This report is the second evaluation of the Books in Homes scheme, which encourages reading by giving books to school children. The scheme is an initiative to improve the literacy skills, reading habits, and general familiarity with print, of children in decile 1-3 schools.

The project was based on a stratified sample of 40 decile 1 schools. It assesses Year 5 students' reading performance and analyses responses to questionnaires from students, teachers and principals ...

This report evaluates a teaching resource called "Entering the debate on Genetic Modification by developing a critical thinking response" (also known as "Time for critical thought"). Designed for students at Year 10 level, the resource focuses on the controversy surrounding the introduction of genetically modified crops. It aims to encourage students and their teachers to engage in critical thinking, dialogue, and learning around this socio-scientific issue.

The resource ...

This report presents the findings from an evaluation carried out in 2009 of the impact of SPELD in New Zealand, and is the first phase of a larger study. This phase presents the perceptions of SPELD participants including SPELD assessors and teachers, classroom teachers of SPELD students, the students themselves, and their parents.

Report on an evaluation of how the professional development, offered on a national basis to schools over a two-year period commencing 2001, supported the initial implementation of Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum.

This included a survey of participants on their views of the issues they and their schools faced in implementing the curriculum and how they considered the professional development assisted them in addressing these issues.

Life Education is a health resource comprising 19 modules designed to support primary school teachers to address the Health and Physical Education curriculum. Life Education is delivered by an educator (a registered teacher) who visits schools in a mobile classroom to deliver modules to class groups. 

This report documents the findings from an evaluation of Life Education conducted by NZCER during 2007-2008.

The report includes information from:

• case studies of ...

The Kaupapa Ara Whakawhiti Mātauranga (KAWM) project encompassed a number of school improvement initiatives that aimed to:

• improve student achievement
• improve school performance
• strengthen school and community relationships
• upgrade school ICT infrastructure; and
• improve teachers’ professional capability through ICT

In the NZCER evaluation of this project interviews with principals and teachers were undertaken in a total of six wharekura, three Paerangi schools, seven schools in the Kiwa ...

Equity funding is a government initiative which provides additional support to early childhood education services to enable them to reduce disparities between children's access to quality education and to improve the sustainability and quality of services providing early education to disadvantaged groups. It was introduced in 2003.

This report summarises the findings of the recent evaluation of the initial impact of Equity Funding conducted by the New Zealand Council for ...

This paper is an evaluation that follows on from the findings of the 2007 exploratory study about Home-School Partnership: Numeracy (HSPN). This evaluation explored the roles of the lead team and the sustainability of the initiative.

Three key themes emerged:

• The role that the lead parents play in HSPN, the challenges of recruiting lead parents, and the need for further consideration of the training and support needs of these parents ...

This evaluation provides external feedback on a national induction programme, the First Time Principals (FTP) Programme. The University of Auckland Principals Centre was contracted by the Ministry of Education to offer this programme to all newly appointed principals in New Zealand primary and secondary schools. The evaluation was required to provide information on principals’ perceptions of the relative strengths of the different components of the induction programme, the extent to ...

Arts Professional Development Online commenced nationally during 2001 to support the implementation of Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum, targeted specifically at rural and isolated schools.

This report details the outcome of an evaluation of this professional development that was carried out late 2002.