth

Benveniste, TC ORCiD: 0000-0002-7189-5118; Langham, EM ORCiD: 0000-0002-1824-5108; Mccalman, JR ORCiD: 0000-0002-3022-3980Internationally, schools have recognised the need for supporting and improving the resilience of students, particularly those facing a multiplicity of challenges. However, social and emotional learning programmes, including those aimed at enhancing resilience, are often not evaluated thoroughly nor detail process and economic evaluations. This paper evaluates a multi-component integrated intervention designed to strengthen the resilience of remote-living Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students attending boarding schools. This evaluation is largely process-based, focussing on the acceptability, feasibility, preliminary outcomes and affordability of implementation of the intervention. Fourteen boarding or teaching staff members, eight female and six who identified as Aboriginal, were interviewed. The interviews were conducted with staff members at eight Queensland boarding sites where the intervention was delivered. Qualitative inductive thematic analysis was used to evaluate feasibility and acceptability and outcomes described by staff. A descriptive analysis of the costs (AU$ 2018) was performed in Microsoft Excel 2013. This evaluation identified multiple major themes around feasibility and acceptability, including sharing experience across sites, staff knowledge, attitudes and behaviours, and perceived student achievement, leadership and relationships. Implementation of the resilience intervention was considered feasible and affordable, and embraced by boarding providers. School-based participatory action research interventions aimed at improving culturally appropriate support structures for Indigenous boarding students are achievable with the appropriate resourcing and time to implement and embed change

Integrating healthcare services for Indigenous Australian students at boarding schools: A mixed-methods sequential explanatory study

Benveniste, TC ORCiD: 0000-0002-7189-5118; Langham, EM ORCiD: 0000-0002-1824-5108; Mccalman, JR ORCiD: 0000-0002-3022-3980Introduction: Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian adolescents from remote communities attend boarding schools, and require healthcare to be integrated between home communities and schools. This study explored these students’ health status, healthcare service use and satisfaction. Methods: A two-phased mixed-methods explanatory design was implemented. 32 Indigenous primary and 188 secondary boarding school students were asked their health status, psychological distress, use of healthcare services in community and boarding school, and service satisfaction. Results were fed back to students, parents and community members, and education and healthcare staff to elicit further explanation and interpretation. Results: In the previous year, 75% of primary and 81% of secondary school students visited a doctor, and 12% visited a mental healthcare service. 94% of secondary students were satisfied with community services; 91% with school-based services. Four related themes were: 1) Over or under servicing 2) Continuity of healthcare; 3) “When behaviours are normalised, there’s no acknowledgement”; and 4) Identifying effective healthcare integration models. Discussion and conclusion: Despite high levels of service use and satisfaction, schools could play a greater role in facilitating access to school-based and coordination with community healthcare services. Further research is needed to identify students’ expectations and effective healthcare models

Working together to improve the mental health of indigenous children: A systematic review

Benveniste, TC ORCiD: 0000-0002-7189-5118; Langham, EM ORCiD: 0000-0002-1824-5108; Mccalman, JR ORCiD: 0000-0002-3022-3980© 2019 Objective: This review analyses the available literature that underpins intersectoral service integration processes and tools designed to improve mental healthcare for Indigenous children. Method: 10 databases and 12 grey literature sources were searched for publications in English and published between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2017 that evaluated or measured primary health care interventions that focussed on the intersectoral integration of services, service partnerships, or action across at least two sectors to improve children's mental health, and that included Indigenous children 4–17 years old in one of the five CANNZUS countries (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and/or the United States). The five sectors considered were PHC, specialist mental health, education, child protection, and juvenile justice. Study characteristics were extracted and reported aims, strategies, enablers, and outcomes were identified and analysed. Results: Eleven studies were included: five were Australian; four Canadian; one from the USA; and one from New Zealand. Nine key strategies for service integration were: intervention delivery through community workers and external workers, interdisciplinary delivery, staff and organizational capacity building, engaging community, empowering families, individual counselling, adaption of care to Indigenous sociocultural specificities, and strengthening culture and identity. Six enablers of implementation were: involvement of community, access and cost, collaborative multidisciplinary health services, strong relationships, cultural sensitivity, and organizational and staff capacity. Six outcomes were: health and human services collaboration, psychosocial functioning and stress management, health service & organizational empowerment, development and promotion of appropriate health policy and protocols, linkage of health services, and community and family empowerment. Discussion and conclusion: The evidence for intersectoral interventions addressing Indigenous child mental health is in the early stages of development, but suggests potential for improving health outcomes for Indigenous children, their families and communities, as well as the satisfaction and utilization of healthcare and community services. Further research surrounding cost evaluation, impact on the social determinants of health, extent of consumer engagement, and Indigenous voice is needed.Associated Grant Code:APP111339

Thinking with theory as a policy evaluation tool: The case of boarding schools for remote First Nations students

Benveniste, TC ORCiD: 0000-0002-7189-5118; Mccalman, JR ORCiD: 0000-0002-3022-3980Many recent policy documents have outlined the challenges of delivering high-quality education in remote First Nations communities and proposed that boarding schools are one important solution. These documents have influenced the increasing uptake of boarding options and there has been considerable public investment in scholarships, residential facilities and transition support. Yet the outcomes of this investment and policy effort are not well understood. The authors of this article came together as a collaboration of researchers who have published about boarding school education for First Nations students to examine the evidence and develop a theory-driven understanding of how policies drive systems to produce both desirable and undesirable outcomes for First Nations boarding school students. We applied complexity theory and post-structural policy analysis techniques and produced a useful tool for the evaluation of boarding policy and its implementation

Evidence check: Improving social and emotional wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Benveniste, TC ORCiD: 0000-0002-7189-5118; Doran, CM ORCiD: 0000-0002-9009-4906; Kinchin, I ORCiD: 0000-0003-0133-2763; Langham, EM ORCiD: 0000-0002-1824-5108; Mccalman, JR ORCiD: 0000-0002-3022-3980This literature review provides the most up-to-date evidence on policies, programs and services aimed at improving social and emotional wellbeing for Indigenous people. The peer-reviewed literature was searched for relevant documents published between January 2013 and September 2018. An accredited librarian working at a leading Australian university assisted in identifying the search strings for review of both peerreviewed and grey literature across seven countries: Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the US (CANZUS nations) and three Nordic countries – Finland, Norway and Sweden. Specific search strings were developed and applied to 12 electronic databases: MEDLINE/Ovid; Embase/Ovid; PsycINFO/Ovid; EBM Reviews – Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews/Ovid; CINAHL/EBSCO; Global Health/Ovid; ATSIHealth/Informit; AIATSIS: Indigenous Studies Bibliography/Informit; FAMILY-ATSIS/Informit; Indigenous Collection/Informit; Sociological Abstracts/ProQuest; and the Campbell Collaboration Library database