Interrogating Indigenous student literacy programs

There is a perennial focus in the media and politics on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander literacy outcomes, often linked to national testing results such as NAPLAN. This chapter explores the kinds of literacy skills that are valued and tested in large-scale literacy programs, through technology-based intervention, bilingual curriculum, community partnerships, and specific classroom skills-based literacy approaches. When considering decades of literacy research, there are significant gaps in the literacy skills tested; the dominant focus is on mechanical aspects of language, with very few programs testing critical literacies and developing multiliteracies or creativity skills. This chapter explores voices on sustainable and effective approaches to literacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, voices which are largely ignored in the literacy programs funded by the government.