Te Kotahitanga
Background - NCEA results - What is next - More information
Te Kotahitanga research programme was commissioned by the Ministry of Education under Te Tere Auraki and developed by the Māori Education Research Institute, School of Education, University of Waikato, and Poutama Pounamu Research and Development Centre.
It is an initiative developed to improve teaching strategies and the effectiveness of teachers to increase the engagement and academic achievement of Māori students within mainstream secondary schools.
Read articles from Education Gazette and Te Mana Kōrero:
“From the student interviews we learned that when Māori students have good relationships with their teachers, they are able to thrive at school. Good relationships are based on teachers embracing all aspects of the Effective Teaching Practice, including caring for them as culturally-located individuals as Māori, caring for their performance and using a wide range of classroom interactions, strategies and outcome indicators to inform their practice. These developing relationships and interactions were captured by the use of the observation tool. The teachers’ interviews indicated effective Te Kotahitanga teachers have undergone a philosophical shift in the way they think about teaching and learning.”
- Extract from Phase III research
Background
Work started in 2000 on the research involving year 9 and 10 students. This research led to the development of an Effective Teaching Profile. The design was guided and shaped by experiences of Māori students, their whānau, principals and teachers.
The first phase of the programme commenced in 2000 with a research project.
After the collation and analysis of narratives from Year 9 and 10 Māori students, a professional development programme was developed and implemented in four schools.
In 2002, the findings were used to inform a professional development programme which was introduced into eight more secondary schools. Employing interventions such as workshops, observations of classroom practice, and interactive feedback sessions, the programme encourages teachers to think critically about their teaching practice, and to introduce them to concepts and techniques which facilitate Māori student learning.
The research evidence and feedback from participants clearly indicates Te Kotahitanga is impacting on teachers and schools, and is providing an approach that is making a difference for Māori student social and academic outcomes.
The programme was expanded in 2006 to include another 21 schools, taking the total number of participating schools to 33.
Phase 3 report focuses on what happens when Te Kotahitanga Effective Teaching Profile is implemented through an interactive research and professional development programme in 12 mainstream secondary schools.
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NCEA results
The progress of the 2003 Year 9 students has been followed. These were the first group of students to be assessed for NCEA level 1 who throughout their time at secondary school had been taught by Te Kotahitanga trained teachers.
The latest NCEA data – for the 12 schools involved in Te Kotahitanga since its inception – shows NCEA level one achievement by Māori students increased from 32.1 percent in 2005 to 48.4 percent in 2006. This is an increase of 16.4 percentage points compared to a national average increase of 8.9 percentage points. The figures relate to students taught by Te Kotahitanga teachers for all their secondary schooling.
The data also shows increased NCEA level one achievement from 48.5 percent in 2005 to 59.7 percent in 2006 for all students in Te Kotahitanga schools.
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What is next?
The Ministry is assessing the different factors that are contributing to these results and how they will inform future professional development programmes.
The Ministry is also extending the existing contract with Waikato University covering the current 33 Te Kotahitanga schools, the individual contracts with the schools and assessing the future expansion of Te Kotahitanga.
An independent three year evaluation by Victoria University of the impact of Te Kotahitanga towards the goal of raising Māori student achievement has been commissioned by the Ministry. The final report will be available in Feb 2011.
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More information
Access all three reports on the Te Kotahitanga project. They look at how the relationships between the community, parents, teachers, and students can all impact on Māori achievement within mainstream secondary schools. The reports highlight how teachers can improve educational outcomes for Māori students.
Access the report on The Experiences of year 4 and 5 Māori Students in Primary School Classrooms. (839KB)
This report explores the factors that influence student achievement and how these factors, among others, are experienced by year 4 and 5 Māori students in English-medium primary schools.
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