How Policy Travels: Making Sense of Ka Hikitia - Managing for Success:
The Māori Education Strategy 2008-2012
Prepared by Paul Goren | July 2009 with funding from the sponsors
of the Ian Axford (New Zealand) Fellowships in Public Policy
Paul Goren is Senior Vice President of the
Spencer Foundation in Chicago, Illinois. He earned his PhD in education
policy and administration from Stanford University, a Master's in
public policy from The University of Texas, and a Bachelor's degree
in political science from Williams College.
During Paul's Ian Axford Fellowship exchange to New Zealand he
was based at the Ministry of Education in Wellington, where he researched
the implementation of the new Māori education strategy.
Abstract
This paper provides observations and commentary on the initial implementation
of Ka Hikitia - Managing for Success: The Māori Education Strategy
2008-2012. Ka Hikitia's intent is to transform the Ministry
of Education's work in early childhood education, compulsory schooling,
and tertiary education to improve Māori student achievement.
The paper tells the story of how a policy framework travels - how research,
data, and practice influence its development - and how people make sense
of it during early implementation. It documents the context leading to
its development, highlights emerging issues, and concludes with recommendations
to identify high priority actions for focused attention; create opportunities
for educators and policy staff to make sense of Ka Hikitia through
learning conversations and professional development; pay close attention
to voices of students; and maintain a relentless focus on Māori
student achievement.
As a formative study, the paper provides a mirror on how a high priority
policy framework is implemented. The paper intends to help New Zealanders
who work on education make even better sense of Ka Hikitia, towards
the ultimate goal of improving Māori student achievement. For American
colleagues there are important lessons learned on policy implementation
from New Zealand's effort to implement this high priority policy framework.
axford2009_goren.pdf (539kb)
