Imagine the vision that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents and carers have for their child’s education: what would it look like?

‘We expect the school to care for our children, treat them as individuals, to educate them and to keep us really informed about how well they are performing at school’

What would the first teachers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students say about what they believe to be an effective school for their children?

‘We want the school to cater for the individual needs of the kids and that means that they know the children they teach’

This paper illustrates the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents and carers about their children and education. The Dare to Lead Collegial Snapshot Process (CSS) has been a vehicle for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents and carers to share their wisdom and provide answers to questions that schools regularly ask about improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Dare to Lead in partnership with the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) has begun to mine and analyse the data that have been collected through the CSS by the former since 2007. This presentation will focus on the data collected from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents and carers in 2011. A key purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents and carers are identifying as important to creating an effective school for their children and the whole school community.