AES Sydney Education Review Office Retention or Education? Ko te Tamaiti te Pūtake o te Kaupapa The Child the Heart of the Matter Elizabeth Welch and Kim Hughes

AES Sydney ERO’s Purpose and Function  Reports will inform government policy makers at a national level and help change the national debate about key educational issues. In this way ERO’s evaluations contribute to the Government’s commitment to a world- class education system for the 21 st century.

AES Sydney  ERO will report on sector strategies aimed at enhancing students’ attainment of skills and qualifications, and how well schools are supporting target groups of students to achieve, particularly Māori and Pacific, and those with special needs.  System-wide advice and evaluations – that will influence the national debate and support the government in the development and implementation of education policy and practice.  ERO’s system-wide evaluations will influence and advise on the development and implementation of education policy and practice. Statement of Intent 2011 Education Review Office

AES Sydney Approach/methodology The key underpinning concepts of the evaluation approaches are the complementarity of external and internal evaluation; building evaluation capacity; and working in partnership with diverse communities, with a specific emphasis on being culturally responsive, particularly in Māori contexts.

AES Sydney In and out of the mainstream ( Policy-practice-influence)  Alternative Education  Teen Parent Units  Child, Youth and Family Residential Schools  Activity Centres  Trades Academies (In press)  Service Academies (In press)

AES Sydney Special Reviews-national reports  Negotiated with Ministry of Education  Programmes evaluated by ERO  Reports contain outline of methodology  Reports contain findings  Report contains recommendations

AES Sydney Case: Alternative Education  Official name for programme providing non-mainstream education for 13 to 15 year olds  Schools are allocated ‘places’ by the government  Schools usually contract providers, often through a managing school  Providers can be PTEs, church groups, YMCAs and so on

AES Sydney Alternative Education cohort  In 2009, 3416 students in AE  Two thirds are Māori  Most are male  A big chunk of the ‘tail’

AES Sydney Critical success factors- findings  The quality of the relationships between staff and students  The use of a curriculum that matched the individual needs of students  The passionate and compassionate approach of Alternative Education staff  The ability of staff to have students aspire to a more positive future

AES Sydney Factors….  Ability to address the wide range of social and educational needs of students  The leadership and teamwork of providers  The relationships with schools  The relationships with whānau/families

AES Sydney Two AE reports  Good practice in the provision of Alternative Education (2010) – Focus on AE providers  Secondary schools and Alternative Education (2011) – Focus on schools support for students in AE

AES Sydney Critical success factors-review  Teams of reviewers chosen for skills and/or experience in area of review  Terms of reference/scoping and framework for evaluation  Participatory, responsive  Prepared to test/challenge assumptions and preconceptions  Reviewers ‘synthesise’/test findings

AES Sydney  Most of the programmes received additional funding from the Govt.  AE funding for pedagogical leadership  AE pedagogy became a focus for additional professional development and school involvement  AE moving towards part of mainstream  Joint AE report release by ERO What happened next-after findings and recommendations

AES Sydney Spheres of Influence Evaluation Ministry of Education Other Government Agencies Education Sector Communities Employers/industry

AES Sydney …Influence ERO’s work has influenced not just AE policy and operations  Youth Guarantee policy and other evaluations too  Recognised the need for a diverse system to engage diverse learners  See this with Teen Parent Units, Service Academies and Trades Academies

AES Sydney Youth Guarantee The Youth Guarantee aims to increase the achievement and progression of young people in education. It will also help spread best practice models throughout the education sector. The Youth Guarantee encourages different parts of the education sector and industries to work together in innovative ways to meet the needs of students.

AES Sydney References: Statement of Intent 2011, Education Review Office NZ Govt Wellington Framework for School Reviews, Education Review Office 2011 NZ Govt Wellington