Truth-telling, truth-listening and opportunities for ensuring school cultural safety for Aboriginal students and Aboriginal educators in three primary schools in Western Australia

The Moombaki Research team developed a pilot Cultural Integrity Audit (CIA) that was co-designed with Aboriginal elders and educators as a tool for school leaders to measure the extent of culturally safe and responsive education at three test sites in Perth (Boorloo), Western Australia. This article analyses the political and social contexts and experiences of implementing the CIA as a tool – including the commitment, attitudes and values of school leaders.

Citation:
Kickett-Tucker C, Dodd J, Johnson D, Coffin J, Cross D. Truth-telling, truth-listening and opportunities for ensuring school cultural safety for Aboriginal students and Aboriginal educators in three primary schools in Western Australia. Critical Studies in Education. 2025.

Keywords:
Aboriginal education; cultural responsiveness; leadership; school leadership; truth-telling; truth-listening

Abstract:
The Moombaki Research team developed a pilot Cultural Integrity Audit (CIA) that was co-designed with Aboriginal elders and educators as a tool for school leaders to measure the extent of culturally safe and responsive education at three test sites in Perth (Boorloo), Western Australia. This article analyses the political and social contexts and experiences of implementing the CIA as a tool – including the commitment, attitudes and values of school leaders.