No one who looks at the facts can say that education and training systems in NSW, or indeed in Australia, have ever properly served Aboriginal students.

In NSW schools, on average, at Year 3 Aboriginal children are 15 months behind all children in their learning.

They’re 16 months behind at Year 5 and 35 months behind at Year 7. Unsurprisingly, Aboriginal retention to Year 12 is less than half the state average at 32 per cent.

The attendance rates of Aboriginal youngsters are below the state and regional averages for all students, and the rate of long suspensions is four times that of all students.

That’s the sobering reality in schooling. But in the past few years Aboriginal communities in partnership with principals, teachers and other departmental staff have made concerted efforts that are starting to show real progress.

In 2007 in literacy the proportion of Aboriginal students in the upper bands of achievement at Year 3 rose by 19 per cent.

At Year 5 the proportion in bands 5 and 6 – again the top bands – was up 13 per cent. That was accompanied by a 15 per cent fall in the proportion of Aboriginal children in bands 1 and 2 at Year 5.

 Aboriginal students are being given more reasons to come to school, and to stay at school. In many schools attendance is up and behaviour, retention and academic performance is improving.

Success in indigenous education is not just a matter of money. It’s how we do things, whether or not we take the time, and expend the energy, to create real partnerships with Aboriginal communities so that education is a shared venture, not something that is “done to” Aboriginal students.

If programs are well planned – and only if they’re well planned – do they have the prospect of succeeding. That planning takes time and demands the patience of everyone involved, and everyone observing the results.

Good teaching is good teaching, regardless of whether the student is Aboriginal or not. Great teachers concentrate on the individual and they build their teaching on that.

Really acknowledging and valuing Aboriginal students requires some knowledge of Aboriginal cultures and an appreciation of the history and perspectives of Aboriginal communities.

We have to be prepared to try new things, and therefore to risk failure, to obtain the glittering prize: Aboriginal children consistently enjoying more choices, more work, more income, more health and more fulfilment than their parents were able to.

Michael Coutts-Trotter is director-general of the department of education.