2009 Structural Review of the Northern Territory Department of Education and Training : delivering the goods
Ladwig and Sarra
Ladwig, James; Sarra, Chris
E-Publications; E-Books; PublicationNT
2009-03-25
Cover title. Report includes Northern Territory Government Media Release -" Education Restructure – Next Building Block for Excellence" by Paul Henderson.
English
Northern Territory -- Education
Northern Territory Government
Darwin
66 p. : col. ill. ; 30 cm.
application/pdf
Attribution International 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
Northern Territory Government
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/216675
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/709129
25 March 2009 7 Executive Summary The Northern Territory Department of Education and Training has made significant advances in developing a modern system of early childhood centres, school-based early childhood programs, schools and training systems. It is to the Northern Territorys credit that it has developed and attracted a critical mass of individuals who are committed to, and capable of, operating and maintaining a properly functioning, ethical and professional government department of education and training. At the same time, partly due to the contextual challenges posed by its history and geographical location, and partly due to its own departmental history and operations, the Northern Territory faces significant well known educational challenges. That is, where past educational challenges facing the Northern Territory necessarily focused on basic construction of educational infrastructure and provision of personnel, the Territory is now in a position to raise its own systemic expectations and focus more on the quality of its performance as a system, with a more concerted and strategic focus on increasing the educational performance of its students. In late 2008, the Northern Territory government called for a structural review of its Department of Education and Training. The terms of reference for that review declared its overall objective as being, To refocus the Northern Territory Department of Education and Training (DET) to more efficiently deliver the Governments commitments to improved school attendance and levels of literacy and numeracy and meet future challenges in education. The overall aims of the DET were enumerated, in those terms of reference for this review as: The Department of Education and Training (DET) aims to continually improve education outcomes for all students, with a focus on Indigenous students. Specific objectives in the terms of reference for the review asked that it: 1. Assess the effectiveness of the Group School and Cluster organisational models for Northern Territory schools. 2. Evaluate the effectiveness of the structure, reporting arrangements and support mechanisms provided to schools by DET in providing efficient and effective service delivery at schools. 3. Consider the adequacy of teaching and learning programs being delivered in urban and regional, remote and very remote schools and learning centres. 4. Comment on the appropriateness of performance targets and measurement tools and the adequacy of data capture systems and information management capability. 5. Examine the effect of a range of Australian Government funded programs delivered in urban, regional and remote Northern Territory schools and the likely future needs to support the Australian Governments education revolution.. 6. Make recommendations about the most appropriate supporting mechanisms, management systems and delivery models to ensure effective services outcomes, and