Our research

This case study explores the impact of the 2020 Covid-19 events on Māori learners in English-medium schools, and the response of leaders, schools and communities in the Bay of Plenty and East Coast regions.

Principals and school leaders have taken on a lot of responsibility during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Education Review Office interviewed principals and board chairs and surveyed 1777 principals across the country from May through to September 2020 to understand how they have responded. This summary highlights how those school leaders rose to the challenge.

New Zealand schools have one of the highest rates of bullying among OECD member countries. In this evaluation, ERO looked at the extent to which schools were effectively working towards an environment in which students feel safe and free from bullying.

A companion report to this one, Bullying Prevention and Response: Student Voice focuses on ERO’s survey of students on their experience and understandings of bullying and effective bullying prevention and response.

High quality assessment and evaluation allows us to focus on student progress and outcomes at classroom, school and system levels.  It helps teachers, schools and systems to report on student achievement across points in time, and provide information for parents, trustees and the public about the quality of education. 

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

This retrospective study synthesises findings from 17 national reports about curriculum implementation in early learning services, published over the last 10 years.

This report presents examples of good practice in student engagement and achievement. The examples come from a sample of secondary schools, rated decile 5 or below with rolls of 200 students or more, who had better outcomes for students than other similar schools. ERO visited seven of these schools to find out the secret to their success.

These booklets have been written for everyone who parents a child - those who have care and responsibility for children attending a school. The booklets include questions you can ask, as well as general information that you may find useful. Click on the booklet to read and download.

Your child's education is an overview of education in New Zealand, from early childhood education through to secondary school. The information and questions are a useful insight into what education looks like in New Zealand and the opportunities available to your child.

This national report gives an insight into what Canterbury schools and early childhood services experienced during and after the earthquakes. It tells their stories and gives good advice about emergency planning for others in the education sector.

This national report is one of two reports that present the findings of a 2012 national evaluation about curriculum priorities.

From Education to Employment is about how you and the school can help prepare your child for life beyond school. It will be useful for parents, families, trustees and students at secondary school.

ERO guides for parents have been written for everyone who parents a child - those who have care and responsibility for children attending a school. The booklets include questions you can ask, as well as general information that you may find useful. Click on the booklet to read and download.

This is ERO’s second national evaluation report looking at the extent to which the principles of The New Zealand Curriculum are evident in schools’ curricula and enacted in classrooms. The curriculum principles are intended to be the basis of curriculum decision-making at schools. 

This evaluation also raises questions about the links between implementing a bicultural curriculum and reviewing its impact for Māori children. This is the next step for services that already have strong bicultural curriculum. Reflecting on and questioning the extent to which Māori children experience success as learners is part of the challenge for managers and educators in early childhood services. The findings of this evaluation indicate that many services have some way to go in working with parents and whānau and enabling Māori children to become competent and confident learners.

This report complements ERO’s major evaluation, Partners in Learning: Schools’ Engagement with Parents, Whānau and Communities, published in May 2008. It presents case studies of eight schools, identified during ERO reviews, that were successful in engaging with their parents, whānau and the wider community. The report also discusses key factors that contribute to the success of this engagement.

This 2007 ERO report is to help parents make an informed decision about selecting an early childhood service to suit them and their children. It identifies types of early childhood services and ways in which parents can help their child settle into a service.