Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success 2008-2012

Rationale

It's essential for children to develop strong learning foundations early in life to learn successfully throughout their schooling and beyond. Successful learning in the early years is a prerequisite if they are to remain engaged and achieving in education as they progress through the system.

Evidence shows that high-quality interactions in the home and in education settings lead to effective learning for young children. It also shows that regular, high-quality early childhood education has lasting benefits for children well into secondary school.

Te Whāriki: He Whāriki Mātauranga mō ngā Mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early Childhood Curriculum provides the foundation for learning in early childhood education services. Like Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success: The Māori Education Strategy 2008-2012, it supports ako (effective teaching and learning based on reciprocal relationships and incorporating the people and contexts of children’s wider lives).

Successful transitions to school require effective support for the changes and new expectations for children, whānau and educators. The transition to school and the first years at school have a significant influence on children’s achievement until at least age 14. This influence is especially marked for those from poorer backgrounds and has a strong effect on early leaving in secondary school. This early learning has high significance for effectively engaging youth in education in their teenage years.

The evidence makes it clear that by the end of Year 1, literacy achievement for many Māori children is lower than for any other ethnic group, even where the starting point was similar. Research also shows that teacher expectations are often lower for Māori children in Year 1. Early literacy difficulties generally persist and lead to further issues, such as difficulty learning other school subjects and attitudinal and behavioural challenges.

The focus on Foundation Years acknowledges that an effective transition to school for Māori students and their whānau, and gaining early literacy and numeracy skills, are essential for engagement and achievement throughout schooling, further education and life. (Source: Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success: The Māori Education Strategy 2008-2012, page 21.)

Priorities

Priorities for action are ensuring:

• participation in high-quality early childhood education
• effective transitions to school
• strong early literacy and numeracy foundations
• effective home-school partnerships focused on learning.

Goals

Continue to increase Māori children’s participation in early childhood education by:

• Strengthening national communications and engagement campaigns and programmes to promote early childhood education participation to whānau and support them to make informed choices about early childhood education options.
• Focusing Ministry of Education resources on establishing new community-based early childhood education services with whānau, iwi and Māori in areas of low early childhood education participation.
• Reviewing and focus the Promoting Early Childhood Education Participation Project to increase demand by whānau in areas of lowest participation.

Improve the quality of early childhood experiences and education services attended by Māori children by:

• Establishing evaluative reviews of the quality of provision for Māori children in early childhood education services.
• Reviewing referral and assessment systems to ensure equitable access for Māori children to quality special education early intervention services.
• Strengthening regulatory processes for licensing early childhood education services that better reflect quality provision for Māori.
• Integrating the best evidence of what works for, and with, Māori children into all early childhood education professional development programmes to support effective teaching and learning.
• Increasing support for, and with, Māori whānau and their children to access support and intervention programmes as early as possible for children with special education needs between birth and 5 years.

Strengthen the quality of provision by Māori language early childhood education services by:

• Developing an agreed set of outcomes that define Ministry of Education support for Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust to provide national leadership to kōhanga reo.
• Supporting teachers in Māori language early childhood education services to upgrade their qualifications to meet teacher registration requirements.
• Developing exemplars of what quality looks like in Māori language early childhood education services to support teaching and learning quality.
• Investing in research and development initiatives that gather evidence to support continuous improvement in Māori language early childhood education centres.

Improve transitions to school by:

• Supporting whānau and their children to make an effective transition to school through the provision of resources and information programmes to whānau.
• Developing a ‘transition toolkit’ and, through professional development, support teachers in early childhood education and schools to work with whānau and improve the transition from early childhood education to school for, and with, Māori students.
• Establishing evaluative reviews to report on the effectiveness of the transition to school for Māori children as a priority in 2008-2009 and 2009-2010.
• Supporting schools to use the best evidence about effective teaching and learning in early childhood education settings to influence quality teaching in the first years of school.

Improve teaching and learning literacy and numeracy for Māori students in their first years of school by:

• Reviewing Reading Recovery funding to ensure equitable access at a national level to students with the greatest needs.
• Extending provision of the Literacy Professional Development Programme (LPDP), with a focus on students at Years 1 and 2 in schools with a higher proportion of Māori students and ensure that the focus on literacy in Years 1 and 2 is supported by regional ministry Literacy Development Officers.
• Developing an equivalent LPDP literacy programme for, and with, Māori-medium settings.
• Developing an ‘early years’ assessment tool for literacy learning in Years 1-4 to support teachers to set clear expectations of student progressions in literacy.
• Focussing schooling improvement initiatives on literacy achievement at Years 1-4 in decile 1 to 3 schools.
• Continuing to strengthen numeracy development for, and with, Māori students in Years 1 and 2.
• Integrating the best evidence of what works for, and with, Māori students into all professional development programmes.

Strengthen the participation of Māori whānau in their children’s learning in the early years at school by:

• Integrating evidence that supports involving whānau in the teaching and learning process into all professional development contracts, evaluations and quality teaching and leadership programmes.
• Strengthening home-school literacy partnerships by supporting schools to identify and access effective home-based literacy programmes, for example, the Reading Together programme.
• Supporting effective whānau participation in implementing the New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa in 2008 to 10.
• Developing a home-based literacy programme to support whānau with children in Māori-medium education.
• Using existing communications programmes and other resources to clarify what whānau can expect quality early childhood education services and schools to provide in terms of teaching and learning, and their rights and responsibilities as parents and whānau.
• Through the iwi partnerships programme, supporting iwi to build the capacity of hapū and whānau to engage and participate in early childhood education and early years schooling.

Targets to achieve success

• Increase the percentage of Māori new entrant school children who have participated in early childhood education from 90% in 2006 to 95% by 2012.
• Increase the mean reading scores in Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) for Māori Year 5 students by 7% by 2011.
• Increase the proportion of Māori learners in English-medium achieving at Stage 4 or above on the number framework by the end of Year 2 to be equal to or better than the proportion of non-Māori by 2015 in schools involved in in-depth professional development.

Outcomes we will see in 5 years

• Māori 3- and 4-year-olds are participating in early childhood education at the same levels as non-Māori.
• Early childhood education services promote and reinforce Māori cultural distinctiveness in the context of their teaching and learning environments.
• A significant increase in qualified Māori teachers in early childhood education services.
• Early childhood education and schools support Māori children and whānau to make successful transitions to school.
• Māori children are achieving in literacy and numeracy at the national norm by the end of their first 2 years at school.
• Whānau have the support, programmes, information and tools they need to contribute to their children’s early learning.
• Iwi are influencing the quality and accessibility of early childhood education services and schools.

Rationale

While most of our young people are achieving at levels comparable to the best in the world, more of our students aged 14-18 have disengaged from the education system than in many other comparable countries. A disproportionately large number are Māori youth.

Ensuring Māori youth are present, engaged and achieving in their first years at secondary school (Years 9 and 10) is a prerequisite to ensuring that they remain engaged and progress through secondary school. This is vital if they are to gain essential qualifications and move on to further education or training that will enable them to contribute to Aotearoa New Zealand’s economic transformation and the communities of which they are a part.

Truancy, suspension and expulsion data clearly show that many schools are not successfully engaging Māori students in the first years of secondary school (Years 9 and 10). Nationally, 45% of Māori students left school without reaching a level 1 qualification in 2006. The percentage in some regions is higher.

While disengagement from learning occurs for some Māori students at earlier stages of primary schooling (particularly Years 7 and 8) and this needs more investigation, evidence suggests that disengagement escalates significantly in Years 9 and 10. Evidence also shows decreases in boys’ performance and attitudes at age 14 compared with age 12, particularly for Māori and Pasifika boys. This escalation in disengagement coincides with emerging adolescence as well as the transition to secondary schooling.

There are also success stories from schools that have taken up the challenge to confront their beliefs and work to better respond to Māori students and achieve shared goals alongside whānau and iwi. The successes show significant gains in Māori students’ achievement as a result of changed teaching attitudes and practices. Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success: The Māori Education Strategy 2008-2012 focuses on expanding such successes across the system.

Much research shows that student engagement and achievement improves when teachers develop positive teaching and learning relationships with Māori students and when principals demonstrate professional leadership in relation to teaching and learning.

Peer culture also has a significant influence on presence, engagement and achievement at school. During adolescence, peers can have more influence than whānau on behaviour and attitudes. Schools have a critical role in helping students to positively support each other and their decision-making.

When students and whānau have appropriate information and advice early on in secondary school, they can better plan for and make decisions about subject choices, National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) qualifications, and future education and career pathways.

Research clearly demonstrates the benefits of staying at school for longer and gaining qualifications. This is fundamental to ‘Māori enjoying education success as Māori’ and to the success of Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Tertiary Education Strategy 2007-2012 acknowledges that a concerted effort in the early years at secondary school is critical for later success. While Māori students are well represented in tertiary foundation level courses and gain certificates and diplomas, their study is often concentrated in areas they should have achieved in compulsory schooling. Although these level 1-3 tertiary courses are a prerequisite for further learning, they're not sufficient by themselves to provide strong benefits to students or the economy. A goal of the Tertiary Education Strategy 2007-2012 is, therefore, to have more people achieving qualifications at level 4 and above by age 25.

To increase the number of Māori students achieving qualifications at level 4 and above by age 25, the number achieving university entrance at school must be increased. Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success sets the conditions for this by focusing on ensuring more Māori students remain engaged in early secondary school and can progress successfully to upper secondary and gain essential qualifications.

(Source: Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success: The Māori Education Strategy 2008-2012, page 23.)

Priorities

Priorities for action are ensuring:

• effective teaching and learning for Māori students in Year 9 and 10
• effective professional development and accountable leadership
• increased student involvement in and responsibility for decision-making about future education pathways
• improved whānau-school partnerships focused on presence, engagement and achievement.

Goals

Increase the effectiveness of teaching and learning for Māori students in Year 9 and 10 by:

• Integrating the best evidence of what works for, and with, Māori students into all professional development programmes.
• Working with the New Zealand Teachers Council to set initial teacher education standards that increase effective teaching and learning for, and with, Māori students.
• Investigating the provision of language learning support for Māori students transferring from Māori-medium to English-medium schooling.
• Undertaking an analysis of the effectiveness of particular professional development programmes that show significant improvements in Māori student achievement and extend those programmes to all Year 9 and 10 teachers in schools with high proportions of Māori students.
• Requiring all professional development evaluations to identify the effectiveness of professional development in improving outcomes for, and with, Māori.

Support professional leaders to take responsibility for Māori students’ presence, engagement and achievement by:

• Implementing the Kiwi Leadership for Principals programme, with a specific focus on improving Māori student presence, engagement and achievement.
• Focussing professional leadership development on improving Māori student presence, engagement and achievement.
• Ensuring better sharing of best practice by high-performing professional leaders who are improving Māori student presence, engagement and achievement.
• Strengthening school planning and reporting processes by increasing the expectation that schools will have an explicit focus on Māori student presence, engagement and achievement.
• Strengthening the National Administration Guidelines requiring all schools to set goals in their charters for improving Māori student presence, engagement and achievement.

Improve support for Year 9 and 10 Māori students to make decisions about future education pathways by:

• Collaborating with Career Services and other agencies to build on existing career decision-making work with Māori. Consider and pilot new approaches to support Māori students and their whānau to make decisions about future education choices. Evaluate the effectiveness of these approaches.
• Increasing parental and whānau understanding of NCEA and the choices necessary for building useful qualifications.

Support Māori students to stay at school and stay engaged in learning by:

• Strengthening existing communications programmes with whānau and highlight the benefits of attending school regularly and that staying at school for longer leads to better learning outcomes for their children.
• Developing best practice guidelines for student engagement, based on evidence and support schools to share information with one another and their Māori communities.
• Providing schools with resources to increase their capability to analyse and use student attendance data to strengthen student engagement practices.
• Identifying schools with high early leaving exemptions and implement strategies at Year 9 and 10 to ensure that students remain engaged in education.
• Investigating strategies to support engagement and achievement of Māori students in Year 7 and 8 to determine future policy priorities.
• Supporting schools to include student voices in school improvement decisions by developing innovative Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) tools.
• Sharpening actions and strategies to ensure that Māori students stay at school and are engaging in successful learning that leads to meaningful achievement.
• Sharpening strategies across the education sector and wider government agencies for realising the potential of Māori students, particularly boys.

Targets to achieve success

• Increase Māori school leavers qualified to attend university from 14.8% in 2006 to 30% by 2012.
• Improve the proportion of Year 11 Māori students achieving the reading literacy and numeracy criteria for NCEA level 1 from 59.4% in 2006 to be equal to or better than the proportion of non-Māori by 2012.
• Increase Māori school leavers with NCEA level 2 or above from 36.7% in 2006 to 55% by 2012.
• Reduce the truancy rate of Māori students in Years 9 and 10 by 20% from 4.1% in 2006 to 3.3% by 2012.
• Increase retention rates for 17½-year-old Māori students from 39.1% in 2007 to 50% by 2012.
• Increase the proportion of Māori participating in modern apprenticeships from 14% in 2006 to 18% by 2012.
• Increase the proportion of Māori school leavers entering tertiary education at level 4 or above within 2 years of leaving school, from 28% in 2004 to 32% by 2012.
• Increase the first-year degree programme retention rate for 18 to 19-year-old Māori students from 81% in 2006 (based on the 2005 cohort) to 88% in 2012 (based on the 2011 cohort).
• Increase the first-year diploma level retention rate for 18 to 19-year-old Māori students from 54% in 2006 (based on the 2005 cohort) to 58% in 2012 (based on the 2011 cohort).

Outcomes we will see in 5 years

• Teachers are engaged in professional development that enables them to establish effective teaching and learning relationships with Māori students, which leads to improved student engagement, and achievement.
• Principals are leading and supporting professional development and can account for their school’s performance in lifting Māori student presence, engagement, and achievement.
• Māori students are at school, engaged and active in school life. They are gaining stronger foundation literacy and numeracy competencies and higher-level qualifications.
• Year 9 and 10 Māori students and their whānau have the relevant information, tools, and support to identify their gifts and interests and to make sound decisions about future education choices.
• Māori student voices are contributing to school improvement practices.

This focus area covers the teaching and learning of, and through, te reo Māori in the variety of settings for te reo Māori, including English-medium and Māori-medium education.

It was previously called Māori Language Education. The change in the name of this focus area has been made to better reflect the variety of options for the teaching and learning of te reo Māori.

The priorities, goals, actions, targets and outcomes within this focus area remain unchanged.

Rationale

As an official language and taonga of Aotearoa New Zealand, te reo Māori offers unique academic, cultural, educational, economic, social and linguistic benefits for all New Zealanders. This vibrant language supports the development and celebration of our national identity, enhances the mana whenua of our indigenous people and contributes to a creative and successful economy.

International research shows definite benefits of speaking more than one language. These benefits include the ability to think more creatively and laterally, an appreciation of differing world views, a stronger sense of self and cultural identity and an enhanced ability to participate in more than one culture.

All Māori language learning opportunities, including learning te reo Māori in English-medium schools and tertiary settings, contribute to these outcomes.

The important role of whānau in teaching and learning te reo Māori is included as a key role for whānau in the government’s Māori Language Strategy and this can be further supported by the sector-wide implementation of Ka Hikitia — Managing for Success.

The Māori language education sector emerged in its current form in the 1980s, led by the establishment of kōhanga reo and followed by kura kaupapa Māori, wharekura and whare wānanga. These kaupapa Māori pathways were driven by Māori who identified an urgent need to revitalise and strengthen te reo Māori and to enable more Māori to grow up with a sense of ‘being Māori’ with greater opportunities to participate in te Ao Māori.

In little more than 25 years, the sector has grown extensively, increasing the number of te reo Māori speakers and providing Māori learners with the opportunity to speak te reo Māori and more fully participate and succeed in Māori society both in Aotearoa New Zealand and on the international stage. Since 2001, 100,000 learners enrolled in te reo Māori courses in tertiary education providers.

Challenges facing Māori language education providers in immersion and other settings include the shortage of qualified teachers, the need for a greater range of teaching and learning resources and ensuring the provision of high-quality teaching practice across the sector. Establishment processes for Māori-medium schools need to better support community aspirations and access to high-quality Māori-medium education options.

There are currently no overarching outcomes to guide investment in Māori language education. The Māori Language Education Outcomes Framework being developed by the Ministry of Education will identify government investment priorities for Māori language education over the next 10 years for both Māori-medium and English-medium education. It is underpinned by requirements to strengthen processes to establish kura and wharekura, increase the number of quality teachers who are proficient in te reo Māori and able to effectively teach the curriculum in Māori, and strengthen partnerships with iwi and other Māori education groups to improve Māori children’s educational achievement.

Māori students in Māori immersion and bilingual schools have a lower rate of stand-downs, unjustified absences and truancy than Māori in English-medium schools. This suggests these learning environments are particularly conducive to ensuring Māori educational success. The latest achievement data on Māori immersion education also show some promising pockets of success, with some students achieving NCEA qualifications at rates that surpass their English-medium education peers. The task is to extend these pockets of success across the Māori language education sector and establish a robust, high-quality network of providers to make this option more accessible to Māori youth.

The international research on bilingual and immersion education clearly indicates that a high level of immersion is beneficial for revitalising te reo Māori. Māori-medium providers facilitate such intensive learning.

Kōhanga reo, kura kaupapa, wharekura, and wānanga involve much more than immersion in Māori language. These Māori language education providers operate within a specific cultural framework and iwitanga. They play a key role in realising community aspirations and dynamically continuing and regenerating tikanga, mātauranga and te reo Māori.

Wānanga have encouraged tertiary education participation for many Māori adults not previously engaged in formal education. Until 1999, Māori students were under-represented in tertiary education. Now, Māori have the highest participation rate of all ethnic groups in Aotearoa New Zealand. The challenge going forward is to ensure more Māori students' progress to higher levels of tertiary education.

The Tertiary Education Strategy 2007-2012 acknowledges the vital role of the tertiary education sector in the revitalisation of tikanga, mātauranga and te reo Māori through teaching and research, as well as through the professional training and development of teachers.

The Tertiary Education Strategy 2007-2012 supports strengthening the distinctive contribution of wānanga as well as strengthening requirements for all tertiary providers to be accountable for their Māori students’ achievement and for addressing the aspirations of the providers’ communities, including iwi. For example, Māori organisations and iwi are developing and managing their assets to gain economic benefits for Māori, as well as for New Zealand. Tertiary education providers are contributing to this success through developing knowledge and technologies that make the most of Māori innovation and enterprise.

(Source: Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success: The Māori Education Strategy 2008-2012, page 25.)

Priorities

Priorities for action are ensuring:

• strong establishment processes for Māori-medium schools
• effective teaching and learning of and through te reo Māori
• strengthening the supply of quality teachers
• building the evidence base for mātauranga Māori.

Goals

Kura are established so that they're viable, sustainable and have quality teaching and learning environments and the supply/network of kura and wharekura matches demand over the long term by:

• Reviewing processes for the establishment of kura to ensure funding, teaching, learning resources and support provide the best conditions for teaching and learning.
• Strengthening the processes to enable whānau, hapū and iwi involvement in the establishment of kura and wharekura.

Increase effective teaching and learning of and through te reo Māori by:

• Developing and implement a strand within the Kiwi Leadership for Principals programme to support principals in Māori-medium education to lead the learning in their kura.
• Supporting the implementation of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and the development of relevant resources.
• Supporting decision-making by whānau with information about quality provision in Māori language education options.
• Strengthening professional development approaches and the range of assessment tools to lift the quality of teaching and assessment in Māori-medium education.
• Consolidating and build evidence around second language teaching to enhance the effectiveness of professional development programmes and lift the quality of teaching te reo Māori as a second language.
• Supporting Māori-medium providers to develop local resources for local needs.
• Exploring using ICT to support Māori language teaching and learning.

Increase the number of quality Māori teachers proficient in te reo Māori by:

• Working with the New Zealand Teachers Council to set standards to improve the quality of initial Māori-medium teacher education.
• Working with the Tertiary Education Commission to increase access and options available for teacher training in immersion education.
• Revising incentives and scholarships to attract and retain quality teachers in Māori-medium settings.
• Supporting schools to develop a 5-year plan for teachers, linked to Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori proficiency levels, to meet the graduating standards for te reo Māori set by the New Zealand Teachers Council.
• Strengthening the range of programmes and incentives for schools so teachers can engage in high-quality professional development to improve their proficiency in te reo Māori.

Develop a strategic Māori Language Education Outcomes Framework that supports a strategic investment approach by:

• Developing and implement a policy framework to inform investment priorities for Māori language education over the next 10 years.

Increase visibility of te reo Māori in nationwide media and schools to promote the currency and relevance of te reo Māori by:

• Increasing the visibility of te reo Māori across children’s television programmes on weeknights by partnering with Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori and working with Television New Zealand through its state charter.
• Supporting state schools to look for more opportunities for te reo Māori to be visible.

Strengthen Māori language education research by:

• Ensuring that a Māori language education focus is integral to developing a Ministry of Education research and development strategy.
• Strengthening links with other research agencies and tertiary institutions to build knowledge of mātauranga Māori further.
• Facilitating and support iwi to continue research and development of mātauranga Māori.

Targets to achieve success

• Increase the proportion of school leavers from Māori immersion and bilingual schools with university entrance or above from 39.4% in 2006 to be as equal to or better than the proportion of non-Māori English-medium students by 2012.
• Increase the proportion of all Year 11 students studying Te Reo Rangatira as a proportion of all Year 11 students studying te reo (Te Reo Māori plus Te Reo Rangatira) from 7.4% in 2006 to 10% by 2012.
• Keep the current participation rate of all (primary and secondary) students engaged in Māori language education at 21%.

Outcomes we will see in 5 years

• There is a coherent approach to investment in Māori language education.
• More kura are viable and sustainable and able to offer quality teaching and learning.
• There are more quality teachers in Māori language education, and more are supported by effective leadership. They benefit from a coherent professional development and assessment strategy and use relevant resources to support effective teaching and learning.
• Iwi partnerships are assisting whānau, hapū and iwi to participate in and determine effective education provision for, and with, Māori students.
• More people in Aotearoa New Zealand society recognise and value te reo Māori and tikanga Māori.
• Māori education research is strengthened, leading to mātauranga Māori knowledge creation for innovation in education policy and practice.

Rationale

This focus area recognises that the effectiveness of Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success: The Māori Education Strategy 2008-2012 depends on how all staff within the Ministry and other agencies incorporate it in their daily work.

The Ministry is focusing on stronger ownership, accountability and leadership through its relationships across government, particularly with other education agencies and the education sector. To do this, the Ministry needs stronger links with other Government agencies including:

• Education Review Office
• Tertiary Education Commission
• New Zealand Qualifications Authority
• Career Services
• The Correspondence School
• New Zealand Teachers Council
• Te Puni Kōkiri.

The Ministry is focusing on facilitating greater understanding of Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success and aligning all iwi and Māori organisation partnership education plans with the strategy. The Ministry will implement Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success by better communicating with, and providing information for, iwi and Māori education groups and through its relationships with iwi Māori and by developing new ways of working together.

Sharing the responsibility for lifting system performance for and with Māori means having confident people. The Ministry is investing in its staff to improve their confidence, capability and ability to connect with Māori, so they know why, where and how to focus work to get the best outcomes for Māori students. An annual staff survey will be used to identify staff views, confidence and working practices as one measurement tool for this goal.

Realising the goals of Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success primarily depends on better using and acting on evidence of what works for and with Māori in all of the Ministry’s work. This means making research evidence on what works for, and with, Māori easily accessible by staff. It also means using feedback from iwi and Māori education groups to inform the Ministry’s work on Māori student achievement.

Responsibility brings with its accountability. The Ministry is focusing on increasing accountability for outcomes through performance management and business planning within the Ministry.

The ongoing monitoring and reporting of data against outcomes and priorities for Māori students in Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success now enables the Ministry (and the education sector) to focus more clearly on what works for, and with, Māori and to use the latest evidence to re-adjust Government investments and support continuous improvement. Ngā Haeata Matauranga: The Annual Report on Māori Education shows Ministry activity and provides this evidence and data.

(Source: Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success: The Māori Education Strategy 2008-2012, page 26.)

Priorities

Priorities for action are ensuring:

• strong leadership in Māori education across the Ministry of Education and the education sector
• more confident ministry people working closely with Māori
• increased Ministry accountability for outcomes
• use of evidence of what makes the greatest difference for, and with Māori.

Goals

Provide strong leadership among government agencies for Māori education by:

• Incorporating Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success priorities into Ministry of Education priorities and all agreements with other agencies for their activities and services.

Enable the Ministry to be better informed and to communicate better with the education sector and within the Ministry itself by:

• Developing and implement communications strategies to increase effective sharing of information that will lead to a step-up in the performance of the education system for, and with, Māori students.
• Strengthening Ministry leadership and relationships across government and across the education sector, emphasising the importance of making substantial educational gains for, and with, Māori students a priority.

Build the Ministry’s capacity and confidence to lift performance for, and with, Māori by:

• Developing and implement a Māori human resources strategy to build the Ministry’s capacity, confidence and capability.
• Creating more opportunities for Ministry staff to work with Māori teams within the Ministry and stakeholders and build the capability of managers to be effective in bringing about change for, and with, Māori.

Embed Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success in all Ministry business planning processes and documents by:

• Developing tools and processes to support business planning which leads to improved outcomes for, and with, Māori students.
• Strengthening monitoring and reporting processes on improvements in the education system for, and with, Māori students.

Use evidence deliberately to focus decisions and investments on what works for, and with, Māori students by:

• Focussing research and evaluation on student achievement rather than the implementation of programmes, and improve the use of evidence for developing policy.
• Strengthening Ngā Haeata Mātauranga: the Annual Report on Māori Education to report on improvements in the education system for, and with, Māori and develop additional approaches to share evidence and progress.

Continue to invest in relationships with iwi Māori, and other Māori education groups by:

• Supporting developing and implementing iwi and Māori organisation partnership education plans that align with the priorities of Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success.

Targets to achieve success

• Include, as a priority, a reference to improving Māori student outcomes in Ministry letters of agreement with other agencies.
• All staff have learning and development opportunities on using evidence of what works for, and with, Māori.
• Make research evidence on what works for, and with, Māori students easily accessible by staff.
• Include a commitment to use evidence to focus decisions and investments on what works for, and with, Māori in all staff performance agreements.
• Include a commitment to increase the use, knowledge and understanding of te reo and tikanga Māori in all staff performance agreements.
• Implement the Iwi Relationships Framework in 2008.
• Use Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success to identify priorities in all business plans.
• Targets and measures yet to be developed are to build the Ministry’s capacity and confidence to lift performance for Māori students.
• Measures of Organisational Success will be finalised to enable the Ministry to be better informed and to communicate better with the education sector and within the Ministry itself.
• Targets and measures will be informed by the outcomes of an annual staff survey once finalised.

Outcomes we will see in 5 years

• The Ministry is strengthening its approach to using evidence to make decisions.
• There are more capable and confident people working in the Ministry who are able to step up system performance for, and with, Māori.
• Each individual and each business unit has identified how they can give effect to Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success and is monitoring and reporting on outcomes for Māori students.
• The Ministry is better informed, inter-connected both within and across the education sector and is sharing better information that is relevant to improving outcomes for, and with, Māori.