Parity for All: Aspiration and expectation in New Zealand

1. Parity for All: Aspiration and expectation in New Zealand Dr Airini A seminar co-sponsored by the Department of Education Studies and the Centre for Policy Studies in Higher Education and Training, The University of British Columbia 20th September 2012

2. “ The Tertiary Education Commission expects Tertiary Education Organisations to: • ensure that Māori and Pacific students participate and achieve at all levels at least on a par with other learners.” (TEC Plan Guidance for 2013. http://www.tec.govt.nz/Funding/investment-plans/Plan-guidance-for-2013/)

4. “During 2013 to 2015, New Zealand’s tertiary education system needs to make a bigger contribution to New Zealand’s economic growth, and it needs to do it within current levels of government investment. This means focusing on outcomes and raising performance – especially for Māori and Pacific learners, where the biggest gains are to be made.”

5. Parity through‘Hard wired’ targets

6. Presentation summary • Why have parity targets? • Approach underpinning the targets • Issues and intentions • Monitoring progress on the targets • Discussion: When can parity be a reasonable expectation?

7. Parity targets amidst global trends in tertiary education • Growing importance of the knowledge society/economy • Trade in education services • Education is increasingly viewed as a major engine of economic development, and a private good. • Inequality, access and success

8. New Zealand

9. Aoteraoa New Zealand

10. Pasifika New Zealand

11. New Zealand: Tertiary Education Strategy “The Government’s vision is for a world-leading education system that equips all New Zealanders with the knowledge, skills and values to be successful citizens in the 21st century. A world-leading education system is an important first step towards a productive and growing economy that delivers greater prosperity, security and opportunity for all New Zealanders.” Tertiary Education Strategy 2010-2015

12. Tertiary Education Strategy: Māori Vision: Enable Māori to enjoy education success as Māori • A unique place as tangata whenua and partners to the Treaty of Waitangi. • Tertiary education has a particular responsibility to maintain and develop Māori language and culture to support Māori living as Māori in both Te Ao Mäori and in wider society. • Māori business and development are making a major contribution to New Zealand’s economy and society. • Acknowledging and advancing Māori language, culture and identity is important in providing a basis for Māori success in all forms of education. • One in five tertiary students is Māori. Tertiary Education Strategy 2010-2015

13. ACHIEVING PRIORITIES BY 2015 • target priority groups - increasing the number of Māori students enjoying success at higher levels - increasing the number of Pasifika students achieving at higher levels • improve system performance • support high-quality research that helps to drive innovation.

14. How the New Zealand tertiary system makes change

15. Parity: Recent history 2011: Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success: The Māori Education Plan 2008-2012 mid-term review: Implementation of the Māori education strategy was progressing too slowly. The Pasifika Education Plan 2009-2012: Some improvement but gap between Pasifika and non-Pasifika remains and is expanding in some cases. Cabinet-agreed actions. 2012: TEC Board: Progress made for Māori and Pasifika, but providers tend to set conservative targets in their Investment Plans, and educational outcome disparities have remained the same or widened relative to non-Māori and non-Pasifika.

16. Parity: Expectation 2012: “TEC expects tertiary education organisations to ensure that Maori and Pacific learners participate and achieve at all levels at least on a par with other learners”

17. Māori. Pasifika. • Underlying reasons why Māori and Pasifika do not participate or achieve in tertiary education at the same rate as Other people has been the focus of research over some time. • There is little information on whether Māori and Pasifika outcomes are affected by the same factors or in the same way. • There are key differences between the two populations. • The parity investment approach is about system performance.

18. Parity: Reasonable benchmarks • A range of possible benchmarks: • 15-64 yr pop (2006 Census) • 15-39 yr pop (2006 Census) • 15-24 yr pop (2006 Census) • School leavers (2010) • School leavers with no attainment (2010) • School leavers with at least NCEA Level 2 (2010) • School leavers with UE (2010) • The year for which the targets should be set • Targets for Wananga • Targets for PTEs • Increasing the stretch for universities

19. Parity: Focus of targets It became clear from the analysis of participation and achievement that the main focus of the targets should be on parity of achievement, as this is clearly an area where disparity exists and has not improved markedly. • Māori are currently either on par or over-represented, in terms of participation, in all sub-sectors except universities • Pasifika participation is currently on par or above-par compared to population benchmarks for all sub-sectors except universities, under-represented particularly at Level 8+ in Universities, and the proportion of ITO trainees at Level 4+ is also under-par. • A comparison of completion rates for both courses and qualifications shows that Māori and Pasifika are consistently under-achieving across all sectors and broad groupings of level.

20. Achievement

21. Example: University sector Examples of options considered for participation targets for Universities The % of EFTS that are provided by each university to Māori/Pasifika learners should be at least on par with the: • Option 1: % of national 15-39 population who are Māori/Pasifika by 2018 • Option 2: % of 15-39 population within the University’s region who are Māori/Pasifika by 2018 Target chosen (option 5) • For the university sector • For Māori and Pasifika • The % of EFTS provided by the university sub-sector should be at least on par with the % of national 15-39 population who are Māori/Pasifika • At Level 1-7, Level 8+ and for All EFTS • By 2018

22. Example: University sector Qualification completion

23. Hard wired targets for parity: University • Not set at a provider level as with ITPs. • Set at the sub-sector level. • The University sub-sector as a whole will achieve the participation targets of at least 16.8% for Māori and 8.2% for Pasifika by 2018. • Course and qualification completion rates to be at least on par with other learners in that university, at all levels, by 2018.

24. Monitoring the targets • Separate monitoring and reporting approach is required. • Tracking tool to monitor progress toward the targets, using the latest available published provision data has been developed: • trend data as well as the targets • to provide longer term perspective • as new data becomes available through the SDR each year the tracking tool can be updated and progress toward the targets reviewed • separate reports on Māori and Pasifika participation and achievement • how providers are tracking to parity • narrative on provider approaches and practices which appear most effective and how they relate to change in participation and achievement.

25. Expectations and consequences • For performance that is exceeding expectations: • fewer terms and conditions • funding paid in advance • less frequent monitoring • eligibility for future funding. • For under-performance: • increased frequency of contact / monitoring / engagement • with the TEO • a significant amendment to the TEO’s Plan • set conditions on funding approved for future Plans • suspend funding • revoke funding • funding recovery • consider the TEO’s past performance in future funding allocations (including any discretionary funding for which the TEO may apply).

26. Presentation • Why have parity targets? • Approach underpinning the targets • Issues and intentions • Monitoring progress on the targets • Discussion: • ‘Parity’ • Pasifika perspectives • When can parity be a reasonable expectation ?

27. ‘Parity’ “It is the expectation of TEC that every tertiary education organisation will ensure that Maori and Pasifika learners participate and achieve at all levels at least on par with other learners” • The targets cannot be a static number over time, delivery on parity targets • Parity and the remaining need to address equality, equity, power • - Scott Metcalfe et al. (2007). “…a number of planning paradoxes.”

28. Conceptual issues in fusing parity, equality and equity • The dominance of an aggregated, system-wide approach • Interrogate whose interests are served by the funding arrangements in education • Assert the interests of the least advantaged. • Parity in tertiary education is parity in isolation • Locate the tertiary education challenge within the broader context of Maori and Pasifika economic and social development in New Zealand, and integrate education reform with other essential policy measures.

29. ‘Parity’ “It is the expectation of TEC that every tertiary education organisation will ensure that Maori and Pasifika learners participate and achieve at all levels at least on par with other learners” • The targets cannot be a static number over time • Delivery on parity targets • Parity and the remaining need to address equality, equity, power • Change in the tertiary sector is dependent on change in schools

30. Parity: School performance affects tertiary performance

31. ‘Parity’ “It is the expectation of TEC that every tertiary education organisation will ensure that Maori and Pasifika learners participate and achieve at all levels at least on par with other learners” • The targets cannot be a static number over time • Delivery on parity targets • Parity and the remaining need to address equality, identity, power • Change in the tertiary sector is dependent on change in schools • Parity to whose ends? Pasifika perspectives

32. Parity, Pasifika and success

33. Parity, Pasifika and success

34. Parity, Pasifika and success • Successful transitions • Continued & accelerated performance for Pasifika at all levels • Contributing to interagency collaboration • Using research & evidence more effectively

35. ‘Parity’ “It is the expectation of TEC that every tertiary education organisation will ensure that Maori and Pasifika learners participate and achieve at all levels at least on par with other learners” • The targets cannot be a static number over time • Delivery on parity targets • Parity and the remaining need to address equality, identity, power • Change in the tertiary sector is dependent on change in schools • Parity to whose ends? Pasifika perspectives • When can parity be a reasonable expectation ?

36. When can parity be a reasonable expectation ? • A rationale based on strategic alignment, economics, and system performance • Responding to performance patterns to-date • An approach informed by evidence and analysis • Targets that are reasonable, fair, simple • Shaped by internal engagement and external engagement • Tracked through monitoring and a consequences framework • In an environment of willingness

37. Presentation summary • Why have parity targets? • Approach underpinning the targets • Issues and intentions • Monitoring progress on the targets • Discussion: When can parity be a reasonable expectation?

38. Acknowledgements • Tertiary Education Commission • Frannie Aston, Helen Lomax, Lisale Falema, Annabel Lee and Anne Broadbent • TEC Pasifika Tertiary Working Group • Sina Aiolupotea-Aiono, Linda Aumua, Malakai Koloamatangi, John Kotoisuva, Jannitta Pilisi, Analiese Robertson, and Pale Sauni • Faculty of Education, The University of British Columbia • Department of Educational Studies • Centre for Policy Studies in Higher Education and Training

39. Thank you. Kia ora. Fa’afetai tele lava.