The Cultural Self-Review provides a structure and process that teachers from early childhood centres through to secondary schools can use to explore how well they cater for Mäori Maori learners, including those with special needs.

Central to the book is a cultural input framework which provides a set of principles for analysing programme components including: environment, personnel, policy, processes, content, resources, assessment, and administration. While there is an emphasis on practical ideas in this guide for conducting a cultural self-review, a recipe-book approach is not recommended. Schools and early childhood services will be able to use the ideas as a springboard for discussion and for developing strategies that meet their particular needs.

Jill Bevan-Brown is a senior lecturer in special education at Massey University College of Education.