Socioeconomic Disadvantages

Socioeconomic disadvantage within the Australian schooling system is rife. Socioeconomic status (SES) is an economic and sociological combined total measure of an individuals’ access to material and social resources as well as their ability to participate in society. (ABS, 2006).

Centrifugal and centripetal government policies seek to make the system more equitable for all students. The practical impact of this schooling system on students disadvantaged by socioeconomic background can be seen in case studies high schools that use government policy to shape academic success as making future pathways for these students outside of schools.

Low SES acts as a filter for everything such students may do. The evidence is damning. The classroom favours

After all, Gonski speaks of the undeniable “economic waste” in having many poor performing schools. Resources are wasted on dropped out students, from disadvantaged backgrounds: Kenway (2013) testifies that “students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds are twice as likely to be low performers“(289). Thus, government funding is ‘wasted’ due to futures cut short by low SES and no motivation. In schools across Australia from 2002-2010, roughly 25% of students have dropped out by year 12‏. (Kenway, 2013, p 300). Part of government policy focuses on increasing ‘engagement’ in the school system. If the students believe that education is good for them and their life choices then they will work harder to be successful in school, and then in life after. By increasing ‘engagement’ in these cases, the policy thus increases these students’ chances of a better

Some examples are The Disadvantaged Schools Program (DSP), The Priority Schools Program, Gender Equity and Indigenous Education. Especially markers of the government’s view of inequality in relation to education are often measured by HSC (Year 12) retention: Rudd’s ‘Education Revolution’ (2008) - (Digital Education Revolution (DER), Building the Education Revolution (BER)); Bradley Review (Higher Education) 2008 (seeking an 20% increase in Higher Education enrolments by 2020); Measuring SES in HE students (DEEWR); Gonski (2011). More recently, the 2014 Government website indicates multiple attempts to improve SES through policy. There is the “targeted investment in schools: Low SES school communities and improving literacy and numeracy” initiative. Also, The National Partnerships for Low Socio-economic Status School Communities, Literacy and Numeracy and Improving Teacher Quality ran from 2009 to 2013. For higher education these initiatives assist with infrastructure, student support, increasing equity and improving quality in higher education. HESA (2003) funding includes: the Commonwealth Grant Scheme (CGS), which provides funding to higher education providers to help subsidise students’ tuition costs; the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) arrangements which provide income contingent loans to help students meet their study costs; &