Confronting educational disadvantage by improving Tasmanian adolescents’ participation in education

In this chapter we begin by discussing three dominant social and economic research themes concerning post compulsory education participation in Australia. We then discuss the unique challenges facing Tasmania in confronting post Year 10 educational disadvantage and creating a seamless Year 10 to Year 11 transition for all students. The study focuses on and identifies three key areas where policy makers, educational leaders and educators have influence. We propose that adjustments made in these areas hold immediate potential to impact positively on the post compulsory participation of disadvantaged students in Tasmania. The proposed adjustments are (1) re-positioning Year 10 completion customs; (2) elevating the importance of Year 9 and 10 teacher-student transactions that support transition; (3) adopting a student-centred approach to delivery in colleges by granting Year 11 student’s entry into their 1st choice courses and subjects accompanied by appropriate resourcing. Achieving the third change will require intra-government cooperation to support the potential increased demand for Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Years 11 and 12. We acknowledge that many other factors such as family, community and culture are also very influential in relation to young people’s choices about education participation beyond Year 10. These, however, are not within the scope this chapter. Nevertheless, to make sense of the strategies it is necessary to introduce aspects of identity and sociocultural theory and their role in young people’s decisions around transition.