This is the second of a two part interview with Dr Peter Goss, about a recent report released by The Grattan Institute on NAPLAN. The report uncovers widening achievement gaps, and the clear effects of disadvantage on students. The interview was conducted onsite, at the Grattan Institute in Melbourne. To hear the first half of the interview which focuses on widening achievement gaps, look for episode 54 on the Learning Capacity podcast.

Student disadvantage is a difficult topic that just doesn't seem to go away. Whether it's socio economic, school based, or regional disadvantage, it seems a bit like the ever present elephant in the room. Recent research by Dr Peter Goss and his team at the Grattan Institute has uncovered that the effects of disadvantage are real and easily detected in NAPLAN results. And it's not just the struggling students who suffer. The brighter ones are sometimes worse off in these conditions. Whilst it's easy to quickly think of shifting blame onto the schools, or teachers, or perhaps even NAPLAN itself, Peter Goss suggests that NAPLAN is an invaluable tool for identifying where support is needed most. As such, we should embrace the information it gives us and encourage our policy makers and educational leaders to take action.

The discussion continued with the question of whether there were any stand out factors of disadvantage...

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