Source: NZ Principals Federation
The New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) welcomes the latest research report on ‘Behaviour in Classrooms’, conducted by the ERO research team.
“I am grateful that ERO has responded to our calls for more research into the behaviour problems that classroom teachers face every day in our schools,” said Leanne Otene, President of the NZPF.
ERO’s report notes that the OECD’s PISA reports over the past twenty years reveal that ‘Aotearoa New Zealand’s classrooms have consistently had the worst behaviour compared to most other OECD countries’.
“This is sobering reading and highlights what principals have been saying for years,” said Otene.
“This government is focused on evidence based data and here it is in black and white,” she said. “I expect that, as with the cell phone directive, the government will move with urgency on these findings.”
“We cannot focus on how we meet both our own and the government’s goal of raising achievement, if we are not also resourcing behaviour and learning support,” she said.
“Inevitably, our high level of behaviour challenges has a serious impact on teacher effectiveness and our children’s learning,” she said.
Otene welcomes the recommendation for greater investment in effective support adding that the lack of professional Educational Psychologists, specialists and therapists is long overdue and until this issue is addressed, schools will continue to struggle and have their classes disrupted.
“The time lag to provide the specialists must be filled by instigating a system of smaller classes and increased teacher aide staff,” she said.
The report recomm
