Dream Big: Evaluation Final Report

This report has been researched and compiled for the Burnie City Council and for the community of Burnie to evaluate the effectiveness of the Dream Big program, which has been implemented since 2013. Dream Big is a school-based program based in Burnie, situated on the North-West Coast of Tasmania in the state's most westerly city (Burnie City Council, 2010). Dream Big aimed at improving student engagement and encouraging participation in post Year 10 education and training, ultimately leading to better school retention rates, a better overall quality of education, and enhanced employment opportunities within the region. It is a collaboration between the Burnie City Council, industry partners, and education providers designed to engage students in conversations about post Year 10 education, training, business and industry, incorporating site visits for Year 5 students to senior secondary, tertiary educational institutions and to businesses.

The purpose of this research is to provide initial data that will inform future decision-making around the Dream Big program and provide a baseline from which further research can be conducted. The evaluation was undertaken by a team of researchers in the Faculty of Education at the University of Tasmania (UTAS) in 2016. The evaluation of Dream Big was funded by the University of Tasmania's Strategic Funding Project: Creating and Researching a Culture of Educational Attainment in Tasmanian Education (CREATE).