Putting critical race theory to work in Australian education research: 'we are with the garden hose here'

Abstract

There is a rekindled concern for the achievements of Indigenous learners in schooling in Australia. In part, this focus returned to view within mainstream discourses linked with growing neo-liberal influences and efforts to make education more countable and accountable. The emphasis on ‘Indigenous education’ is given shape and substance by a collection of policy, assessment, curriculum and pedagogic ‘closing the gap’ initiatives. Teachers are on the front-line putting into action practices that may realise these policy aspirations, raising questions for me about how teachers come to know and make sense of this suite of initiatives. In this article I draw on interview data with teachers from a suburban high school as they explain their understanding of the ‘closing the gap’ policy framework. The article is organised into two sections, firstly I introduce Critical Race Theory in education and I put to work some of its ideas to examine the ‘gap’ policy climate. Secondly, I present a ‘creative analytic account’ of the teacher perspectives, prior to mapping out the contours and links between their sense making strategies with broader structural and socio-political frameworks that the initiatives are located within. In doing so, I hope to demonstrate the potential usefulness of Critical Race Theory with developing a better understanding of how to work towards racial justice in education.