The Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration (December 2019) sets the following goals for Australian education:
- The Australian education system promotes excellence and equity
- All young Australians become:
- Confident and creative individuals
- Successful lifelong learners
- Active and informed members of the community.
"Society will be enriched if young people can find opportunities to develop their gifts and put them at the service of the community. I ask young people to allow themselves to dream great things, to heed the call of their most profound aspirations, and to remain faithful to love. Through their talents, skills, and enthusiasm, they can become ‘channels’ for God’s love and actively cooperate in building a better world."
- Pope Francis
Encouraging potential
CSNSW acknowledges the diverse nature of all learners. Within this diversity, there are students who demonstrate innate abilities or the potential to excel beyond their peers in one or more areas of human endeavour. These individuals are identified as high-potential and/or gifted students (HPG students).
CSNSW also acknowledges that, in line with the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declarationschools have the responsibility to identify and holistically support the growth and development of HPG students:
- in their learning and thinking skills
- in discipline knowledge and skills
- in their social and emotional skills.
Schools are also responsible for providing appropriate classroom and school-based learning opportunities for HPG students across the curriculum, ensuring that teaching and support staff engage in ongoing, evidence-informed, professional learning in the areas of giftedness and talent, and supporting families and caregivers in understanding the needs of HPG students.