Our research

A principal describes the need to establish the ‘fertile ground for innovation’ by being explicit about the need to be ‘comfortable being uncomfortable’ in order that together they can question, inquire and critique to make things better the learners.

Culturally responsive relationships and practices support and promote the development of learners’ confidence in their identity, language and culture. These relationships are explicitly acknowledged and understood by teachers and learners and contribute to an inclusive learning environment in which there are equitable opportunities to learn.  This video was filmed at Invercargill Middle School.

Senior leaders at Invercargill Middle School have put processes in place to ensure that all teachers participate in and contribute to the co-construction of decisions about how best to move forward. The principal describes the approach as ‘change coming from the classroom, not the principals office’.

This school seeks every opportunity to connect with the groups within its multicultural community to support those groups to connect to one another as well as engage with the school and their children’s learning.

Interruptions to learning are deliberately minimised. When the behaviour of individual students threatens to disrupt the learning of others, the individualized approach and resourcing enables engagement in learning to continue. This video was filmed at Invercargill Middle School.

A school principal talks about how he works with his school community to develop an environment where Māori learners are supported and can succeed as Māori.

In responding to its unique context Invercargill Middle School adopted a range of approaches to accelerate learning. Teachers share a collective commitment to making the most of every learning opportunity.

At Otumoetai Intermediate School, Student Learning Leaders learn how to undertake structured classroom observations focused on teaching and learning. The students and staff discuss the process and its impact.

Driven by the conviction that everybody can achieve, leaders and teachers seek to overcome barriers to equity and excellence experienced by individual students at McAuley High School.

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 McAuley High School, the use of student achievement data and other evidence is the catalyst for determining who needs to be part of the discussion to seek solutions and establish next steps.

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

In improving the teaching and learning of mathematics, leaders and teachers are working to develop safe, collaborative environments where every learner (teachers and students) can access the thinking of others to strengthen their knowledge and understanding.

This evaluation report illustrates the leadership domain of ERO’s School Evaluation Indicators in practice by:

This report presents the findings of three online surveys about the current provision of guidance and counselling in schools with students in Years 9 to 13. This is the first phase of work being undertaken by ERO as part of the Prime Minister’s Youth Mental Health Project.

This ERO report has been written to help schools develop enterprise learning. Seven case studies present the challenges and benefits of enterprise as authentic teaching and learning. Each of these studies show what students have achieved in different enterprise activities. They discuss what leaders and teachers have done; both those who have been supportive of an enterprise learning approach and those who have been hesitant in adapting the way they teach.

Assessment informs an early childhood service’s programme and educators’ teaching practices. ERO evaluated the quality of assessment in all the early childhood services reviewed in Terms 3 and 4, 2006.

Services were at varying stages in their understanding and implementation of assessment practices, as not all had yet participated in professional development.

ERO evaluated the collection and use of assessment information in schools in 2006. The evaluation concluded that more work can be done to improve assessment practice in schools. This complementary report aims to help secondary schools review their assessment practice. It highlights characteristics common to high quality assessment practices and includes examples of good practice.

ERO evaluated the collection and use of assessment information in schools in 2006. The evaluation concluded that more work can be done to improve assessment practice in schools. This report builds on this finding by giving examples of good practice in the collection and use of assessment information in primary schools. The report also includes three detailed case studies.

Knowing what students know and can do is fundamental to effective teaching and students’ learning. Teachers need to assess student achievement to know whether or not their teaching is meeting the learning needs of their students.

In 2006, ERO evaluated how effectively schools collected and used assessment information. This report details the findings of that evaluation and recommends what can be done to make assessment practices in schools more effective.