In New Zealand, Maori children attend English-medium schools, schools with a bilingual unit, or kura kaupapa Maori. This study identified aspirations and concerns of Maori parents regarding their children's education, identified issues related to parents' participation in their child's education, and developed strategies to address concerns and issues. Participating in the study were 96 parents, 83 students, 27 teachers, and 13 principals or other school leaders from 6 secondary schools, 4 primary schools, and 2 kura kaupapa Maori, all situated near Wellington. Findings from interviews indicated that parents wanted their children to have a better education than they had had. Most of the children knew their parents valued education. Parents and children were much more positive about primary than about secondary school. English-medium schools made children more aware of themselves as Maori, more often negatively. Parents were generally positive about the school's parent involvement efforts. Parent involvement was highest in the kura kaupapa Maori, followed by bilingual-units. Individual teachers' perceptions of Maori students' progress were positive at the primary level; principals were less positive. Secondary school entry assessments found many Maori students lagging behind their peers. The kura kaupapa Maori involved parents and students more in the assessment processes than did other schools. The kura kaupapa Maori parents were most satisfied with home-school communication, followed by English-medium primary school parents. Kura kaupapa Maori parents and teachers were more likely to agree that the child's education should be continued at home, whereas many English-medium and bilingual-unit parents believed that their child's education was the school's responsibility. (Contains 35 references.) (KB)
This site is designed for you as you work with our tamariki. We will be adding more support resources and information. We would appreciate your feedback with any suggestions or ideas for further content. For feedback please contact us at [email protected]. For issues and technical support please email us at [email protected]. Tau Mai Te Reo — The Māori Language in Education Strategy. Tau Mai Te Reo is our Māori language in education strategy. Tau Mai Te Reo — The Māori Language in Education Strategy 2013-2017. Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. Te Marautanga o Aotearoa is the Māori medium partner to the New Zealand Curriculum. Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (external link) Mātaiako.