How many stories have you seen in the Media where some group is complaining about there being less of a focus on the Treaty of Waitangi in the education system? I’ve lost count, but it is scores and scores.
How many have you seen about the results of the maths acceleration trial?
The trial was for Year 7 and 8 students who needed extra support in maths. So it was about helping 1,500 students who were at risk of failing. They were a year behind where they should be. They received targeted, small-group tutoring up to four times a week over 12 weeks. The tutoring was in-person, hybrid or online.
The gain in maths ability was:In-person:
The gain in maths ability was:In-person:
- Two years (yes, years!)
- Hybrid: 14 months
- Online: 12 months
Now you might say they we can’t afford to do small group tutoring for every pupil who is falling behind. Well the news is even better.
The biggest breakthrough was for the students who were working in their usual classes with their teacher. These students were not part of the first 12-week trial but were benefiting from hour-a-day maths, the new curriculum, and new workbooks. They made, on average, a full year’s progress in just 12 weeks. That shows the reforms are lifting achievement for all children, not just those receiving additional tutoring.”
What a change a new curriculum, new workbooks and a minimum time allocation can make.
I don’t think anything is more important to New Zealand than Erica Stanford getting the time to bed in and complete her education reforms. Our kids deserve nothing less.
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders

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