About the episode

Choosing a school for your kids can be difficult. But what you see from outside the school gates is only one part of the story. What lies beyond is a complex web of funding and social systems, about to be directly influenced by you and your decision.

Episode 1 of the All Things Equal podcast explores school funding and its politics, the growing gap between public and private schools, the perception of low-SES schools, inequality within the Australian education system and why NAPLAN isn’t what we think it is.

Dr Christina Ho explains the self-fulfilling prophecy of schools with “bad” reputations and how our education system has changed over time. We hear from Kate, a learning support teacher at a school with limited resources, and find out what’s going on behind the scenes. Leslie, who teaches at a school considered to have a low socioeconomic status (SES) tells us why her school is on the ‘wrong side’ of the tracks and what racism has to do with it.

A podcast that will change the way you think about education

We pride ourselves on an egalitarian society, but how equal are we? All Things Equal is an investigative podcast going to the root of inequality in our society. We’ll take you to meet the people affected most, and those trying to turn things around. Season 2, ‘Uniform’ looks at the great equaliser — education. We discover what happens to kids who fall between the cracks and meet some remarkable people who’ve been there to catch them.

All Things Equal is a 2SER podcast made in collaboration with the Centre of Social Justice and Inclusion at the University of Technology Sydney and is hosted by Verity Firth.

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