Our research

Children and young people who are placed in Oranga Tamariki residential care are among the most at risk of poor outcomes later in life. Education can change that.  This report looks at the quality of education for students in Oranga Tamariki Care and Protection and Youth Justice residences and how it can be improved.

This short guide is for leaders and teachers that work with students in residential care. It draws from our report Learning in Residential Care, ‘They knew I wanted to learn’, sharing what we heard when we looked at the quality of education in Oranga Tamariki residential care, what research tells us about good education provision for these students, and actions leaders and teachers can take to strengthen teaching and learning in residential care.

This short guide is for social workers that work with students in residential care. It draws from our report Learning in Residential Care, ‘They knew I wanted to learn’, sharing what we heard when we looked at the quality of education in Oranga Tamariki residential care, what research tells us about good education provision for these students, and actions social workers can take to strengthen teaching and learning in residential care.

ERO looked at the quality of education for students in Oranga Tamariki Care and Protection and Youth Justice residences. During this, ERO talked to students about their learning in residential care. This short and easy to read guide is aimed at students in residential care and contains information on what students like them told us about their learning.

This short guide is for parents and whānau of students in residential care. It draws from our report Learning in Residential Care, ‘They knew I wanted to learn’, sharing what we heard when we looked at the quality of education in Oranga Tamariki residential care, what research tells us about good education provision for these students, and actions whānau can take to support students’ learning in residential care.

Children and young people who are placed in Oranga Tamariki residential care are among the most at risk of poor outcomes later in life. The education students receive in residence has the power to change their lives. ERO reviewed how well education is going in these settings. This summary describes what we found and our recommendations. This accompanies the full report Learning in residential care: They knew I wanted to learn.

New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki, was updated in April, 2017. Te Whāriki (2017) reflects the changes in theory, practice and early learning contexts that have occurred over the last 20 years. ERO is undertaking a series of evaluations focused on the implementation of Te Whāriki in early learning services from mid-2017 until the end of 2019.

The Education Review Office (ERO) has released the latest in its Teaching Strategies that Work series. “Keeping children engaged and achieving in reading” is a description of strategies used by primary schools which have significantly improved their students’ achievement in reading.

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 Education Review Office (ERO) report is one of a series of reports on teaching strategies that work. It features strategies and approaches that we observed in 40 primary schools selected from across New Zealand. These schools came from a database of 129 schools, all with rolls of 200 or more, in which the proportion of students in the upper primary years (Years 5 to 8) achieving at or above the national standard had increased. In each case achievement levels were also above average for the decile.

This evaluation looks at teaching approaches and strategies used in schools where there has been a significant increase in the number of students at or above National Standards in the upper primary school years (Years 5 to 8). We wanted to learn more about any short-term interventions or long-term strategies that may have been influential in bringing about these positive achievement trajectories. We have shared and discussed our findings from some of the 40 schools we visited.

ERO evaluated how well 35 secondary schools were using Vocational Pathways. While most schools knew about and were using the pathways, they were not fully realising the initiative’s potential. Vocational Pathways can be a valued part of a school’s curriculum for all students when used as more than just an add-on to careers education or course selection processes.  

This guide describes how children can be supported to become confident and capable mathematical learners in the early 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.

This good practice report presents examples from five early childhood services where priorities for children’s learning were well considered and reflected on.

This report discusses secondary schools where Pacific learners are achieving at or above the national norms for all students. It includes details of initiatives and good practice and how these work together to get great results.

ERO has released a series of reports about the National Standards since their introduction in 2010. This latest report focuses on eight schools that are working well with the standards. 

In 2011, ERO evaluated the quality of science teaching and learning, its place within the curriculum and its relationship to literacy and numeracy teaching. The evaluation focused on Years 5 to 8 in 100 schools. This report documents the findings of this evaluation.