Race, Rules and Relationships: What Can Critical Race Theory Offer Contemporary Aboriginal Boarding Schools?

Boarding schools have been increasingly championed in strategies
to move closer to educational equality for Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander students. However, there is a significant lack of
research and evidence on the implications of the boarding
environment for Aboriginal students, families and communities.
This paper presents a study of an Aboriginal residential program
in South Australia. Semi-structured and narrative interviews with
55 participants (including residence staff, family, and past
students) reveal the centrality of rules and relationships within
this setting. Consideration of these themes from a Critical Race
Theory perspective provides a sociocultural basis to analyse the
implications of race, racism and power. In doing so, the
underlying implications of the boarding model that should be
acknowledged, explored and applied in this setting are identified.
Implications for policy and practice are discussed.