Emerging ideas for innovation in Indigenous education: a research synthesis of Indigenous educative roles in mainstream and flexi schools

The Indigenous education agenda in Australia remains focused on mainstream schooling contexts. Although overlooked in Indigenous education discourse, flexi schools appear to be engaging with disproportionately high numbers of Indigenous students and staff. The educative roles of Indigenous peoples in broader Indigenous education discourse are relatively underexplored. Even less is known about Indigenous educative roles in flexi schools. This paper presents a research synthesis of Indigenous staff roles in mainstream and flexi schools. The literature paints a contrasting picture between the two schooling approaches. The disparity in Indigenous student and staff numbers in mainstream and flexi schools offers new ideas to the broader Indigenous education agenda that may have implications for all education settings.