The resources of the rest of the state system are allocated to maximise the value of that relationship to student outcomes. Lifelong learning in formal and informal settings, problem solving and critical thinking are the critical characteristics of the knowledge economy and the information society. Schools provide students with multiple literacies, the technical skills and the motivation and desire for such learning. The earlier they do it the better. These attributes are also the foundation for further study and the basis for vocational learning for a competitive economy.
Different students learn in different ways.
The pathways for students are different because of different starting-points and different destinations. Whatever the background or circumstance of students, learning in state schools should give them the opportunity to achieve outcomes at key junctures in their development, particularly the completion of a recognised Year 12. Schools are the focus of expertise in learning. This expertise and these relationships combine so that the learning program for the students at the school is a locally negotiated response to the needs of students. Living with the increasing complexity of society, rapid social and economic change and the diversity of the student population mean that schools have to be flexible in organising their learning programs.