Rangiātea: case studies and exemplars

These five Rangiātea case studies and exemplars examine five secondary schools, each of which is on a journey towards realising Māori learner potential. The case studies look at the strategies used by school leadership teams and report on the key factors that are contributing towards lifting Māori student achievement in their schools. The exemplars step through how a particular programme has been used successfully in each school.

The resources consist of downloadable PDF files with summaries and reflective questions that will support leadership teams in discussion and reflection.

1. The Hamilton Girls’ High School case study identifies that knowledge and pronunciation of te reo Māori is a challenge for school leaders.
2. The Opotiki College project focuses around the quality of teaching and learning – the “Opotiki Pedagogy”. There is support and resourcing for teachers and students when any issues that they have are identified.
3. At Kakapo College, which is defined as “mainstream”, they identified that more retention and engagement was required for Māori students in particular. A key factor in this was support from their board of trustees and their development of a home-school partnership.
4. The Headmaster at Hastings Boys’ High School clearly articulates the values and expectations of the Rangiātea project to students.
5. Western Springs College is able to attract teachers who are committed to the improvement of Māori students’ achievement. As a result they are able to develop challenging and appropriate programmes for their students. Their students believe that their teachers have a high commitment to this development.

Questions / Things to think about

1. How do you use te reo Māori at your school? To what extent is this a challenge at your school? What can you do to address this challenge?
2. How can you better help teachers and learners to realise their potential?
3. In what ways could your school strengthen its board of trustees support and the home-school relationships? How can these relationships address the retention and engagement of Māori learners?
4. In what ways could your school leadership team improve the way they convey their values and expectations to learners?