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Competing issues in Australian primary curriculum: learning from international experiences

There is no doubt that the increasing politicisation of education in an economically rationalist climate is contributing to less equity, access, participation and, therefore, social justice for many Australian primary children. This article initially explores how the development of the impending national Australian curriculum replete with a high stakes testing regime and a website, My School, with its propensity to create league tables is problematic if an improved quality education for all Australian children is the goal. It contends that continuing to ignore the need for new ways of thinking about curriculum and pedagogy will continue to contribute to educational inequities. Recent research and writing from similar educational initiatives in both the United Kingdom and the United States of America support these assertions. Secondly, this article discusses the need to consider research about the potential role the arts can play in transforming children's learning across the curriculum to improve both academic and affective outcomes. The implications for teacher education and the preparation of primary teachers for the profession are considered throughout the discussion.