Pasifika School Community Parent Liaison

Issue/Topic:

Pasifika School Community Parent Liaison Project (PSCPL)

Definition:

The Pasifika School Community Parent Liaison Project is underpinned by the Pasifika Education Plan and is designed to improve learning outcomes for Pasifika students.

The project is informed by the findings of the Best Evidence Synthesis reports: The complexity of community and family influences on children's achievement in New Zealand (Ministry of Education, June 2003) and Quality teaching for diverse student in schooling (Ministry of Education, June 2003). The project builds on other initiatives focused on improving learning outcomes for Pasifika students including The Analysis and Use of Student Achievement Data (AUSAD), Early Childhood Primary Links (ECPL) and Home School Partnership Programmes.

Key Facts & Information:

In 1996 Government announced funding to be made available to support a programme designed to improve learning outcomes for Pasifika students in mainstream settings through school, community and parent liaison. PSCPL builds on the successful implementation of Anau Ako Pasifika and targets school clusters with high Pasifika populations. Clusters of schools in Auckland, Wellington, Tokoroa and Christchurch have participated in this project.

Currently, six clusters are involved in PSCPL; three in Auckland, one in Porirua and two in Christchurch.

The PSCPL Project seeks to improve learning outcomes for Pasifika students by:

• ensuring a target is included in each school's Charter about improved Pasifika student learning outcomes, that resources are committed to this, and a comment on progress towards these targeted outcomes is part of each school's Annual Report;
• promoting evidence-based quality teaching for Pasifika students to improve Pasifika student learning outcomes;
• improving school and teacher liaison with Pasifika parents and communities to improve Pasifika student learning outcomes; and
• developing partnerships between Pasifika communities and schools to improve Pasifika student learning outcomes with a particular focus on literacy.

Sources of More Information:

Senior Advisor Pasifika in the National Office of the Ministry of Education, Wellington.

PSCPL National Co-ordinator in the National Office of the Ministry of Education, Wellington.

Contacts:

Senior Advisor Pasifika, Ministry of Education, Wellington, Ph: 04 463 8404, Fax 04 463 8392.