Title page
Contents
Abstract/Résumé 4
Declining school education performance and ongoing inequity are a serious threat to New Zealand's prosperity 6
Achievement has fallen and inequality remains high 7
Greater focus on policy implementation is the key to ensuring better quality and equity 11
Socio-economic status is an important factor driving learning outcomes 31
Findings and recommendations 44
References 47
Table 1. A high share of teachers do not feel well prepared in core teaching areas 27
Table 2. Student to teacher ratios vary considerably by region 35
Figure 1. New Zealand's average PISA scores have declined 8
Figure 2. Other international assessments also show declining achievement 8
Figure 3. Variation in mathematics performance between and within schools 9
Figure 4. School attendance is still below pre-COVID levels 10
Figure 5. Bullying is a serious problem in New Zealand 11
Figure 6. National reforms have put New Zealand teachers under above average stress 14
Figure 7. Time spent on actual teaching and learning is below the OECD average 23
Figure 8. Teachers perceive that society values their work less 25
Figure 9. The teaching workforce is relatively old 26
Figure 10. New principals have not received enough training 30
Figure 11. The influence of socio-economic background on achievement is close to average 31
Figure 12. Increasing aggregate spending is not guaranteed to lift results 33
Figure 13. Participation in early childhood education has room to increase 34
Figure 14. Perceived shortages of resources in disadvantaged schools are high 36
Figure 15. New Zealand is the OECD leader in preparing teachers for a multicultural environment 38
Figure 16. The use of ability grouping is prevalent in New Zealand 41
Boxes
Box 1. The Education Hub 12
Box 2. Improving learning outcomes and equity in a decentralised education system 14