Inquiry Title

The Achievement Challenge that my inquiry will be focussed around is Achievement Challenge 1 from 2017: to raise Maori student achievement through the development of cultural visibility and responsive practices as measured against National Standards and agreed targets for reading Y1-10 and NCEA Y11-13.

I do note this goal includes reference to National Standards, which our new government is canning, so perhaps this will change into as measured against e-asTTle scores or PAT data.

My focus will be on raising Maori student achievement in reading in the hope that improving reading will lead to improved achievement in other areas, such as science. I will inquire into the junior years, as I believe it makes more sense to try and accelerate achievement in the years before NCEA, rather than trying to play catch-up when they arrive.

To me this means that any changes, resources or strategies I inquire into the effectiveness of must include developing cultural visibility and also being responsive to the needs and cultures of students in front of me.  Changes, resources or strategies should also include a focus on accelerated achievement in reading.

My inquiry title will be can changes to the cultural visibility and responsiveness in the junior science program improve Maori student a) reading achievement and b) enjoyment, confidence and achievement in science.

A long term question that I will need years to answer is whether those same changes will improve Maori student enrolment and NCEA achievement in senior science.