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ERIC Number: ED390620
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1994-Jul
Pages: 5
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
A Northern Territory Approach to Quantifying "Access Disadvantage" to Educational Services in Remote and Rural Australia.
Griffith, D. A.
The Griffith Service Access Frame (GSAF) is a model used for quantifying the access disadvantage to educational services of remote and rural areas in Australia. The model was specifically developed to assist policymakers and administrators in allocating resources. The problem with the current funding formula used by the Australian federal government is that densely populated areas secure a higher proportion of funding than those areas that are geographically isolated and have the greatest access disadvantage. The GSAF model is based on several assumptions: that there is a direct relationship between the level of services available and population-center size, that access to services is dependent upon the distance between the location of the client population and point of service, and that access to services is dependent upon the economic capacity of the community to meet the costs of overcoming distance. An access score is calculated based on population-center size, time and cost factors converted into a distance equivalent, and an index of economic resources available to a population center. A survey was conducted to assess whether the GSAF remoteness component matched educators' perceptions of the remoteness or access disadvantage of schools in the Northern Territory. Forty-nine of 60 questionnaires were returned. Results indicate that there is substantial agreement between the perceptions of school staff and the GSAF method for ranking schools for remoteness. The Northern Territory Department of Education has adopted the GSAF model for allocating Country Areas Program funding, and the Commonwealth (federal) Department of Employment, Education and Training is considering using this model for national allocation of program funding. (LP)
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A