This research paper argues that improving Australian school education policy and outcomes requires a return to first principles. It proposes that policymakers and educators must begin at the critical point at which the education of young Australians is currently determined: the national education goals. 

Across the country, educators are being asked to respond to declining academic performance, weak civics knowledge, student disengagement, behavioural pressures and growing uncertainty about citizenship, belonging and the wider purposes of schooling. A strong national framework needs clear expectations, a coherent sense of purpose and a practical way of forming the habits and responsibilities expected of young Australians. The paper outlines the Australian Air Force Cadets as an example. 

Structure

1. Part I offers a broad description of some of the historic influences on Australian school education.
2. Part II describes the expectations and constraints of school education under Australia’s federal system of government, with specific reference to the subject of Civics and Citizenship.
3. Part III introduces the Australian Defence Force Cadets program.
4. Part IV discusses the data collected in a survey of 218 former Cadets regarding their experience as school-age Cadets.

Key recommendations

• Mandate the systematic acquisition of knowledge about Australia’s democratic foundations, as part of the evolution of Western civilisation, for all students throughout the compulsory years of schooling and in Years 11 and 12.
• Establish clear connections between school education, the formation of individual character and a sense of belonging, and development of a conscious commitment to national values and Australian citizenship.