Quality teaching a key to students’ success

Education Minister Trevor Mallard marked World Teachers Day today by paying tribute to the key role New Zealand’s teachers play in students’ success, through their dedication and commitment to quality teaching.

“Quality teaching is absolutely vital to success in our schools. Teachers can and do make the difference. They are the lynchpin if we want our children to achieve and to contribute to our government’s goal of lifting economic growth and the wellbeing of New Zealand as a whole,’’ Trevor Mallard said.

“For secondary teachers, I want to especially recognise the tremendous effort they put in to help make the NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement) work. Without teachers’ commitment and hard slog, it would have been difficult to get the NCEA properly off the ground. It’s great we are now starting to see the positive dividends.

“We are in a period of calm in our relationship, and I’m looking forward to that continuing. I believe cooperation and constructive engagement between the government and teachers’ unions is the only way forward - for the sake of our kids.

“In the primary sector, I want to thank teachers for the work they have done alongside the government. Primary teachers are working hard to help us lift literacy and numeracy achievement amongst our youngest students – a priority for our government. Early childhood teachers are equally important in helping us lift participation in early childhood education.

“We believe it’s vital all young New Zealanders get the right start in their education, because it matters so much to their success in education and in work later in life. Early childhood education and primary teachers are critical to this happening. “I’ve recently released new “Best Evidence” research reports that confirm that the quality of teaching is the most important school-based determinant of student outcomes. Other research, including the Early Childhood Primary Links initiative, shows us that quality teaching can result in significant gains in achievement for all students, regardless of their background.

“I have been heartened by the commitment the teacher unions have shown to working together and finding ways of using this research to improve teaching practice and raise achievement,” Trevor Mallard said.

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