Focus and priorities
The Ministry of Education's mission is "To raise achievement and reduce disparity". The Ministry is focused on three vital outcomes which research and experience show make the greatest difference to student achievement and disparity.
These are:
- effective teaching for all students
- family and community engagement in education
- quality providers.
Research in the school sector is clear – effective teaching makes the biggest in-school difference to learning outcomes for diverse students and can explain up to 60 percent of the variation in student achievement. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2000 study showed that differences in student achievement within schools are greater than differences between schools. Building the capability of teachers to meet the needs of all students through ongoing professional learning is a key area of focus.
In 2006 professional learning programmes will include a focus on four strands which research has linked with quality teaching. These strands are:
- gathering, analysing, and using data, including student achievement data, as the basis for professional decision making
- challenging existing beliefs, expectations, and professional practices and supporting teachers to make changes in their practices that will more effectively help all students to become successful learners, particularly those who are at risk of underachieving
- raising teachers' levels of subject knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge
- establishing inclusive school cultures and effective learning communities within and between schools.
Professional learning providers are also being asked to:
- focus on aligning their work with other initiatives and strategies occurring within regions such as schooling improvement initiatives, school reorganisations, iwi partnerships and so on
- take a more proactive approach to the selection of schools and initiatives to meet identified needs
- ensure programmes are focused on raising student achievement and reducing disparity
- to work in-depth and intensively over a longer period of time with schools and teachers
- ensure that the characteristics of effective professional learning programmes are incorporated into the design of their programmes.
Effective professional learning programmes:
- have a clear focus on student learning
- challenge teachers' beliefs and expectations through opportunities to experience discrepancies between such beliefs and the capabilities of students
- focus on subject knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, and socio-cultural relationships
- involve gathering and analysis of data including student achievement data
- treat teachers as active learners who construct their own knowledge
- recognise a continuum of learning
- allow sufficient time (contact hours and time span)
- incorporate opportunities for observation, feedback, modelling, coaching, and reflection
- develop professional leadership
- build communities of professional practice
- incorporate teacher educator training and mentoring
- integrate resource support
- combine pressure and support
- start with willing volunteers
- situated in the classroom context.