Our research

Measuring changes to education systems, let alone performance, is complex. With education systems consisting of many moving parts, there are multiple approaches to assessing education system performance across the world, reflecting the reality of this complexity. This summary explores global practice for measuring education system change.

The deputy principal at Kerikeri High School describes the process the school leaders went through to develop electronic systems and processes to track student academic success. The principal describes how the tracking tool alerted school leaders when students were at risk of not achieving and led them to consider ways to ensure students had further opportunities to succeed.

At Invercargill Middle School, the way in which school trustees and leaders work together fosters an appreciative and respectful environment that acknowledges the contributions of everyone in the learning community.

At Otumoetai Intermediate, all teachers are engaged in differentiated professional learning and development. Those with similar goals are ‘buddied’ with another staff member.

The provision of opportunities for collaborative professional learning are designed to build adaptive expertise through enabling the participation and contribution of all staff members.

This report shares some of the strategies and approaches used by schools who had focused on improving achievement in writing. It also shares some simple strategies used in classrooms where achievement in writing had been accelerated.

Starting school is a major childhood event. It can be an exciting time for children and their families. But it is a big change, and so it can also be an uncertain time. A good start at school sets children up to succeed at school. We looked to see how changing to cohort entry impacts on children, their peers, and whānau, as well as their schools and early childhood education services.

This is the first in a series of evaluations related to principal and teacher appraisal in New Zealand schools. These evaluations are intended to provide information to help boards and school leaders strengthen appraisal practice and links with school development to improve outcomes for their students.

Engaging in multiple strategies to elicit and respond to student voice ensures that students have direct input into curriculum design.

At McAuley High School, classroom teacher observations are a frequent occurrence and students report how they regard this as teachers actively modelling learning behaviour.

This report provides a snapshot of student and whānau perspectives on the teaching of te reo Māori. It follows the June publication of Te Tāmata Huaroa, which provides a review of the current status of te reo Māori in English medium school settings.

Year 9 Plus is an educational concept developed by the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) to improve the chances of educational success of one cohort of participating students, and better their future life opportunities.

Data and information about teaching and learning is made highly visible and the interpretation and response are a collaborative process. Leaders and teachers reflect on the role of data in professional relationships and how an open approach builds capability and confidence to respond to the challenges that need to be addressed.

This cluster evaluation highlights improvements in the overall performance of the six kura kaupapa Māori and 12 English-medium schools on the North Island’s East Coast. This report highlights some significant changes in these schools over the last 14 years.

The team structure in this school supports the professional learning and development of leaders and teachers. Team members discuss their roles, responsibilities and the reciprocal nature of their interactions.

In this report, the Education Review Office (ERO) evaluated how well 256 schools worked with parents and whanau to respond to students at risk of underachievement. We looked for examples where schools had specifically worked with parents and whānau to accelerate and support progress and improve achievement.

Wellbeing for success: a resource for schools has been developed to help schools evaluate and improve student wellbeing. It highlights the importance of schools promoting the wellbeing of all students as well as the need for systems, people and initiatives to respond to wellbeing concerns for students who need additional support.

In 2011 the Ministry of Education introduced funding for pedagogical leadership in alternative education to improve the quality of teaching and learning. This evaluation examined the impact of that funding initiative by looking at the work of 10 clusters providing alternative education. It also identified a set of principles to provide guidance on good practice.

The Education Review Office (ERO) undertook a national evaluation of the implementation of self review in 397 services in Terms 1, 2 and 3, 2008. The evaluation focused on how well self review was understood, supported and implemented in each service and the extent to which it led to improved management and educator practice. 

Leadership engages in collaborative consideration of the evidence to inform a considered response to issues identified. Solutions are sought only after a thorough analysis of the problem and consideration of the evidence about what is likely to make the most difference. The implementation of new initiatives is closely evaluated.