Facilitate school leaders’ networks

The initiative provides $7 million over 2 years for the National Standards network and $10 million over 3 years for the Youth Guarantee networks.

This funding will enable the Ministry to support schools to establish self-sustaining networks for sharing knowledge and promoting continuous improvement in teaching practices. The Ministry will help establish the networks through national and regional coordinators.

This initiative will directly support the National Standards and Youth Guarantee which are vital to the Government’s goal of lifting literacy and numeracy levels and supporting students to achieve at least NCEA level 2.

What are leaders’ networks and what will they do?

In our highly devolved system we need to build capacity to develop and transfer ideas, knowledge and new practices effectively to create the conditions for sustainable change and continuing improvement.

Learning networks are a deliberate and well-planned strategy to work with leaders who want to find educational solutions for students whose potential has not been realised.

Evidence states that facilitators are necessary to keep networks’ focus on rapid gains in student achievement. An external facilitator will work to support the establishment of these networks until each network is ready to take over its own management.

By sharing, challenging, critiquing and building new knowledge, the leaders in each network will influence practices within their schools and change what teachers do and how they do it.

What are the benefits of leaders’ networks and how will they support the National Standards and Youth Guarantee?

The networks facilitated through this initiative will encourage collaboration and knowledge-sharing across schools, industry and tertiary providers. This will have a significant impact on building relationships among educators and between education and work.

Through this initiative the Government will provide support for primary schools and secondary schools, in partnership with tertiary providers and industry, to build and share their knowledge about the National Standards and Youth Guarantee.

Effective learning networks will benefit all students. The networks will ensure the initiatives underpinning the National Standards and Youth Guarantee are used effectively to lift student achievement. Additionally, the design of the initiative will ensure the networks are self-sustaining and are a cost-effective means of lifting schools’ practices through information-sharing.

This will contribute to the Government’s goal that all students have the literacy and numeracy skills they need to succeed and gain at least NCEA level 2 or an equivalent qualification.

What does funding for this initiative provide for?

The funding for this initiative provides for the Ministry of Education to deliver assistance to leaders’ networks through national and regional coordinators. The funding will also cover the costs of external expertise that these networks may require.