Longitudinal study of student retention and success in high school (Follow the Dream project)
Follow the Dream is an aspirational program designed to help Aboriginal students to reach their career potential by graduating from high school and achieving university entrance. The program is currently being delivered to more than 600 students in 10 metropolitan and 15 regional centres in Western Australia.
It is not an alternative to school, nor is it a school-based retention and participation program. Participants attend school as normal. The program is complementary to existing educational activities for Aboriginal students.
The Centre for Indigenous Australian Knowledges is conducting a major longitudinal study of the program which aims to:
- study the implementation of a program to support Indigenous students continuing from Year 8 to Year 12 in Western Australian secondary schools;
- examine the contribution of strategies in the program that are intended to improve Indigenous student success;
- produce a policy and program framework to better address interventions to improve school success for Indigenous students; and
- develop theoretical constructs that explains the relationships among the factors contributing to Indigenous student success at school.
Professor Gary Partington
Dr Ann Galloway