The purpose of this research was to gain an understanding of the nature and dynamics of community and school engagement in sites with high proportions of Aboriginal students. It investigated teachers’ capacity to develop authentic pedagogic practices responsive to the educational, cultural and aspirational needs of Aboriginal students. In particular the research highlights that the relational dynamics between schools and Aboriginal people have been deeply affected by colonial histories of exclusion and systemic disadvantage, an ever present school discourse that has marginalised the particular holistic needs of Aboriginal students, and resulted in deeply negative relational interactions between schools and Aboriginal families.
