www'decs'sa'gov'au

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ADDRESSING STUDENT DISENGAGEMENT
www.decs.sa.gov.au
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• Those who acquire additional schooling generally
  earn more over their lifetimes, achieve higher
  levels of employment, and enjoy more satisfying
  careers
• (Riddell, 2004, pp.15).

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• The decision to quit (school) is a gamble they
  will continue to pay for, for the rest of their
  lives, counting on the market to find them the
  place they could not find at school.
• Teese and Polesel, in Mission Australia, 2006

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• Young people who do not complete their SACE or
  equivalent are about six times as likely to
  experience poor transitions to work, compared to
  those who do complete school.
• (Strategic Policy Unit, 2007)

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• Seven years on, those who have left early are
  still only marginally attached to the workforce
  and 20 of early leavers have been in that
  position for most of the time since leaving
  school
• (HYPAC, 2008)

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In September 2009, there were 47,200 young
people (15 to 24 years) at risk in the labour
market in South Australia. This figure
represents 21.4 of 15 to 24 year olds compared
with 20.5 nationally.  (DFEEST, 2009,
Workforce information service,
http//www.workforceinfoservice.sa.gov.au/workforc
einfo/youthparticipationatrisk

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• Early school leaving and lower levels of
  education cost Australia an estimated 2.6
  billion a year in higher social welfare, health
  and crime prevention
• Education Foundation Australia(2007)

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When young people leave school early, this
results in

• lower employment rates
• increased welfare payments
• lower productivity
• a lower tax revenue for Australia.

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• We simply cannot afford to have even a small
  proportion of young people being left out of the
  opportunity to work, study, continually re-skill
  and contribute to our economy
• (MCEETYA, 2006, p.7)

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Those not completing school may experience

• 4 times poorer mental and physical health
• higher likelihood of child abuse and neglect as
  parents
• higher instances of homelessness, drug and
  alcohol abuse and criminal activity
• 9 times likely increase in mortality rates
• Education Foundation Australia (2007)

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• Poverty, low parental education and single
  parent family structure are not simply proxies
  for a single underlying disadvantage, but have
  additive effects on the life chances of
  children.
• (Bauman et al, in Vinson, 2007, p.8)

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• The Communities Making a Difference National
  Partnership will assist all schooling sectors by
  providing additional resources and strategies to
  better support young people at risk of
  disengaging or have already disengaged

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(adapted from Munns, G.,2004)
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• The more negative life events an adolescent has
  the more likely they are to engage in problem
  behaviours and the less likely they are to engage
  in a wide range of positive activities.
• Fuller, 2005, p.21

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DECS

• A student centred approach
• Mentoring and Youth Development
• Aboriginal Mentoring
• Innovative Community Action Networks

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Catholic Education

• Expand
• Case Management
• Monitoring reporting for at risk
• Indigenous Refugee student cohort support

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INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

• Strengthened partnerships with
• Parents
• Specialists
• Community facilities
• Targeted support for targeted cohorts including
  Indigenous students

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• The approach of youth development is to help
  youth become socially, morally, emotionally,
  physically, and cognitively competent. It
  concentrates on building strengths rather than
  working to diminish youths deficits or risks.
• McDonald (2002)

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Mentoring can

• reduce the likelihood of students skipping
  classes
• improve school attendance and performance
• improve students relationships with family and
  friends
• improve skills
• reduce the likelihood of teenage pregnancy
• decrease drug use/abuse
• increase a sense of self worth.

• improve retention rates at school
• improve / enhances career options
• reduce anti-social behaviour e.g. vandalism
• reduce behaviour management intervention the
  ensuing paperwork and follow up
• improve wellbeing and morale of students

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ICAN and a Flexible Learning Option enrolment
strategy

• Individual case management
• Individualised accredited learning
• Flexible delivery
• Tailored to young person
• School and community partnerships

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• the most important factor to connect young
  people to school that was discussed by students
  was that of relationships with teachers and with
  other students - the social environment and their
  friendships. A large part of this importance is
  related to the level of responsibility and mutual
  respect generated by these relationships.
• Commonwealth Department of Education, Training
  and Youth Affairs entitled Building
  relationships making education work

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