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Benefits of turnaround programs for disadvantaged youth: Reframing accountabilities

conference contribution
posted on 2023-05-24, 19:57 authored by Kitty te RieleKitty te Riele, Hendry, N, Comber, B, Sefton-Green, J, Price, D, Rebecca ShelleyRebecca Shelley
Hundreds of programs around Australia support young people to participate in formal and nonformal learning in order to disrupt cycles of disadvantage. They include accredited alternative schools as well as out-of-school programs which, often, are organised around a shared interest such as creative arts or sport. They are diverse in terms of size, curriculum and governance. What they have in common is a central objective to help young people to ‘turn around’ their lives, away from poverty and marginalisation, through meaningful, ‘non-school’ learning experiences. These programs operate within a policy landscape that emphasises accountability and evidence-informed practice especially in relation to educational reforms aimed at improving equity. Many programs themselves are committed to ensuring and demonstrating their benefits. This presentation explores tensions between 54 the nature of these programs and the accountability agenda. Drawing on policy, scholarly literature and program case studies, we elaborate and illustrate two key concerns. First, the widespread focus on performance indicators omits critical dimensions of benefits both for young people and society. For turnaround programs, funding commonly is tied to achieving immediate, instrumental outcomes, such as academic test scores and transition into further study or work. Such indicators are indeed valuable, but on their own are too narrow: lacking alignment with the experiences of marginalised students, with social purposes of schooling, and with longer term sustainable outcomes. The second concern is that evidence-based policy too often treats programs as though they exist in isolation, as if in a laboratory situation. In contrast, there is widespread agreement among scholars and practitioners of the importance of context, which therefore should form part of the evidence to inform policy. We wrap up with implications for reframing accountabilities in practice, policy and research.

History

Publication title

Journal of Youth Studies Conference

Editors

S Banet-Weiser and R Brooks

Pagination

53-54

Department/School

Peter Underwood Centre

Event title

Journal of Youth Studies Conference

Event Venue

University of Newcastle

Date of Event (Start Date)

2019-12-02

Date of Event (End Date)

2019-12-04

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Social class and inequalities

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