Evidence-based approaches to school improvement: The Kimberley Schools Project

Despite a great deal of goodwill, effort and funding, student achievement in the Kimberley region of Western Australia has shown little improvement in the last decade. Governments have intervened in a range of ways: tying funding to evidence that schools are closing the gap; improving conditions for teachers and principals working with remote communities; funding a bewildering range of attendance and engagement strategies; and supporting cultural relevance though a range of short-term skill and enrichment programs. This paper describes the Kimberley Schools Project, which is an alternative approach funded by the Western Australian Government through the Royalties for Regions program. It is a ‘low variation’ approach that asks volunteer schools to sign on to four common strands of activity: targeted teaching; early years learning and care; attendance and engagement; and connecting community, school and learning. The Project offers coaching and support to teachers and school principals in implementing these four strands. It’s too soon to tell whether this program will succeed where others have failed, but this paper documents the evidence behind the approach that has been taken and share some early insights about implementation.