The Leveraging Influence of Strategic Alignment: What Constitutes Early Childhood in Current Australian Policy Debates?

Abstract

THIS PAPER ILLUSTRATES THE VALUE of strategic alignment as a model to navigate the current Australian education landscape, highlighting numerous changes to national overseeing bodies and their mandates. More importantly, it provides a critical review of recent government agency changes and policy agendas, making overt the existence of complex and incoherent ideas concerning the notion of early childhood. Based on the current analysis, it is concluded that no common conceptualisation exists at the national level of what constitutes early childhood and by default, early childhood education. This is a disturbing state of affairs, which makes the work of responsible statutory agencies, overseeing national bodies and state departments overseeing the implementation of new national policy directives very difficult.

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (ACARA). (2012). The Australian Curriculum: Connections to the Early Years Learning Framework. Retrieved 18 November, 2012, from: www.acwa.wa.edu.au/resources/Information-Sheet—Connection-to-the-Early-Years-Learning-Framework.pdf.

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (ACARA). (2010). The Australian Curriculum: Frequently asked questions. Retrieved 18 November, 2012, from: www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/AC_FAQs_v3_The_structure_and_devK-10_FINAL.pdf.

Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority. (ACECQA). (2011). ACECQA strategic plan 2012–2016. Retrieved 18 November, 2012, from: http://acecqa.gov.au/storage/ACECQA%20Strategic%20Plan%2019%20December%20Final.pdf.

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (ACARA). (2012). Australian Curriculum Implementation Survey. Sydney, NSW: ACARA. Retrieved 18 November, 2012, from: www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Summary_of_implementation_plans_-_updated_31_July_2012.pdf.

Biggs

(2003). Teaching for quality learning at university: What the student does (2nd ed.). Buckingham, UK: Open University Press/ Society for Research into Higher Education.

Brabrand

& Dahl

(2007). Constructive Alignment and the SOLO Taxonomy: A Comparative Study of University Competences in Computer Science vs. Mathematics. Conferences in Research and Practice in Information Technology, 88(1), 3–17.

Connor

(2011). Foundations for learning: Relationships between the Early Years Learning Framework and the Australian Curriculum. Deakin, ACT: Early Childhood Australia.

Early Childhood Australia. (ECA). (2012). About Early Childhood Australia. Retrieved from 5 September, 2012, www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/about_us/about_early_childhood_australia.html.

Highfield

& Bruns

(2012). Confrontation and cooperation: A brief history of Australian political blogs. Media International Australia, 143(3) 89–98.

10.

Jurse

, & Mulej

(2011). The complexities of business school alignment with the emerging globalisation of business education. Kybernetes, 40(9/10), pp. 1140–1458.

11.

Kefela

(2010). Knowledge-based economy and society has become a vital commodity to countries. International NGO Journal, 5(7), pp. 160–166.

12.

Kirkwood

, & Price

(2011). Enhancing learning and teaching through technology: A guide to evidence-based practice for policy makers. Higher Education Academy, York, UK. Retrieved from: 7 August, 2012, http://oro.open.ac.uk/32490/2/4+guide_for_policy_makers.pdf

13.

Leydesdorff

(2011). “Meaning” as a sociological concept: A review of the modeling, mapping, and simulation of the communication of knowledge and meaning. Social Science Information, 50(3-4), 1–23.

14.

Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA) (2010). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Action Plan 2010–2014. Canberra, ACT: Author. Retrieved 13 January, 2012, from: www.mceecdya.edu.au/verve/_resources/a10-945_ieap_web_version_final2.pdf.

15.

Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs. (MCEECDYA). About MCEECDY. Retrieved 13 January, 2012, from: www.mceecdya.edu.au/mceecdya/about_mceecdya,11318.html.

16.

Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (MCEETYA). (2009). MEETYA four-year plan 2009 – 2012: A companion document for the Melbourne Declaration on Education Goals for Young Australians. Retrieved 13 January, 2012, from: www.mceecdya.edu.au/verve/_resources/MCEETYA_Four_Year_Plan_(2009-2012).pdf.

17.

Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (MCEETYA). (2008). Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians, December 2008. Retrieved 5 March, 2012, from www.mceecdya.edu.au/verve/_resources/national_declaration_on_the_educational_goals_for_young_australians.pdf.

18.

Moses

, & Saenz

(2008). Hijacking education policy decisions: Ballot initiatives and the case of affirmative action. Harvard Education Review, 78(2), 289–310.

19.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (OECD). (2012). Delivering School Transparency in Australia: National Reporting through My School, OECD Publishing. Retrieved 13 January, 2012, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264096660-en.

20.

Simon

, Hatch

, & Youell

(2012). The challenge of strategic alignment. Borehamwood, UK: FSN.

21.

Simpson

, & Flynn

(2007). Moving innovations into treatment: A stage-based approach to program change. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 33(2), 111–120.

22.

Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood. (SCSEEC). (2012). Communique (meeting notes). Retrieved 18 November, 2012, from: www.mceecdya.edu.au/verve/_resources/SCSEEC_20_APRIL_communique_.pdf

23.

State of Queensland. (2011). Change management best practice guide. Brisbane, QLD: Public Sector Commission. Retrieved 18 November, 2012, from: www.psc.qld.gov.au/

24.

Velcu

(2010). Strategic alignment of ERP implementation: An empirical investigation. Information Management, 47(1), p. 158–166.