JOURNAL NOTES

Title: Improving Education Outcomes for Pacific Learners (May 2012).

Education Review Office

Type: Review

Author/Source: Education Review Office (ERO)

URL: http://www.ero.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Improving-Education-Outcomes-for-Pacific-
Learners-May-2012.pdf

Date published: May 2012

Tags: Pacific Learners

Summary:
This review is about the progress of young, diverse and growing population of Pacific students
and their engagement and achievement at schools.
The findings from the 2012 evaluation are disappointingly consistent with those found by ERO
in its 2009 and 2010 national evaluation reports. Although ERO found positive practices in some
schools, there were no significant system-wide changes evident in the way schools were
responding to Pacific students, despite the widely recognised disparities in education outcomes
for these students. ERO found that school leaders and teachers in most schools in this study
were not recognising and actively responding to this achievement disparity. Most of the
schools studied did not carefully analyse Pacific learners’ assessment results to
determine actions they could take to accelerate their progress.
Similarly, schools demonstrated variable levels of engagement with Pacific families. Many
schools used the same approaches to engaging with Pacific parents as they used with other
parents. ERO found some examples of schools that had taken a more innovative approach, for
example involving the use of community leaders and translators to communicate with parents,
and to ensure the school was culturally effective in its engagement practices.
This evaluation indicates that a greater commitment is required from boards of trustees and
school leaders to recognise the potential of, and any achievement disparities for, their Pacific
students
The review also identified next steps the government and Pacific communities require for
significant improvement.

Impact: Critically reflect on the impact that this might have on your practice. What would you
change (or not)?
Being at a school that is predominantly a Pacifica community this has a huge impact on my
practice. After reading this report I was not aware of the Pasifika Education Plan (PEP) and
what it means for Pasifika students. The report points out great recommendations for how
schools should be supporting Pasifika achievement. In relation to these recommendations I feel
that my school and myself are doing them in some way. For example: We have set up targeting
student achievement, we have introduced assessment walls in the classroom that are in kids
speak and use this to help students create goals, we could work better at building teachers’ and
boards’ knowledge of the strengths and needs of Pacific students and know how to use this
knowledge to benefit students and we could work to better strengthen links with Pacific parents
and communities to facilitate communication and build mutual understanding about the best
ways to support their children’s learning.
We introduced Developing Mathematical Inquiry Communities (DMIC), the focus of this is to
improve Pacifica students achievement in maths.
We have Whanau classes that aim to bring language and culture back into students lives at
school and utilise the strengths of the teachers we have at school who speak a language.

Limitations: Critically reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of this information. Is it

transferable to your particular practice, NZ’s situation?
● The review discusses the importance of looking at individuals interests if you have a
small Pacific cohort, but in doing this you run the risk of putting all or any new Pacifica
students into the same category and limiting it to just those students. How often would
you do this? At the beginning of every year or term? Who would conduct this survey?
● Most effective schools, senior leaders and teachers have established ongoing
assessment and monitoring throughout the year.
● ERO found that of schools with Pacific students, very few were aware of and using the
plan to inform their approach to improving Pacific student achievement. Of the 52
secondary schools in the sample, only four were aware of the plan and using it well, with
another 14 making some use of the plan.
● Finding teachers who are willing to teach and embrace a different cultures or finding
leaders who are willing to do this
● Primary schools often had references to Pacific learners in the overarching statements
of their curriculum. However, the use of Pacific contexts and themes was typically
missing in classroom planning and practice.

Related links: Best Evidence Synthesis Education Review Office