The present study investigates the connections between macro-language policies, access to resources, classroom micro-policies, and teacher identities of three Pakeha ('New Zealand European') primary school teachers at three New Zealand schools. As New Zealand educators are increasingly expected to incorporate te reo into the classroom, this…

Although there is a plethora of research evidence in support of the benefits of acceleration, the voices of parents are seldom heard in the literature around outcomes from full-year acceleration. This retrospective study reports on the views of the parents (N = 16) of a group of New Zealand students (N = 12) who were accelerated a full year in…

This year the education research community in New Zealand is celebrating fifty years of the publication of the New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies. In this article, it is argued that the half century has been bifurcated by the shift from social democratic discourses of equality for all, to a market choice model of schooling after 1989. This…

Using the Pacific metaphor of the vaka, va'a, waka [canoe] this review considers the journey of Pasifika early childhood education (ECE) in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past decade. The discussion covers three major areas within the Pasifika sector: the need to celebrate the strong heritage and resilience of Pacific early childhood educators and…

This article is written for school teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand schools who teach science to Year 7-10 students or as part of a primary classroom programme under The New Zealand Curriculum. What can teachers do about inequity in science education for Maori students? Clear understanding of this complex issue is required, so this article offers…

This working paper identifies OECD countries' interests in digital innovation in education by analysing their policy papers on digital education. Many OECD countries have adopted a specific strategy on digital education, or integrated the topic in a generic strategy on digital innovation as such. The ideas that are expressed in the strategies…

This report outlines findings from a survey of teachers and school leaders in a sample of English-medium secondary schools. The survey, carried out between June and August 2020, provides insights into school-wide approaches to sustainability and climate change, teaching and learning opportunities in the classroom, and the impacts of COVID-19 on…

In 2015, cross-sector perspectives were sought on how teachers of visual arts in a sample of early childhood centres, primary schools and secondary schools in Auckland were responding to the increasing ethnic and cultural diversity of young people in New Zealand. The research was contextualised within national curricula, demographic statistics and…

The idea that the New Zealand education system will cater to all students, regardless of ability, and support them in developing their full potential to the best of their abilities, is enshrined in the famous 1939 Beeby/Fraser statement. Equality of access policy discourse has shifted to emphasise equitable outcomes, focussed increasingly on…

This article presents case study research into a New Zealand primary school enacting a very sophisticated whole school inquiry approach to enhance teacher classroom professionalism and practice. A culture of inquiry manifests as an ontological 'way of being' in this school community, in the daily professional interactions between the teachers and…

This presentation retraces some of the often forgotten history, dating back to 1860s, of Aotearoa/New Zealand that formed aspects of our education structures. Of particular interest is the relationship between educational innovation and change that came about through the active involvement of teachers as policy champions as they pursued their goal…

Inclusion and participation for students who fall behind are promoted internationally. These policies are challenged by neoliberal policies that aim to educate productive and self-capitalising subjects for the marketplace. The article shows immanent conflicts between these policies. A neoliberal curriculum distinguishes the abled from non-abled,…

Unprecedented levels of global mobility mean that culturally homogenous classrooms are now increasingly rare. This brings with it challenges for teachers and raises issues about what constitutes quality teaching and teachers. Professional standards are commonly seen as a key policy instrument through which teacher quality can be enhanced. This…

The study of recruitment practices for teacher educators (TEs) in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) universities reveals the academic category of TE constituted along three related trajectories: a professional expert (not required to research), a traditional academic (not required to hold a teaching qualification or teacher's practicing certificate), and…

This commentary article explores one of the most important philosophical problems underlying the inequality of school achievement. If the inequality of school achievement is to be adequately addressed then it must begin with causes. The widely accepted conceptual framework within which the problem and its solutions are framed is the within/beyond…