Submission to South Australia’s Consultation on the Purpose of Public Education

SVA’s submission to this consultation draws on our 20-year experience in improving outcomes for students experiencing disadvantage.

This document provides input to the South Australian Government’s consultation on the purpose of public education in the state. Drawing on two SVA initiatives, The Connection and Evidence for Learning (E4L), responses are provided to six questions put forth by the South Australian Government.

• SVA’s increasing focus on the early years, including an outline of the Restacking the Odds initiative, informs the view that an excellent and equitable approach to education requires home, community and formal education environments all support the learning needs of different cohorts of students.
• The understanding that achieving great education outcomes necessarily relies on the involvement of the broader community and third parties, including Not for Profit and Private partnerships, is explored in response to question 6. Several examples of these partnerships drawn for The Connection’s work in South Australia includes example of these partnerships, with SAMSUNG, Oracle (a leading STEM organisation), The Smith Family, and other private and not for profit organisations.
• In response to question 9 around Australian and global evidence bases, the submission references the United Nations Transforming Education summit held in 2022. Two papers considered there argued that new frames and systems of educational leadership are needed to navigate unprecedented global challenges. Case studies of The Connection’s work in Australia were highlighted in these papers.