Education History

Every Child Is Special

Every Child Is Special (formerly known as Computer Culture) is a core research and development project within the Cape York reform agenda. It aims to reform Indigenous education by building student, family and community demand for high expectation, high quality education through a five part agenda:

• Build demand for education
• Put the building blocks of literacy and numeracy in place in early childhood
• Close the gap between Year 7 in Cape York and Year 8 at southern secondary schools
• Support Cape York students' transition to high quality, high expectation secondary schools
• Support education, employment, sporting and artistic orbits to the wider world and back home

Key Programs

The holistic approach has been implemented through a number of key programs.

MULTILIT (Making Up for Lost Time in Literacy)

Cape York Partnerships' collaboration with Macquarie University's literacy program MULTILIT (Making Up for Lost Time in Literacy) in 2003 has developed into the MULTILIT in Cape York Schools project which, as well as addressing remedial literacy, aims to embed effective literacy instruction across all classrooms.

Student Education Trusts

In 2006 Cape York Partnerships established student education accounts (now Student Education Trusts) to assist families to save for a child's education expenses.

Attendance Case Management Framework

In 2006–2007, we developed the Attendance Case Management Framework designed to establish a community wide expectation of 100 per cent school attendance. In 2008, the project was implemented in the four welfare reform communities, in conjunction with Education Queensland and the Family Responsibilities Commission.