Parents and kids to benefit from new decision making program

Decision making is part and parcel of being an adult – fast responses help people complete tasks, build relationships and resolve conflicts.

But many young people are growing up without knowing how to make these choices on their own, which has led to a number of problems for school leavers.

And while learning to say 'yes' or 'no' may seem pretty straight forward most mums will quickly tell you that it isn't always so simple.

Education minister Peter Garrett has met with principles in NSW to talk about extending a new pilot program that helps kids learn how to speak up and includes parents in decisions that the school makes.

Taking time out of an otherwise busy schedule the father of three and minister visited Loftus Public School earlier this week to get feedback from local communities about the government's Empowering Local Schools initiative.

The program, which is still in its trial phase in 47 locations across the state, gives school leaders the opportunity to have a greater say on issues such as governance, staffing mix, budgets, and infrastructure and maintenance.

It also means that people who are regularly on campus – whether that be as students, teachers or parents – can increase their influence on the day-to-day running of local schools.

"Today we heard from these principles about the positive benefits for their students, including improved results, behaviour and attendance," asserted Mr Garret.

He said that the success of the NSW pilot is proof that there is a genuine need to break down barriers to decision making and extend the new scheme to 1,000 more schools across the country.

When speaking about the reasons behind wanting to include mums and dads, as well as young kids in the running of educational institutions he suggested that their own intimate knowledge of the school meant they had the most informed ideas about its need.

"School leaders and parents are best placed to make the decisions that suit the needs and circumstances of their students," said Mr Garrett.

However, specialised training courses will also be on offer for any principles that are keen to up-skill and want to manage their schools more independently.

Plans to extend the program past the original trial group are part of the new funding arrangement introduced by the Gillard government, which has so far dedicated $550 million to the Teacher Quality National Partnership.

The state government is also working hard to make sure the participatory model is a success and has been instrumental in its delivery.