Issue 2

Kia mahitahi - working together

Frequently Asked Questions

Better Relationships for Better Learning

E ngā mana, e ngā iwi, e ngā karanga maha ō ngā hau e whā
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa

He mihi nui tēnei ki ngā poari kaitiaki, ngā tumuaki, me ngā kaiwhakaako katoa o ngā kura o te motu, e tautoko ana, e whakatupu ana i ō tātou tamariki

Tēnā koutou e hāpai nei i tō tātou reo me ngā tikanga i tukuna mai e rātou mā

To all of you, greetings

Greetings to boards of trustees, principals, and teachers throughout New Zealand who support and nurture Māori students

Greetings to all those who are working to revitalise te reo Māori and maintain the traditions which have been handed down .

Kia mahitahi - working together

Over ninety percent of Māori students are in mainstream schools, and this is where effort is essential to raise levels of Māori achievement and close the gaps. Māori are partners with the Crown through the Treaty of Waitangi. Educational and career success for Māori students is essential, not only for their futures but for Aotearoa New Zealand's economic and social well-being.

The major challenges in Māori education are to increase participation and raise achievement levels. For the government, this means supporting the revitalisation of te reo Māori; meeting the growing demand for quality education in the Māori medium; and ensuring that the education system as a whole helps to lift the achievement levels of Māori students. For boards, principals, and teachers, it means building better relationships with the school's Māori community and working in the school and the classroom to help Māori students to realise their full potential.

Frequently Asked Questions

What directions do the National Administration Guidelines (NAGs) give schools on consultation with their Māori communities?

Guidelines 1-5 and 2 - 3 are the regulatory 'muscle' requiring schools to sharpen their focus on consulting with and reporting to their Māori communities. The regulations are general, not specific, because each school's policies, programmes, and targets and style of relationship will need to take account of the nature and make-up of the school and its Māori community.

Where schools have enrolled no Māori children or only small numbers, how do they comply with consultation and reporting requirements?

National Education Goals 9 and 10 seek increased participation by and success for Māori in education and acknowledgement of the unique place of Māori in New Zealand. These goals apply to all schools, even if there are no Māori children currently enrolled. Dialogue with the tangata whenua of the rohe, or area, where the school is located about their aspirations for education will meet the need to consult and will ensure that the school is well prepared for educating Māori children who may enrol in future. Schools in a region may find it useful to cluster or link electronically and work together on broader community consultation issues.

If a school has only one or two Māori children, how can reporting be handled so that their privacy is protected?

Schools should ask their Māori community how they would like the report to be offered. The report could be offered in person to a nominated individual or small group representing whānau, hapē, or iwi interests, thereby preserving the privacy of the students. A note can then be added to the board minutes to show that the reporting has been completed.

Who can schools ask for help if they do not know how to identify their Māori community?

As well as advisers, resource teachers of Māori and the kaitakawaenga being appointed under the Māori Education Strategy (described below), there are runanga or iwi advisers in each region who could be consulted. The whānau of Māori children in the school should always be involved in identifying the school's Māori community.

What ways are there of relating to the school's Māori community?

Many suggestions are made in the book Better Relationships for Better Learning (described at the end of this newsletter). Consultation will elicit other possibilities. Schools may need to 'fly flags in the community', publicise what the school is doing and is hoping to achieve, and see what emerges from the community response. In one school's successful iwi liaison programme, a liaison person who does not have an educational background now organises twenty parents and volunteers working in the school. Such programmes demand time and effort but are very rewarding for all concerned.

How can schools model positive expectations for student achievement?

Teachers are powerful motivators for students and act as positive role models in their interactions with students. New Zealand-based research provides insights into actions that will make a difference in the classroom. Writing in various issues of SET (published by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research), Adrienne Alton-Lee and Graeme Nuthall describe how schools can change outcomes for children in relation to both gender and ethnicity by making changes to the teaching and learning environments. Alison Jones also discusses opportunities for schools to make positive change in At School I've Got a Chance (Dunmore Press, 1991).

Why is closing the gap important?

Māori students make up a increasing percentage of the student population and, as a group, are not achieving nationally to the level of other students. All students enrolled in education need to achieve at a level that means they can be successful throughout life. Educators in New Zealand need to be concerned when any group is over-represented among low achievers. It is essential for our future that underachieving Māori students succeed at every level of education.

How is the government working to improving the educational success of Māori?

Through initiatives such as the Māori Education Strategy (see below), the government is working to:

1 Lift the participation of Māori families in high-quality early childhood education services to at least the same level as that of the general population;

2 Strengthen the role of Māori families and communities in the learning process;

3 Support kura kaupapa Māori and Māori-medium education through such initiatives as the Māori Language Education Plan (see below);

4 Provide support for all teachers so that they are better able to identify students' needs and to help underachieving students in the classroom;

5 Foster Māori involvement and influence in education through formal partnerships and effective relationships with iwi and Māori organisations.

Iwi, hapu, and whānau have their own aspirations for what the educational system can deliver to them. In some cases, thinking may have advanced to the level of plans and strategies. The government and all educational providers and schools need to tap into this thinking to build on the good things that are already happening and to help te iwi Māori to realise their visions.

How does the revision of the Nags help to focus the education sector on closing the gap?

Guideline 1-3 specifically requires that students and groups of students who 'are not achieving' or 'are at risk of not achieving' be identified as well as those 'aspects of the curriculum which require particular attention'. Schools must 'develop and implement teaching and learning strategies to address the needs of students and aspects of the curriculum' that have been identified (Guideline 1 iv).

In this context, assessment processes that are specifically designed to promote learning are a powerful tool for raising achievement and closing the gap. The Ministry of Education is providing professional development through Assessment for Better Learning that will focus on the National Education Monitoring Project materials and Assessment Resource Banks with the aim of improving learning. Other topics will include the assessment of Māori-medium students and the use of School Entry Assessment/Aro matawai Urunga-ā-kura (SEA/AKA).

What is the Māori Education Strategy?

The Māori Education Strategy aims to improve the educational success of Māori at all levels from early childhood through to tertiary in immersion and mainstream contexts. Within the Māori Education Strategy, work continues on developing an information campaign to inform iwi, hapē, and whānau about the education system, to explain how they can access it, and to suggest ways in which they may chose to become involved, for example, through participation on boards of trustees and by helping in the classroom.

As part of the Māori Education Strategy, kaitakawaenga (school/Māori liaison officers) are being appointed to help schools and Māori to work closely together to raise the achievement levels of Māori children. Further work is being done on defining their roles, determining where they will be located, and ensuring that there are support structures and resources in place to enable them to work effectively.

What is the Māori Language Education Plan?

The Māori Language Education Plan recognises that the teaching of te reo Māori and of the New Zealand Curriculum in Māori are fundamental to the growth, quality, and viability of Māori education. This plan forms part of a broader strategy to revitalise the Māori language by focusing on Māori language and Māori-medium education.

How are a school's parent community informed and supported so that they can help their children to achieve?

Parents and caregivers have a critical role in influencing children's development and providing resources and experiences that improve their children's competencies and skills. Nationally, the government is providing parents and caregivers with information about children's educational development and practical advice on how family members can support a child's education, for example, the Feed the Mind/Whāngaihia te hinengaro advertising campaign and pamphlets. Schools inform and support parents in a variety of ways best suited to the particular needs of the school's community.

Issue 10
This issue of Sharpening the Focus outlines the support available to schools and teachers as they address the need for students to develop high levels of competence (knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values) in physical education and physical activity. It also includes the amended sections relating to physical activity in the National Education Goals (NEGs) and National Administration Guidelines (NAGs).

Issue 9
This issue of Sharpening the Focus outlines support that is available for schools in addressing the needs of their gifted and talented students.

Issue 8
This issue of Sharpening the Focus, is a newsletter for boards of trustees, principals, and teachers on school management and administration.

Issue 7
This issue of Sharpening the Focus looks at the intent and effect of the Education Standards Act 2001, which has introduced the requirement that every school's charter include planning for improvement of student outcomes.

Issue 6
This issue of Sharpening the Focus discusses the National Education Guidelines' requirement for boards of trustees to identify and provide for students who have special needs related to disabilities, learning difficulties, and behavioural problems. It also answers some frequently asked questions.

Issue 5
This issue of Sharpening the Focus looks more closely at the relationship between the revised National Administration Guideline 2 and professional development and answers some frequently asked questions.

Issue 4
This issue of Sharpening the Focus looks more closely at the requirements that the revised National Administration Guideline 2 places on schools as they undertake strategic planning.

Issue 3
This issue of Sharpening the Focus looks more closely at what schools will need to consider as they align their curriculum and assessment policies and practices to the revised National Administration Guidelines 1 and 2.

Issue 2
This issue includes information on Kia mahitahi - working together, Frequently Asked Questions, and Better Relationships for Better Learning.

Issue 1
This newsletter backgrounds the recent revision of the National Education Guidelines, outlines the help to be offered to schools as they adjust to the new requirements, and answers some frequently asked questions.