This strengths-based paper draws on the qualitative and quantitative survey results from whanau (family members) of "tamariki" (children) attending 12 schools in an urban area in New Zealand with a high proportion of Maori people. The paper describes the positive impact of effective family engagement on tamariki, from the perspectives of…

Tertiary education policy in Aotearoa New Zealand has been shaped by political, economic, and social ideologies. Although universities and polytechnics are both tertiary education providers, they do not occupy this space on an equal footing. There are differences in the qualifications offered, and the levels of monitoring and oversight required by…

This article presents a phenomenological study on lived and living conscious experiences of improvisational dance. Six experienced improvisational dancers and one dance piano accompanist were interviewed individually, and shared the past-lived experience of improvisational dance. After the interviews, the six dancers agreed to perform solo…

While researchers have devoted significant attention to the well-being of teaching professionals, there remains a notable gap in our understanding of early childhood intervention practitioners. For example, little is known about the factors maintaining professionals' commitment and effectiveness throughout their careers, including the role of…

Postgraduate research is complex enough, but Indigenous students face unique challenges and additional expectations. For instance, they are often strongly motivated for their tertiary education to support their community's aspirations but distanced from those communities. We are wahine (women) Maori researchers working to restore various local,…

Academic libraries, apart from their main function, which is to provide information services to academic communities, may also perform a number of social roles in the broad meaning of the term. Accordingly, they now tend to serve as the third place offering inclusion and animation activities to academic as well as local communities (including…

This paper highlights the complex relations between public and private spaces with regard to young children's bilingual learning, and the importance of developing a pedagogy that allows for the interaction of learning across the two spaces. It uses findings from a qualitative study to illustrate nuanced (mis)alignments between dominant language…

Faculty constitutes one of the most important elements of higher education institutions. Their role is key in curriculum development, in guiding students' learning and driving their engagement, in conducting research, and in the overall success of their institutions. This paper presents the results of a number of faculty interviews and a focus…

The premise of Computing Education for Sustainability (CEfS) is examined. CEfS is described as a leverage discipline, where the handprint is much larger than the footprint. The potential of this leverage is described and the development of the field explored. Unfortunately CEfS is found not to be making sufficient impact in terms of a contribution…

In Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, the impetus to create open learning spaces that afford spatial and pedagogical flexibility have disrupted the nature of teachers' work. In redesigned education facilities, teachers engage in sophisticated processes of collaboration and ongoing teacher professional learning. Moving from traditional classroom…

There has been increasing debate about the role early childhood education and care (ECEC) plays within local and wider communities. This article reports on a small-scale case study that explored the views of teachers, management and parents from a privately owned ECEC centre in New Zealand about the notion of community. Rogoff's planes of…

School safety is an important factor in schools. Data from the IEA's Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) indicate that perceptions of school safety are directly related to academic success. School safety seems to be particularly relevant for immigrant students, as their perceptions of safety appear to be more strongly…

This paper emerges from the critical thinking, research, and evaluation which informed our most recent programme review during which we debated the question, "How do we educate people for quality teaching in the future?" Drawing on research, stakeholder feedback, and graduate voice, four key influential characteristics are identified.…

There is growing awareness of the contribution teachers can make to school leadership, particularly in relation to improvements in curriculum and pedagogy. Teacher leadership offers the potential to engage teachers in bottom-up approaches to school improvement and liberate the professional creativity of teachers. Despite such positioning, clearer…

The aim of this mixed methods study was to explore the relationship between teacher expectations and student ethnicity. Factors that contributed to the achievement gap were also investigated. The study involved 15 mathematics teachers and 361 students from five urban secondary schools in Auckland. Fifteen teachers completed questionnaires and 10…