Changes we’ve seen in the past 15 years
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Structural
- 2010 - NZQA takes on administration of New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF)
- Focus on modern/innovative learning environments - Planning innovative learning environments (ILEs)
- Disestablishment of Teachers' Council, replaced by Education Council in 2013, changed name to Teaching Council (with revised responsibilities) in 2018
- The Education (Update) Amendment Act 2017 introduces Communities of Learning (COLs) and Communities of Online Learning (CoOLs)
- Formation of Kāhui Ako and clusters - Communities of Learning | Kāhui Ako | Education in New Zealand
- Review of NZ Curriculum, introducing new areas of Digital Technologies and NZ histories, with focus on localised curriculum
- Appointment of Learning Support Coordinators in schools.
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Cultural
- Pathways to the Future – Ngā Huarahi Arataki 2002–2012: A Ten-Year ECE Strategic Plan for Early Childhood Education published by the Labour government
- The Te Kotahitanga professional development programme - Effective Teaching Profile (ETP), 2004-2012
- Equity focus - Success for All – Every School, Every Child - builds on the government’s Review of Special Education 2010
- NZEI Te Riu Roa publishes Quality Public ECE: A Vision for 2020
- Child Youth and Wellbeing Strategy 2019
- He taonga te tamaiti – Every child a taonga: Early learning action plan 2019-2029
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Economic
- 2002 - Pay parity for kindergarten teachers with primary school teachers achieved
- 2004 - Learning Media proved not commercially viable and disestablished
- 2016 - Business leaders push for introduction of programmes for all students to learn digital skills (including coding) to ensure they are prepared for jobs in those areas - leading to introduction of Digital Technologies curriculum content
- 2018 - Government introduces a 'wellbeing' budget - introducing accountability measures for organisations (including schools) that go beyond the traditional 'bottom line' measures.
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Process
- 2002 - School Certificate, University Entrance, Sixth Form Certificate and University Bursary replaced with National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA)
- 2003 - Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) established to enhance the links between educational research and teaching practices to improve outcomes for learners
- 2004 - Kei Tua o Te Pae - narrative assessment in early years
- 2007 - The New Zealand Curriculum is released. Its vision is for "young people who will be confident, connected, actively involved, lifelong learners."
- 2007 - Te Marautanga o Aotearoa is launched. It envisages young Māori with a strong sense of identity as Māori participating actively in the Māori world and gaining a rich base of skills that will offer them a range of career choices
- 2007 - Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success: The Māori Education Strategy 2008–2012 published
- 2008 - Education (National Standards) Amendment Act
- 2009 - Kaupapa Māori assessment framework Te Whatu Pōkeka
- 2010 - Introduction of National Standards by the National Government, disestablished by Labour Government in 2018
- Ka Hikitia – Accelerating Success 2013–2017 published. Builds on Hui Taumata Mātauranga and Ka Hikitia 2008–2012
- 2017 - Te Whāriki - Early childhood curriculum was updated to reflect changes to context, theory, and practice with two curriculum pathways of equal status. The curriculum for ngā kōhanga reoTe Whāriki a te Kōhanga Reo. The update has a stronger focus on bicultural practice, the importance of language, culture, and identity, and the inclusion of all children.
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Technology
- 2006-2009 the Early Childhood Education Information and Communication Technologies Professional Learning (ECE ICT PL) programme.
- 2007 - Introduction of the iPhone, with Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn also beginning in that year - heralding the concept of social media devices that are personally owned, and allow access anywhere and anytime
- 2010 Beginning of the rollout of Ultrafast Broadband (UfB) and Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) across NZ - focus on connecting schools as a priority
- 2012 - Network for Learning (N4L) established as a national provider of managed network services for schools - introduces ‘POND’ as an education platform (formally closed down in 2019)
- 2017 - MOE focus on providing funding for Digital Technologies across sectors and updated technology curriculum content - Digital Technologies in the curriculum / Curriculum learning.
Current and future initiatives that will impact education in Aotearoa New Zealand
Structural
| Initiative | Implications | Links |
|---|---|---|
| Clusters and Kāhui Ako | Incentivising greater collaboration between clusters of education providers with a focus on creating better learning pathways for learners, and improving internal support processes for educators. |
About Kāhui Ako/ |
| Review of Tomorrow’s Schools | Designed to put more frontline support closer to schools to give every child the best chance to succeed, and to create a better balance between local and national responsibilities for school property and network provision. | |
| Creation of an Education Service Agency (ESA) | Part of a redesigned Ministry of Education, to provide more support for principals and school boards, including through a new centre of leadership and local leadership advisor roles, with management of school property simplified and/or transferred to the Ministry to free up boards’ time. |
Beehive Govt: Supporting all schools to succeed |
| Redesign of learning spaces | The government wants to ensure that all New Zealand schools provide quality learning environments by 2030. The industrial classroom is no longer fit for purpose. |
education.govt.nz: Designing learning environments OECD ILE Project: Innovative Learning Environments OECD: The OECD “7+3” framework for Innovative learning environments |
| Giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi | The Education and Training Bill proposes a new clause that sets out the expectations of schools, as well as education agencies, to give practical effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Currently, there is no such clause in the Education Act 1989. If passed into law, this objective is intended to take effect on 1 January 2021. |
Education and Training Bill: Te Tiriti o Waitangi Amending school board’s objectives The Office for Māori Crown Relations: Te Ara Whiti |
Cultural
| Initiative | Implications | Links |
|---|---|---|
| Wellbeing | Wellbeing is important for empowering and equipping individuals to engage with and solve local and global challenges. There has been increased investment for wellbeing support, with specific training also needed for teachers. |
NZCER Nat-Survey-Report 3. Promoting students’ wellbeing CORE Education Blog: Education.govt.nz: Student and Staff health: Wellbeing for staff New Zealand Curriculum Online: Te Whāriki Wellbeing Webinar – Mana whenua/Belonging Ministry of Education: Wellbeing for home and school |
| Culturally responsive practices | Cultural responsiveness is a way of being and of thinking that requires teachers to confront their own personal beliefs and their relationships with learners and communities. The diversity of learners and educational communities makes this an essential capability for teaching. |
Te Whakamānawa: developing cultural competencies in learning communities Culturally responsive leadership / Leadership EDtalks: Culturally-responsive-practice |
| Equity across all areas of the system | Government expanding work to replace school deciles, to look more broadly at what’s needed to ensure all children get the support they need to learn. |
Beehive govt: Focusing school funding on equity for kids TKI: The challenge of equity / Māori education success / Leading change Educational Equity in New Zealand: Successes, Challenges and Opportunities: Prepared by Sarah W. Bolton Education Review Office, MoE: Equity and excellence in student outcomes |
| Focus on addressing cultural bias and racism in education | As part of the Wellbeing Budget (2019), Te Hurihanganui is a new initiative that builds on the success of the previous Te Kotahitanga programme. There is a government investment of $42 million over three years to boost the capability of the education workforce, and to target bias and racism. | |
| Focus on te reo Māori | Investment into new te reo Māori initiatives is intended to increase the use of the language within the education workforce as well as across the public service. |
Maihi Karauna Te Ahu o Te Reo Māori Press release - Minister Davis 15 July 2019 |
| Focus on NZ histories | Introduction of NZ histories, including NZ Māori history, as a distinct part of the NZ Curriculum to be compulsory by 2022. |
Beehive.govt.nz: NZ histories to be taught in all schools Podcast: NZ History - why is it important? |
| Focus on inclusion | Focus on enabling all learners to experience success in the context of a regular learning environment, regardless of any challenges they may have. |
Education.govt: Inclusive education | Education in New Zealand TKI: Inclusive Education |
Economic
| Initiative | Implications | Links |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting the needs of the changing workforce in NZ | Examining how Aotearoa New Zealand can maximise opportunities and manage the risks of disruptive technological change on the future of work and the workforce. |
Productivity.govt: Technological change and the future of work PWC Research: How will automation impact jobs New Zealand among the most prepared countries for the coming waves of automation |
Process
| Initiative | Implications | Links |
|---|---|---|
| Review of NCEA | Strengthening of the national qualification so that it is better valued and respected both in Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas; includes a review of achievement standards, and inclusion of mātauranga Māori. | |
| Education Workforce Strategy | Identification of the mix of professionals, paraprofessionals, and the executive, administrative, and technology support for early learning through to the end of secondary schooling. | |
| Localised curriculum |
Focusing on supporting local schools, kura and Kāhui Ako to use the framework of the NZC as the basis for the design of their local curriculum or marau ā-kura, and the progress and expectations associated with this learning. Proposed updates to Te Marautanga o Aotearoa Māori to more strongly reflect te ao Māori approaches used in Māori-medium kura. |
Strengthening Local Curriculum Kāhui Ako Local Curriculum Design Toolkit Designing rich opportunities and coherent pathways for all learners |
| New Code and professional standards for the teaching profession |
Intended to provide a set of shared aspirations and expectations to guide the teaching profession, and to help raise the status and quality of teaching in Aotearoa New Zealand. |
New Code, New Standards for the Teaching Profession | Education Council |
| Changes to professional learning and development (PLD) |
Greater agency for learning communities to select PLD providers to meet their individual or cluster needs and goals. |
|
| Improving equity in education and success for Māori |
New local and national initiatives to increase engagement and success in education by Māori learners, whānau and iwi. |
Te Mataaho-ā-Iwi - data tool for iwi Press release - Hon Kelvin Davis - 2 Sept 2019 New future Māori leaders programme announced - April 2019 |
Technology
| Initiative | Implications | Links |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Technologies and Hangarau Matihiko |
A greater focus on learners building their skills so they can be innovative creators of digital solutions, moving beyond solely being users and consumers of digital technologies. Includes design, programming, and understanding digital responsibility. Requires public-private collaboration to ensure that learning settings have both the infrastructure to enable digital learning and the job market insight into the technology skills that will be most relevant. |
Digital Technologies in the curriculum / Curriculum learning World Economic Forum: Schools of the Future |
| Focus on strengthening connectivity and services provision for all schools. |
The Government is undertaking a significant IT upgrade to provide more seamless internet access to 200 schools around the country. Te Mana Tūhono – Technology in Schools work programme will launch with a pilot of 10 smaller state schools early in 2020. |
TKI: Classroom internet in hundreds of schools to get a boost |