Our research

This guide is for educators and providers that work with young people in Alternative Education. It shares what we heard from the young people, educators, and providers we talked to in Alternative Education, what we found out about what good provision looks like, and the changes to provision that we are recommending.

We talked to some young people and adults at different Alternative Education places.

Since 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption to schools, their staff, learners, and whānau. Three years on from the start of the pandemic, this report has found significant and concerning ongoing impacts on learners’ progress, particularly for learners in poorer communities, and on teachers and principals.

This guide draws on findings from ERO’s report Long Covid: Ongoing impacts of Covid-19 on schools and learning, providing what we learned from surveying principals, teachers, and learners in 2023.

As New Zealand’s schools become more diverse there is an exciting opportunity to look again at what we teach and how we teach. Many schools are already changing to embrace diverse ethnicities, but more change will be needed. This summary of our Long-Term Insights Briefing highlights options for change to make Aotearoa New Zealand a great place to learn for our children and young people from ethnic communities.

ERO looked at how education is meeting the needs of learners from ethnic communities and how schools can embrace increasing ethnic diversity. In this guide we share findings from our research, as well some practical things that school leaders and teachers can do to support better inclusion of learners from ethnic communities.

While there are a range of factors that impact on attendance, our research shows that some are more important than others. This report sets out the drivers of attendance that have the biggest impact on whether learners go to school regularly. These include parents’ attitudes, learners’ attitudes, and how learners experience school.  

Teacher aides can make a real difference for learners. They have a wide range of valued roles and responsibilities, and can enhance learner outcomes by drawing on positive relationships, good training, collaborative practices, and cultural expertise. ERO was commissioned by the Ministry of Education and NZEI Te Riu Roa to find out what good teacher aide practice and support looks like. This summary gives an overview of what we learnt.

Teacher aides in Aotearoa New Zealand have a wide range of valued roles and responsibilities. We know that they can enhance learner outcomes by drawing on positive relationships, good training, collaborative practices, and cultural expertise. This report looks at what good teacher aide practice and support looks like and sets out four key areas of teacher aide practice that make a difference for learners – as well as what schools can do to set teacher aides up for success.

Teacher aides have a wide range of valued roles and responsibilities. They enhance learner outcomes by drawing on positive relationships, good training, collaborative practices, and cultural expertise. This guide shares practical strategies and insights for classroom teachers, to help you work alongside teacher aides to make a real difference for learners, together.

This guide will help school board members understand the diverse role of teacher aides, and the specific ways that teacher aides need to be supported by schools to make the most difference for learners.

Teacher aides have a wide range of valued roles and responsibilities, and the quality of their practice makes a big difference for learners. Teacher aides can enhance learner outcomes by drawing on positive relationships, good training, collaborative practices, and cultural expertise. This guide shares practical strategies and insights for teacher aides, to inspire and improve their everyday practice.

This guide shares practical strategies and insights for principals, Special Education Needs Coordinators, Learning Support Coordinators, and other school leaders, to help you work with teacher aides to make a real difference for learners, together.

Aotearoa New Zealand is becoming more ethnically diverse, and this is changing quickly. It is critical that education meets the needs of all our children. This report finds that many learners from ethnic communities are succeeding in education but encounter racism, isolation, and lack of cultural understanding. We must achieve significant change if Aotearoa New Zealand is to be a great place to learn for children and young people from ethnic communities.

Aotearoa New Zealand is becoming more ethnically diverse, and this change is fast. It is critical that education meets the needs of all our children and this draft summary for consultation looks at the experiences of learners from ethnic communities, and considers what is needed to better support them in the future.  

Going to school is critical for our children’s futures. The evidence is clear that every day of school matters – missing school leads to lower achievement. Aotearoa New Zealand has lower attendance than other countries and, alarmingly, attendance is falling. This short summary looks at some of the reasons why.

Going to school is critical for our children’s futures. The evidence is clear that every day of school matters, missing school leads to lower achievement.  In New Zealand, learners are expected to attend school every day the school is open. And yet many don’t. New Zealand has lower attendance than other countries and alarmingly attendance is falling.

Quality early childhood education (ECE) affects how well disabled children do at school and in life – from academic achievement and earning potential, to health and wellbeing.

The Education Review Office (ERO), in partnership with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) and the Office for Disability Issues (ODI), looked at how well the education system is supporting disabled learners in schools. We found that we need to improve education for disabled learners so they can thrive. This report describes what we found and what is needed to significantly improve education for these priority learners.

Receiving a quality education, from early childhood education (ECE) through to secondary school, positively affects how well all children and young people do at school and in life – from academic achievement and earning potential to health and wellbeing. Education is even more critical for disabled learners. When disabled learners receive a quality, inclusive education they are more likely to achieve better outcomes, to complete secondary schooling and to go on to further study and employment.