For the first time last year students across Victoria were asked a simple but complicated question, have you experienced racism?
Have you experienced it in the last term? In the last year? Do you know who to talk to if it happens to you?
The annual Student Attitudes to School Survey is completed by students in Years 4 to 12 and is designed to measure the experiences of students at school.
Lyndale Secondary College’s leadership in Melbourne’s south-east say the questions posed by the survey have always been at the forefront of their minds.
“As a school, we’ve always been conscious of the student makeup of our school, how diverse it is,” Lyndale Secondary College principal Pam Robinson told the ABC.
The survey found more than 80 per cent of students, excluding those in years 7 to 9, have reported not experiencing racism over the last two years.
Victoria’s Education Minister Ben Carroll said the results of the survey showed the perceptions students had about their experiences at school had improved significantly.
“The survey results are a testament to the commitment of school staff to implementing initiatives across mental health and wellbeing, positive and inclusive classroom management practices, and respectful relationships,” he said.
Outside of Victoria, the only other education department in the country that asked students about their experiences of racism in school settings is New South Wales.
Should this data be collected across the country?
Victoria University’s Associate Professor Mario Peucker said collecting data of this kind was important but needed to be done ethically and sensitively.
For Dr Peucker, who has done several studies on racism, the simple yes or no response to a question such as, ‘Have you experienced racism’ does not provide the full picture.
“It’s more a reflection of people’s willingness to speak about it, their knowledge of what racism even is, their awareness of it,” he said.
“So you measure a lot of things, it’s good to have numbers statistics because they’re good for advocacy and shining, sort of a light on the issue. But we shouldn’t mistake it as a sort of an objective reflection of what exactly happens on the ground.”
That’s because the breakdown of demographics within the survey was unknown.
Dr Peucker highlighted between 15 to 20 per cent of students who filled in the survey have experienced racism.
“I think that it would be really important to put that against the overall demographics of the students across the schools,” he said.
Dr Peucker has pointed to studies that have shown the high prevalence of racism experienced by both First Nations and culturally diverse communities.
In July as part of its review of government anti-racism programs and policies , the Australian Human Rights Commission said it wanted to see more done to address racism at schools.
“Racism really affects educational outcomes and performance and sense of safety,” he said.
“So I think it’s important for teachers to understand what’s going on in their classrooms, and for principals to know what’s going on in their school community.”
He said schools had a duty of care to provide a safe learning environment and minimise risk to students.
“[There’s an] obligation to understand what racism is, what kind of role racism plays within the school community. It’s not some optional thing,” Dr Peucker said.
University of Melbourne’s Jessa Rogers is a Wiradjuri researcher and educator with more than a decade of experience in both school and tertiary education.
She said it has never been more important to end exclusionary practices within schools and to implement robust anti-racism strategies.
“Schools must adopt a zero-tolerance approach to racism, with accessible reporting systems for those affected, ensuring that no student, staff member, or parent is left without support,” she said.
“This requires strong and supportive relationships with Indigenous families and communities, the building of trust over time, but most importantly, equal and respectful partnerships that exist well before things ‘go wrong.'”
Wiradjuri woman Dr Jessa Rogers said anti-racism strategies should be embedded within all Australian schools. (ABC News: Scott Jewell)
She highlighted the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC), which found racism was one of the major contributors to negative school experiences, as well as teachers’ low expectations and high staff turnover.
That’s why Dr Rogers believes students in all states and territories, urban, regional, rural or remote, should have the opportunity to share their experiences of racism.
“Anti-racism strategies should already be embedded within all Australian schools, toward dismantling the pervasive effects of racism on not only Indigenous but all learners,” she said.
What Lyndale did after the survey
Back in Melbourne’s south-east, after the students at Lyndale Secondary College completed their surveys, teachers at the school organised students into groups to get more detailed feedback about their experiences in the classroom.
The students then led focus groups in their homeroom classes and later presented their feedback to the school’s leadership and staff.
Lyndale Secondary College principal Pam Robinson said their school values of respect, resilience and responsibility were integral in how they approached their students. (Supplied)
Principal Pam Robinson said this was an example of their school values in practice, which include respect, resilience and responsibility.
“We believe that to be the foundation for personal growth and achievement, and it makes no difference whether it’s in the classroom,” she said.
“But it also can relate that to the way we behave towards each other, how they interact with their peers, but also how they interact with their teachers.
“Our students have a right to quality teaching and learning, and that can only take place if we have a safe, focused and predictable learning environment.”
Minister for Education Jason Clare said the government was investing in programs and resources to help teachers target “disruptive” behaviour in the classroom.
“Racism and bullying are unacceptable,” he said
“As of this year, mobile phones have been banned in schools and we are seeing the difference.
“But once school ends, phone screens suck children back into the cesspit of social media and acts like poison for their physical and mental health.
“We have got a real life example of the good things happening with mobile phone bans in schools, imagine what we could do outside of school.”
Jason Clare said the federal government’s ban on mobile phones had already made a difference. (ABC News: Mark Moore)
Mr Clare said the government’s decision to introduce legislation establishing a minimum age for social media access would be helpful for school students.
“We will listen to the experts and work with states and territories to get this right,” he said.
“This will be a help for parents and support happier and healthier children.”
