Chasms in student achievement: exploring the rural-metropolitan divide

Australia‟s education system has attracted much recognition over the last few years due to the above average achievement of our students when compared to other OECD countries in large-scale international tests in science, numeracy and literacy. However, when these results are analysed more closely, large gaps emerge in student achievement between remote, rural and metropolitan schools. In this paper, data highlighting the extent of the problem, particularly in the areas of mathematics and science are presented. Following this we provide some of the strategies being implemented on a national scale to support science, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT) educators working in rural Australia.