Supporting the Implementation of Digital Technologies in Disadvantaged Schools: Case study of impact, outcomes and sustainability

As in other nations, in Australia, socioeconomic, educational, cultural and geographical factors collide with institutionalised curriculum and resourcing practices to produce disadvantage with respect to formal education participation and achievement in some schools. Unevenness of educational outcomes is strongly associated with poverty, with lower levels of attainment found in poorer urban postcodes and in regional and Indigenous schools. Among the many challenges faced by schools in these settings, availability of resources and provision of teacher professional learning to support curricular change is a perennial issue. This research investigated the impacts, outcomes, sustainability of a national curriculum implementation project designed specifically to support Australia’s most disadvantaged schools to implement the Digital Technologies (DT) curriciulum. The implementation project—Digital Technologies in Focus (DTIF)—was funded by the Federal govement and led by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). This output is the final report of external evaluation commissioned by ACARA and published on their website. A case study design focussed on six schools selected to incorporate diversity of contextual factors (state, sector and location—urban, regional and remote) provided accounts of: • contexts and histories of participating schools with regards to DT curriculum and resourcing; • participation in DTIF project activities, including professional learning activities, online support, and project reporting and evaluation processes; • outcomes of participation at for schools, teachers and students; • impact and sustainability of new and developing practices. The research findings contribute to understandings about challenges to implementation of DT curriculum in disadvantaged Australian schools and and factors promoting success, including transferred to other settings and other curriculum areas.