RECONCILIATION IN EDUCATION: GUIDE FOR FIRST NATIONS STAFF AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS

Reconciliation is a broad term that can mean many different things to many people. The term ‘reconciliation’ can be contentious in the community with some saying that it implies an initial period of 'conciliation'. However, reconciliation is an ongoing journey and at its heart, is about strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples for the benefit of all Australians. The work of reconciliation should be informed by First Nations peoples but carried out by non-Indigenous people. Reconciliation Australia defines and measures reconciliation through five interrelated dimensions:

• Historical Acceptance, which acknowledges the true histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, 
• Race Relations, which focuses on taking action against racism and building positive relationships based on mutual trust and respect between First Nations and non-Indigenous Australians, 
• Equality and Equity, which works to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have opportunities to participate equally in various learning and life experiences, while making sure the unique rights of First Nations peoples are recognised and upheld,
• Institutional Integrity, which emphasises the importance of supporting reconciliation at the whole-of-organisation level, and through systemic and policy change, 
• Unity, which involves fostering a sense of nationwide pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and heritages. 

In this way, reconciliation is not just an abstract concept but a measurable and actionable commitment. By addressing these five dimensions, educators and communities can create substantive change towards a more just, equitable and reconciled society. 

As well as strengthening Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students' learning experiences, a focus on reconciliation in education emphasises the importance of engaging all students, staff, and community members with learning about the significance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions, and taking action to drive progress towards reconciliation across its five dimensions.
 

Reconciliation Australia was established in 2001 and is the lead body for reconciliation in the nation. It is a non-government and not-for-profit organisation with a purpose to inspire and enable all Australians to contribute to reconciliation in the nation, with a vision for a just, equitable and reconciled Australia.

Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education program provides tools and resources to support schools and early learning services to contribute to the reconciliation movement.

Narragunnawali (pronounced narra-gunna-wally) is a word from the language of the Ngunnawal people, Traditional Owners of the land on which Reconciliation Australia’s Canberra office is located, meaning alive, wellbeing, coming together and peace. It reminds us that, to foster a strong sense of well-being, coming together and peace between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the wider Australian community, reconciliation needs to be an active, living process. We pay our respects and thank the United Ngunnawal Elders Council for giving us permission to use the word narragunnawali. 

The Narragunnawali online platform is free to access and provides practical ways to introduce meaningful reconciliation initiatives in the classroom, around the school and with the community. Through the Narragunnawali platform, schools and services can develop a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), and a suite of professional learning and curriculum resources are available to support the implementation of reconciliation initiatives.

You can learn more about Narragunnawali here and by watching this video:

A Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is a formal statement of commitment to reconciliation. Based around the core pillars of relationships, respect and opportunities, RAPs support institutions to sustainably and strategically take meaningful action to advance reconciliation.

Since 2006, thousands of corporate, government and not-for-profit organisations have become part of Reconciliation Australia’s RAP network, developing Reflect, Innovate, Stretch or Elevate RAP types. In 2015, Reconciliation Australia launched a RAP process designed specifically for schools and early learning services. 

Learn more about the Narragunnawali RAP process for schools and services:

By developing a RAP, schools and early learning services can commit to a practical plan of action for reconciliation. A RAP should not be one person’s responsibility, nor should it be the responsibility of only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff or parents at a school or early learning service. A RAP should become part of everyday business. It is, however, important that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members are involved in the development, implementation and ongoing progress of RAPs. As well as contributing to reconciliation activities, community members can provide important advice and ideas on how local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives may be respectfully incorporated at all levels and hold schools accountable to their RAP commitments.

Here are some suggestions, if you would like to get involved with reconciliation in education activities in your local community:

FIND OUT WHICH SCHOOLS AND SERVICES IN YOUR AREA HAVE A RAP

Engage with the Who has a RAP? map to explore schools/services in your area that have a published RAP, or those that are in progress. Use the map to connect with schools and services, view their RAP commitments, and consider opportunities for building collaborative relationships with these schools/services and wider reconciliation networks. 

If a school or service you have connections with doesn’t have a RAP, approach them to start the journey. 

SEE THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHOOLS/SERVICES DEVELOPING RAPS

Learn about the 40 RAP Actions schools and services can choose to commit to on their reconciliation journey. 14 of these are required actions. 

SUPPORT SCHOOLS’ AND EARLY LEARNING SERVICES’ RECONCILIATION ACTION PLANNING JOURNEYS

While reconciliation is just as much (if not more so!) the responsibility of non-Indigenous Australians, local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members can powerfully contribute to school and services’ reconciliation journeys by helping to ensure that these journeys are meaningful, appropriately contextualised, and as culturally safe and responsive as possible. 

Learn more about the Cultural Responsiveness for Staff RAP Action in this video:

Relationships between schools and services and local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities should be founded on a commitment to building respectful and ongoing relationships, rather than taking a short-term approach. 

Effective, two-way communication and collaboration should be key, and the approach should not be demanding of time and knowledge. Genuinely listening to and investing time into building relationships with communities will help support strong and lasting partnerships. Throughout Narragunnawali’s resources and ideas for action, schools are reminded that it is most respectful to establish a relationship before asking community members to contribute to activities in their school or early learning service. Schools are also reminded that they should remunerate people to cover their time, travel, fees and their expertise. 

Explore opportunities to be represented on a school/service’s RAP Working Group and broader committees to support good governance and practice relating to reconciliation in your local community.

ADVOCATE FOR PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO RECONCILIATION TO BE ACTIVELY UPHELD

Equip yourself with the professional/quality standards and curriculum requirements relating to respectfully embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures in the classroom and wider school/service environment and hold schools and services in your local community accountable to these. (See the ‘Professional Requirements and Quality Standards’ section below for more information). 

SUBMIT A NARRAGUNNAWALI AWARDS NOMINATION

Do you know of a school/service that demonstrates outstanding commitment to reconciliation? Consider nominating them for a Narragunnawali Award (one of the eligibility criteria is for Award applicants to demonstrate evidence that they have been endorsed by their local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Community). 

Feel free to share resources found within this guide and more extensive First Nations Community Toolkit with schools/services. You can always contact the Narragunnawali team for further suggestions, or to share feedback on how the program can continue to strengthen into the future.
 

HISTORICAL CONTEXT 

First Nations children have been learning and thriving using Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teaching and learning, before and after European settlement. 

Historically, formal education in Australia has served as a tool for colonisation and often excluded First Nations peoples, voices, and perspectives. This has led to a lack of understanding and acceptance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and contributions, and of the true histories of Australia So too has it contributed to deepening inequalities an inequities and hindered relationship-building, across generations. 

However, in recent decades, crucial shifts within the education system are working towards improving education opportunities and outcomes for First Nations children and students, and all members of educational communities. The commitment to including First Nations’ perspectives and fostering an understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures in Australian curricula represents an essential step in the reconciliation processes in Australian education. Such transformative shifts have been made possible through the dedicated and continued advocacy and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators and First Nations Education Consultative Bodies across the continent. 

Pages 11-12 of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership’s Indigenous cultural competency in the Australian teaching workforce discussion paper, provides a snapshot of the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education, articulating how “the past informs the present and knowing what has happened in the past can evoke the desire for change in the future.”

POSITIVE IMPACT OF RECONCILIATION IN EDUCATION 

Positive shifts in education policies and practices have important potential to address historical injustices and drive a stronger future of reconciliation both in and through education. 

According to The Importance of Reconciliation in Education literature review (2019), there are many diverse positive effects of reconciliation, including greater social interaction, reduced stress, improved productivity, and more positive views about society. Programs focused on reconciliation in education, such as Narragunnawali, can support such positive effects. 

The external Evaluation of Narragunnawali found those engaged with Narragunnawali feel that it has “increased [their] confidence in addressing reconciliation and driving meaningful change within their schools and early learning services. Engaging with Narragunnawali provides a formalised means of delivering students, staff and families with regular opportunities to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. Engagement with Narragunnawali also encouraged the forging of new relationships between schools and services, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities”.

While recognising that reconciliation in education is everyone’s business, and for everyone’s benefit, through-time evidence also helps to highlight the particular positive impacts of Reconciliation Action Planning on the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth. Findings from the Longitudinal Survey of Indigenous Children (LSIC), indicate that students who attend schools that their parents know have a RAP:

• Reduced likelihood of being reported as not wanting to go to school
• Increased likelihood of being reported to think that their school understands their needs and is good for them.

While there is still much to be done to continue to strengthen reconciliation in education and across Australia, these findings point to the important impacts that can be fostered within and across generations, where a focus on reconciliation is prioritised. 

Learn more:
Narragunnawali – Evaluation and Impact
The State of Reconciliation in Australia (2016 and 2021 reports)
Australian Reconciliation Barometer (2022 report)
The Importance of Reconciliation in Education literature review
Reconciliation in education: What we know and where we need to go Collaborate article

All Australian teachers and educators who work with young children in early years to primary and secondary students have professional requirements they must include in their roles. To learn more about the role of teachers and educators in reconciliation in schools/services visit the Reconciliation Teacher Toolkit.  

You can hold schools and services accountable to these:

•    Mparntwe Education Declaration 
•    National Quality Standard (NQS) 
•    Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) 
•    My Time, Our Place Framework
•    Australian Professional Standards for Teachers with support from the Indigenous cultural responsiveness Toolkit and Report
•    Australian Curriculum’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priority

The standards and frameworks align with national and international policies and agreements, such as the Closing the Gap targets relating to education and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

The Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education supports all people who work in education to engage with reconciliation in schools and services across Australia. 

Positive shifts in education policies, professional standards and curriculum frameworks referenced above would not have occurred without the significant advocacy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators and Indigenous Education Consultative Bodies who have been advocating and contributing to education reform in Australia over many decades.