Ensuring the tide lifts all boats: Improving quality and equity in schools across New Zealand

David Haugh, Axel Purwin and Paulo Santiago

No 1816, OECD Economics Department Working Papers from OECD Publishing

Abstract: The education policy framework and New Zealand’s autonomous school system have many strengths and centres of excellence. New Zealand has a deep pool of highly talented and motivated teaching professionals, but the system is performing below potential. Student achievement is declining and equity is not improving, and outcomes are too variable even in the same school. Many of the support elements are lacking, including a sufficiently detailed curriculum, efficient assessment tools, specialist subject teaching practice and curriculum implementation advice, and initial teacher education tailored to the unique demands the system imposes. The Ministry of Education’s operational capacity was pared back too far. Many improvements can be made without increasing total spending. The Ministry should continue to develop its operational support capacities. The government should better spread best practices, and continue efforts to provide a detailed curriculum, an assessment system and education of teachers and training for boards and principals better informed by data, evaluations, education research and the expertise of the system’s experienced actors.

Keywords: early childhood; education; New Zealand; primary; secondary (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H52 I20 I21 I22 I24 I26 I28 I29 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-08-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-ure
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