The Council of Australian Governments names the following high-level outcomes as key to boosting Australia’s participation and productivity:
- all children are engaged in and benefiting from schooling;
- young people are meeting basic literacy and numeracy standards, and overall levels of literacy and numeracy achievement are improving;
- schooling promotes social inclusion and reduces the educational disadvantage of children, especially indigenous children;
- Australian students excel by international standards; and
- young people make a successful transition from school to work and further study.
The new National Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (Melbourne Declaration) reaffirms the importance of national collaboration and promoting high-quality schooling for all Australian students.
It has been developed in parallel with the COAG work.
Key strategies and initiatives across eight inter-related areas include:
- supporting quality teaching and school leadership (Improving Teacher Quality NP)
- strengthening accountability & transparency (ACARA- The National Curriculum Board will hand its work to ACARA, which will take on the responsibilities for national curriculum.)
- strengthening early childhood education (Early Childhood Reform NP)
- enhancing middle years development (Literacy & Numeracy NP)
- promoting world-class curriculum and assessment (National Curriculum, National Assessment Program)
- improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged youth (Low SES NP)
- developing stronger partnerships
- supporting senior years of schooling and youth transitions