ERO Report Confirms High Quality Support, Not National Standards, needed to Address Maori Under-Achievement
NZEI Te Riu Roa says the Government should prioritise support for implementing recommendations from an Education Review
Office report issued today if it was serious about improving Maori student achievement, rather than diverting funds,
professional development and school planning and resourcing into National Standards.
The Government has repeatedly claimed that National Standards will lift Maori student achievement.
However, NZEI, the union and professional institute for primary teachers and other education staff, said ERO's
recommendations to schools about ways in which they could improve Maori students' achievement and engagement in learning
were sensible and proven to make a difference. In contrast, there was no evidence that National Standards would lift
Maori achievement.
ERO's "Promoting Success for Maori Students" report, calls for schools to build their capability in implementing
policies and practices that promote success for Maori students. The report was highly critical of schools that did not
specifically identify information about, or target strategies toward, their Maori students.
NZEI matua takawaenga Laures Park said the National Standards policy, with its "one size fits all" approach, was
incompatible with ERO's recommendations. "National Standards do not reflect a Maori world view, and are going to label
our tamariki and their whanau as "failures". That's more likely to demoralise them as learners and undermine whanau
engagement in schooling."
She said what was needed was funding and priority for professional development and programme resourcing that was focused
on meeting the needs of Maori students.
She said research had shown lower levels of Maori achievement, linked with low socio-economic status, for at least two
decades, but "fixing" the issue was more complex than just identifying it. While most schools were adopting steps that
had maintained or improved Maori student achievement, schools needed high quality professional development at a national
level if Ministry plans for improving achievement were to be successful.
ENDS