This report explores the transition to adulthood of 29 young people selected from the large sample of the Competent Learners @ 20 longitudinal study. That study found many young people had a relatively smooth transition from school to tertiary education. The transition to adulthood of young people who had not followed this well-lit path is the focus of this report. Some left school early (by age 17); others completed Year ...

This is the main report from the age-20 phase of the longitudinal Competent Learners study.

The study has tracked the impact of early childhood education and then later educational experiences and time use out of school on children’s development, in terms of competencies such as reading and writing, and attitudinal competencies such as perseverance, curiosity and self-management. The age-20 phase looked at the impact of earlier school performance, engagement in ...

This report tracks principal vacancies advertised in the Education Gazette in 2009 and 2010. A survey was also sent to the boards of trustees of schools advertising vacancies, asking about the applicants, the appointment and the destination of the departing principal. The report makes some comparison with data from the NZCER 2008 report, and includes related material on principal career paths from the NZCER national survey series.

Teaching primary school mathematics and statistics : evidence-based practice is a reference book for teaching primary school mathematics and statistics. It is full of exciting and engaging snapshots of excellent classroom practice relevant to The New Zealand Curriculum and national mathematics standards. There are many fascinating examples of investigative learning experiences, and key research- and practice- based ideas about teaching learning and assessment. The writers are among New Zealand’s leading researchers and ...

This chapter highlights the critical connection of teacher leadership with improved pedagogy and quality learning. It draws on Australian and New Zealand case studies to show the ways in which teachers can create opportunities and structures to support professional talk, centred on teacher observations, shared reflections and planning of next steps.Traditional notions of leadership are presented to show how they no longer serve schools well. Instead the authors emphasise the ...

For teachers, the early years in the profession are critical for developing the knowledge and skills of an expert teacher. The 'Teachers of Promise' study examines the experiences of 57 registered teachers who began their employment in New Zealand primary and secondary schools in 2003. The purpose of this article is to examine the extent to which schools employing these teachers are able to enhance the professional learning of their ...

Retaining early career teachers and enticing promising teachers to become teacher leaders are issues of international interest not only because large numbers of teachers will retire from the profession over the next five to 10 years but also because the strongest teachers are the teachers most likely to leave the profession during their early years in the profession. This article explores the promise two formal teacher leadership roles - the ...

This report documents findings from comprehensive end-of-year student surveys conducted by Albany Senior High School (ASHS) at the end of 2009 and 2010, its first two years of existence as a newly built senior secondary high school.

The New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) was given access to the collated survey data for our own research purposes. In return we provided more detailed statistical analysis than the school had ...

Literature that discusses transformative change in schools typically draws on experiences of renewal and change in existing schools. This report explores the shaping of a new school with the intent, established at the very outset, of offering a curriculum for the 21st century. The report discusses four key aspects of curriculum innovation at this school, outlining the intent of each and then discussing issues and challenges encountered in bring each ...

Moderation of student work can support teachers to reach a shared understanding of the meaning of a standard, and to more reliably judge a range of evidence in relation to that standard. In theory insights teachers gain via moderation activities could support changes in teaching, leading to improvements in outcomes for students. However moderation has largely been under-researched as a professional learning activity: we need to know more about the ...