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Key leadership documents and programmes

This page includes key documents from the Ministry of Education and beyond about leadership in New Zealand schools and programmes to develop leadership capabilities.

Key leadership documents and programmes

Tags

  • AudienceSchool leaders
  • Resource LanguageEnglish

About this resource

This resource has a plethora of links to documents that support key leadership areas and programmes. Most are downloadable resources which your leadership team can use to develop leadership capabilities or engage in internal leadership programmes.

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Key leadership documents and programmes

Leadership documents

Rautaki Kaihautū | Leadership Strategy

The Leadership Strategy for the teaching profession of Aotearoa New Zealand (2018) presents a system-level approach to developing leadership capability for teaching professionals. The strategy signals a new approach by giving opportunity for the growth and development of leadership capability to all registered teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Teaching Council led the development of the strategy, working alongside teaching professionals.

Download from the Teaching Council

Leadership capability framework

This resource provides information about the Educational Leadership Capability Framework. It explains:

  • how the framework gives life to Rautaki Kaihautū Leadership Strategy
  • its connections to Tū Rangatira
  • the nine core capabilities needed for effective leadership.

Te Ara Huarau | School evaluation for improvement

Te Ara Huarau - School evaluation for improvement (2021) - ERO

ERO developed an evaluation approach called Te Ara Huarau which incorporates sector feedback and further research. Te Ara Huarau is a move away from event-based review and focuses on the use of evaluation to support schools in their ongoing improvement journey and equity and excellent outcomes for all learners. The School Improvement Framework is for use throughout your school’s evaluation cycle. It will help you to identify and sharpen the focus for improvement and support you to monitor progress. Designed to be used collaboratively, the framework draws on ERO’s School Evaluation Indicators and includes expectations for schools regarding learner outcomes in the Education and Training Act, and over time, the NELP will also be incorporated.

Download from ERO

School Evaluation Indicators

School Evaluation Indicators (2016) - ERO

This document explains the evaluation indicators that ERO has used when reviewing schools and kura. These indicators are for use in state and state-integrated schools and kura but may be of use to other schools also. They are intended for use by schools in their own internal evaluation.

These indicators are based on research and evidence and are updated every few years based on current educational research and evaluation findings.

Download from ERO

School leadership that works

This evaluation report illustrates the leadership domain of ERO’s School Evaluation Indicators in practice by:

  • drawing together ERO’s findings from evaluative work with school leaders across the country
  • combining these findings with the best evidence synthesis of what works in school leadership and why
  • illustrating the practices used by effective leaders to achieve their goals of equity and excellence in their school.

The report is designed to guide the practice of school leadership. It is aimed at all school leaders, but particularly those less experienced leaders seeking to learn from the good practices of others. It cites key evidence from research. It also further illustrates the ERO School Evaluation Indicators.

Download from ERO

Effective school leadership

Together, the series of documents below describe the knowledge, skills, and qualities that are at the heart of every level of effective school leadership.

  • Kiwi Leadership for Principals
  • Tū Rangatira: Māori Medium Educational Leadership
  • Leading from the Middle: Educational Leadership for Middle and Senior Leaders.

Kiwi Leadership for Principals

Kiwi Leadership for Principals (2008) presents a model of leadership that reflects the qualities, knowledge, and skills required to lead New Zealand schools from the present to the future. At the heart of the model is a clear focus on how we can work together to improve educational and social outcomes for all our young people.

See Materials that come with this resource to download Kiwi Leadership for Principals (2008) (.pdf).

Tū rangatira: Māori Medium Educational Leadership

Tū Rangatira: Te Kaitātaki i Te Mātauranga Kaupapa Māori (2010) he whakatakoto tauira o te tū hei kaitātaki e whakaata ana i ētahi o ngā tūranga me ngā kawenga matua a te kaitātaki e tino puta ai ngā ākonga Māori i ngā mahi rapu mātauranga.

Tū Rangatira: Māori Medium Educational Leadership (2010) is a model of leadership that reflects some of the key leadership roles and practices that contribute to high-quality educational outcomes for Māori learners.  It focuses on leadership practices, providing insights into how effective professional development programmes can work towards strengthening leaders’ capabilities, growing capacity and sustaining exemplary leadership in the Māori medium education sector.

See Materials that come with this resource to download:

  • Tū Rangatira English (.pdf)
  • Tū Rangatira te reo Māori (.pdf)

Leading from the Middle: Educational Leadership for Middle and Senior Leaders

Leading from the Middle: Educational Leadership for Middle and Senior Leaders (2012) describes the leadership qualities, practices and activities middle and senior leaders need to enhance learner outcomes.

See Materials that come with this resource to download Leading from the Middle: Educational Leadership for Middle and Senior Leaders (.pdf).

Professional learning and development planning: A Resource Package for Principals and Boards of Trustees

This resource helps principals and boards identify the professional learning that will enable the principal to be most effective as a school leader at each stage of his or her career structure.

See Materials that come with this resource to download Professional Learning and Development Planning - A Resource Package for Principals and Boards of Trustees (.pdf).

School leadership and Student Outcomes: Identifying What Works and Why: Best Evidence Synthesis

This ground-breaking synthesis (2009) identifies and explains characteristics of school leadership that are linked to improving outcomes for learners. The synthesis looks at the five leadership dimensions that have the greatest impact on students:

  • establishing goals and expectations
  • resourcing strategically
  • planning, coordinating, and evaluating teaching and the curriculum
  • promoting and/or participating in teacher learning and development
  • ensuring an orderly and supportive environment

The writers also found that promoting and/or participating in effective teacher learning and development (dimension 4) has twice the impact on student outcomes across a school as any of the other leadership dimensions.

Download from Education Counts

A guide to the school leadership BES

A presentation from Professor Viviane Robinson on the synthesis approach and the leadership dimensions and leadership expertise identified through it.

Professional standards for school principals

This information is from the three different Principals' Collective Agreements. Identifying and developing appropriate indicators is part of developing a performance agreement.

Note: Access Part 4 of each Collective Agreement to read about the employing board’s responsibility to develop the principal’s performance agreement and section 4.5 for information about the professional standards.

Primary Principals' Collective Agreement – Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga The Ministry of Education

The professional standards were drawn from the Kiwi Leadership for Principals document and educational leadership best evidence. They:

  • provide a baseline for assessing satisfactory performance within each area of practice
  • form part of a principal’s performance agreement, which will reflect the school or board goals, the principal’s job description, more specific objectives, and the New Zealand Teaching Council's criteria for registration as a teacher.

Note: Principals with teaching responsibilities will need to meet the requirements of current standards and/or criteria for teachers. (See "Our Code, Our Standards" from the Teaching Council).

Secondary Principals' Collective Agreement – Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga The Ministry of Education

The professional standards were drawn from the Kiwi Leadership for Principals document and educational leadership best evidence. They:

  • form a part of the principal’s performance agreement along with components such as the school’s strategic and annual plans, the principal’s job description, and the New Zealand Teaching Council's criteria for registration as a teacher
  • contribute to a framework which helps to assess and review current practice and identify future professional development.

Area Schools Principals' Collective Agreement – Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga The Ministry of Education

The professional standards were drawn from the Kiwi Leadership for Principals document and School Leadership and Student Outcomes: Identifying What Works and Why. The working group also acknowledged Tū Rāngatira: Māori Medium Educational Leadership. The standards:

  • form a part of the principal’s performance agreement along with components such as the school’s strategic and annual plans, the principal’s job description, and the New Zealand Teaching Council's criteria for registration as a teacher
  • contribute to a framework which helps to assess and review current practice and identify future professional learning.

Teaching, School, and Principal Leadership Practices Survey (TSP)

TSP was developed to give schools robust data about key practices that research has shown are worth paying attention to because of their direct and indirect effects on student learning. Drawing the data together from all participants schools in any given year creates a sound aggregate picture of teaching, school, and leadership practices, showing the strengths and needs in our schools overall.

This report gives the aggregate picture for 2021, covering the 3,645 teachers at 223 schools, and 227 principals who took part and providing insight into participant views of:

  • teaching practice, morale, and workload
  • school practice and Kāhui Ako membership
  • principal leadership practice, workload, and support.

Succession planning

The principal has a key role in guiding and supporting others to step up as leaders. Providing opportunities for others to lead is an important part of succession planning for the principal’s role.

Key readings

Further readings

  1. "Leadership dimensions matrix" is a self-reflective tool which is used in schools and is based on the Leadership BES. It is both practical and useful.
  2. Capabilities required for leading Improvement: Challenges for Researchers and Developers (Robinson V, 2017) has a focus on three capabilities that impact directly or indirectly on students and what needs to be integrated in the work done by school leaders to support the leadership dimensions.
  3. "NZEI Te Riu Roa Principals' Kit" is a dynamic resource for principal members of NZEI Te Riu Roa; sections will be updated as necessary in line with legislative and policy changes. Refer to this resource for the most current information.