Meeting Educational Needs of Māori Students
Introduction
This section is to help principals improve Māori educational achievement through:
- actively
supporting Māori self-determination (tino rangatiratanga) over Māori education programmes
- developing
a comprehensive strategy on Māori education that reflects Māori goals and
priorities (Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership)
- supporting kaupapa Māori education
- promoting
improved funding and resources for Māori education including appropriate preservice and inservice teacher education programmes to
produce qualified Māori-speaking
teachers
- implementing programmes that will maximise Maori leadership opportunities within the school.
Responsibilities
- Is your school involved in the Māori community?
- Is the Māori community involved in your school?
If you answer yes to both questions, this information will support
your hard work.
If you answer no to either question, this information will assist you
in developing and implementing Māori education
programmes for your school.
The Education Act provides for learning in and through Māori and for consultation with Māori communities.
But your legal responsibilities to Māori students and their communities should not be the only reason for developing Māori education programmes in your school.
In the foreword to the 1995 Ten Point Plan, the Secretary of the Ministry
of Education pointed to a widening gap between Māori and non-Māori educational achievement. Most
commentators on Māori education know this to
be true and can point to supporting evidence.
A major task for principals is, in consultation with the school's Mäori community, to develop and make known to the
school's community policies, plans and targets for improving the achievement
of Mäori students (see NAG1( v)).
As principal you are a key player in providing opportunities for the Mäori community to become actively involved in helping
the school meet the educational needs of Mäori students and facilitating a process of reporting to students and parents on
the achievements of Mäori student's against your
plans and targets (See NAG2 (iii)).
The following framework will assist you in this.
Developing
a Māori policy
An initial step towards Māori policy
development is facilitating the establishment of an effective whanau group.
Your role is to provide support that will enable the whanau to:
- choose
their leader/s, including Māori representatives on the board of trustees
- set the
agenda and venues for their hui/meetings
- clarify
the parameters within which they make decisions
- be
responsible for resources and budgets for the Māori education programme
- access
relevant training where needed
- develop short and long term plans to provide Māori education programmes that meet the needs
of Māori students.
It may be necessary for you to work with the whanau to:
- set short term and long term
goals and priorities
- set
appropriate systems to monitor progress
- develop a
review process
- develop a
mechanism for reporting to the board of trustees on a regular basis
- identify
ways the Māori community can help deliver
quality Māori education
- training for staff
- resource development
- home/school support
- planning
- record the
details within a policy document
- assist with Māori community and whanau leadership training.
Checklist
These check lists will help you assess the changes required to make the
school more responsive to the educational needs of Māori students and the Māori community.
The school environment
Do you:
- have clear Māori education goals (short, medium, long term)?
- provide a school environment which is welcoming to Māori parents and whanau?
- provide visitors with food and drink?
- include karakia in meetings
and understand its use in the workplace?
- enable whanau to attend meetings?
- use community venues (eg marae) for meetings?
- use correct pronunciation of children's names?
- know the names of the waka,
mountains, rivers, iwi, hapu, marae and places for your school area?
- share decision-making responsibilities and
resources with Māori?
- use appropriate lines of communication when
seeking assistance?
- encourage staff and the board of trustees
to discuss and understand the 'good employer' requirements of the State
Sector Act?
Curriculum and resources
- Is Māori content spread throughout the curriculum?
- Are there
systems and checks to ensure school resources are culturally
appropriate?
- Are special Māori abilities - eg leadership, performance, oratory - valued?
- Do
programmes encourage their development?
- Are
programmes holistic and integrated?
Professional development
- Is inservice training provided for staff?
- Do you
call on Resource Teachers Māori and
others to help?
- Is Treaty
of Waitangi education included in staff
professional development programmes?
- Do members
of staff have high expectations for Maori students?
- Do you
have professional development programmes aimed at ensuring all staff members
are competent to teach Māori?
- Who
decides what and how Māori education is
taught?
- Do you
actively recruit Māori staff and support
them to achieve their potential?
Community participation
- Does your school consult
with the Māori community?
- What is the
proportion of Māori families on your
roll; does your management committee or board of trustees reflect this
proportion?
- Do you
encourage extended family representation if there is a matter affecting
a Māori student?
- How do you
involve Māori people in the Māori programmes?
- Do you
reimburse or pay the people who help with your programmes?
- Is the Māori community active in decision making processes.
- Are Māori parents actively supportive?
Charters and policy
- Does your charter reflect
partnership goals?
- Do you
have a policy on meeting the educational needs of Maori students?
- What are
the procedures that support this policy?
- Does the
school community know about this policy and procedures?
- Do you
have a process for reporting to students and parents?
- Do you
have a network to support your efforts including the Adviser Māori Education, the Resource Teacher of Māori and local aronui tomua?
Helpful resources
- School
Support Service advisers
- Resource
Teacher of Māori
- Te Akatea, Māori principals, deputy principals and assistant principals' network
- Local aronui tomua
- NZEI Te Riu Roa takawaenga or field officer
