| General Note |
Key findings include: "[1] Schools’ government funding remains a key issue for schools, with two-thirds reporting a worse financial year in 2012 than in 2011. A quarter of the principals have dealt with deficits over the last 3 years. [2] Competition between schools for students is more the norm than exception. To encourage enrolments, some schools are spending more on marketing and property than they would like. NCEA league tables in the media are thought to impact on school rolls for around half the secondary schools, with gains for high-decile schools. [3] Though most principals are interested in working relations with other schools, only half report some sharing of resources, professional development and information about individual students. [4] Principal views of the quality of their interaction with the Ministry of Education have slipped since 2009. Recent changes to Ministry roles and school support have yet to show benefits for most schools. Access to the external expertise they need to keep developing in national priority areas is uneven. Many secondary teachers have limited access to curriculum expertise beyond their own school; NZQA moderation and standards alignment work have provided most of their recent national professional development. [5] The New Zealand Curriculum, which became mandatory in 2010, appears to have led to some positive changes in school and classroom practices that are likely to improve student engagement and learning opportunities. [6] NCEA is now a decade old. Most views are positive, but NCEA workload is more of an issue now than in 2009, and most think assessment is driving the curriculum, even in Years 9 and 10. Parents’ confidence that they understand NCEA is still not high. [7] Thirty-nine percent of principals think their school will reach the new national target of 85 percent of 18 year olds having NCEA Level 2 or its equivalent by 2017. Most of the rest say their schools are making changes all the time in their efforts to increase the number of students who gain this qualification. This interest in doing what they can to improve student achievement points to the need to make sure that schools have the knowledge they need to make effective changes. [8] While teachers see many benefits in student ICT use, it occurs sometimes rather than often. ICT use is curtailed by slow or unreliable equipment and Internet access, and lack of support. [9] Principal and teacher morale has slipped since 2009. While most secondary principals and teachers enjoy their jobs, workloads are high, with less sense of support. [10] Decile 1–2 schools stand out as facing issues related to funding, student achievement, behaviour, and motivation, and keeping and attracting good teachers. [11] Boards of trustees are working more with the Ministry of Education, but trustee views are mixed about their experiences. Boards continue to spend most of their time on financial management, strategic planning and property. Most have also consulted with their school community over the last year. [12] While there has been some tightening of school accountability to the Ministry of Education since 2009, few see that a key aspect of boards’ role is to act as government agents. Most parents do not gain information about their child’s school or make their choice of school through documents of school accountability, such as school annual reports or ERO reviews. [13] The degree of choice in the system appears to be sufficient for the majority of families; all but 9 percent said the school their child attended was their first choice. In some cases, this response was because the child wanted to attend a different school than the one parents wanted. [14] Parents are largely positive about their child’s experience at secondary school, and slightly more so than in 2009. Views on the quality of information they receive are also more positive in 2012." - p. 2-3 |
