Examining the impediments to Indigenous strategy and approaches in mainstream secondary schools

Abstract

Noted Māori scholar Russell Bishop identified three impediments to developing Indigenous principles and practices in schools within colonized countries. These include confusion about the culture of Indigenous children, uneven programme implementation and issues with measuring student achievement. In this article, we present results from a mixed method -research project that aimed to investigate the development of culturally responsive school leadership in 84 New Zealand secondary schools. Whilst analysed data revealed signs of raised awareness of Māori students and their achievement amongst school leaders, findings also aligned with Bishop’s assertions that the main impediments to successful implementation of important Maori principles and practices were symptomatic of a lack of partnership with Indigenous students and their communities.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. This is a whakatauki or proverb.

2. Information retrieved from http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/directories/list-of-nz-schools.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Education [grant number Contract #387-4622].

Notes on contributors

Anne Hynds

Anne Hynds is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland Mail Centre 1142, Auckland, New Zealand. Email: [email protected]. Her research and teaching interests are centred on what counts as culturally responsive and inclusive teaching contexts in mainstream schooling contexts.

Robin Averill

Robin Averill is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 17-310, Karori, Wellington 6147, New Zealand. Email: [email protected]. Her teaching and research interests are in culturally responsive education, mathematics education and teacher education.

Wally Penetito

Wally Penetito is an emeritus professor in the Faculty of Education at Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 17-310, Karori, Wellington 6147, New Zealand. Email: [email protected]. His tribal affiliations are with Tainui Iwi in the Waikato central North Island. His academic and research interests are in the sociology of knowledge, indigenous research methodologies, place-based education, social justice and how all of these can contribute to a better understanding of how to improve the education of all learners.

Luanna Meyer

Luanna Meyer is an emeritus professor in the Faculty of Education at Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 17-310, Karori, Wellington 6147, New Zealand. Email: [email protected]. Her recent research projects have included worldmindedness (international collaborative research on university student attitudes in several countries); the impact of motivation on secondary student achievement; and the implementation of culturally responsive practices in New Zealand secondary schools.

Rawiri Hindle

Rawiri Hindle is a lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland Mail Centre 1142, Auckland, New Zealand. Email: [email protected]. His teaching and research interests are situated in the realm of holistic Māori approaches to teaching and learning.

Susan Faircloth

Susan Faircloth is a professor and chair, Department of Educational Leadership, University of North Carolina, 601 S College Rd, Wilmington, NC 28411. Email: [email protected]. Her research and teaching interests focus on the education of culturally and linguistically diverse learners, with an emphasis on American Indian students who have been identified as having special educational needs.