Using digital technologies to support culturally responsive leadership

What is culturally responsive leadership?

Culturally responsive leadership supports inclusive environments and improved learning for students and families with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. It involves developing leadership pedagogies, practices, and policies that create inclusive schooling environments. 

Williams, 2016

Culturally responsive leaders: 

• exhibit an ethic of care
• develop cultural awareness in the school and community
• demonstrate and promote inclusive practice
• challenge deficit theorising, inequitable principles and practices.

Regardless of position or age, any member of the staff and any student has the ability to be a culturally responsive leader.

A bi-cultural approach to culturally responsive leadership

To lead for diversity means to actively respond to the diversity in the school population. Educational policy and practice reflecting a Maori world view as legitimate, authoritative, and valid has the potential of creating a culturally responsive approach that benefits the entire school community. 

The New Zealand Curriculum acknowledges the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the bicultural foundations of Aotearoa New Zealand. All students have the opportunity to acquire knowledge of te reo Māori me ōna tikanga.

The Treaty principle of partnership benefits all learners. It harnesses the knowledge and expertise of the diverse people who can contribute to students’ learning, including families, whānau, iwi, and other community members. 

Ministry of Education – NZ Curriculum Update

Looking at the Treaty of Waitangi curriculum principle

In this video, Wharehoka Wano offers schools simple strategies to get started and describes what might be seen in classrooms where the Treaty of Waitangi principle is enacted.

Whare comments on the importance of school leaders and kaiako knowing:

• their community – including their Māori community
• where their tamariki Māori come from and the relationship they have with that place. 

Schools should know what tribal area they’re located in, and the rivers and mountains that are important.

Key resources

Tū Rangatira  

This document outlines roles and focus areas of leadership from a Māori perspective and presents some of the key leadership roles and practices that contribute to high-quality educational outcomes for Māori learners. Initially created for Māori medium educational leadership, this is a useful resource for all school leaders.

Māori achieving success as Māori  (MASAM)

A framework for developing a school curriculum that supports Māori students to enjoy and achieve educational success as Māori.

Investigating what an effective culturally responsive approach to the implementation of The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa

A sabbatical report by Christine Jessop from Forest Lake Primary School – Hamilton.

Principal, Roger Hornblow describes their two and a half year journey to build culturally inclusive practices at Pegasus Bay School. They began by involving whānau and the community to develop their place-based approach to learning. Consultation with the Ngāi Tūāhuriri Education Committee (Ngāi Tahu) was ongoing from the early stages of designing the new school. 

Place-based learning can help teachers practise a culturally responsive pedagogy which is grounded in the unique historical, cultural, and ecological contexts their students live and learn in.

Harcourt, 2015

Each of the learning communities at Pegasus Bay School incorporates local names and stories, which are part of students' learning. Roger describes two whole-school PLD projects undertaken by staff to build their understanding of Māori tikanga and reo. They have made te reo Māori and inclusive approaches part of their everyday practice so they are seen as "business as usual" by students and parents.

Online PLD – Te Reo Puāwai

Online professional learning was made available for the whole staff through the Te Reo Puāwai course – a guide to te reo Māori, which includes how to teach it to others and use it authentically in your setting. The value of working online meant teachers could work at their own pace, revisit the lessons and resources, and work together to build understanding and develop practice.

Huakina Mai

Pegasus Bay School trialed Huakina Mai trial, along with two other schools in their area. Huakina Mai aims to enhance learning outcomes and experiences for Māori students and their whānau by supporting schools, students, whānau, and iwi to build a whole school approach to positive behaviour based on strong relationships, authentic engagement, power sharing, culturally responsive behaviour management systems, processes, practices and pedagogy (ways of teaching and learning). Roger notes the importance of connecting with the two other schools in the trial.

Strategies that can lead to change

Create effective links between school and other cultural contexts in which students are socialised, to facilitate learning. Use a blended approach, which includes face-to-face and online.

• Prioritise the importance and facilitation of face-to-face relationships between school staff and students, whānau, and other community members.
• Establish systems and structures to support the development of relationships – support whānau to view student work online and engage in their learning.
• Create a culture of learning within the entire school community – invite whānau into the school and connect with local marae.

(Ford, 2012 )

School examples

Building the mana of te reo and tikanga in the classroom

Teachers from Pegasus Bay School discuss how students learning their pepeha, rakau games, waiata, and karakia has created a culturally responsive environment where tikanga Māori is celebrated and valued. Teachers work hard to connect with whānau. Student work is shared through classroom blogs. Teachers have organised workshops using parent and whānau expertise with harakeke weaving leading up to matariki. Feedback from whānau has been positive.

Te ika unahi nui wānanga – A marae-based learning programme

Students from Coastal Taranaki School learn at Tarawainuku marae. The marae holds the cultural knowledge of the local tribe inside its houses and in the environment in which it is located. Whānau were invited to provide their input into designing learning experiences and encouraged to participate in these at the marae each week with the students. Regular meetings were held to discuss learning for each term.

Engaging your school community using technologies

Rob Clarke, principal of Burnham School, explains the importance of face-to-face meetings in terms of successful whānau and community engagement with e-learning tools.

Face-to-face dialogue and relationship building helps to eliminate “guesswork” when identifying possible barriers and opportunities for student and teacher learning. Provide opportunities for the leadership team and teachers to have conversations with, and listen to, Māori students, whānau and the wider Māori community to gain a deep understanding of where students are from and what they bring into the school setting. Find out about the expectations and the aspirations that parents have for their children.

As well as ensuring that leaders and teachers are building interdependent relationships with students, parents and community members, and the principal, consider the quality of internal relationships between leaders, teachers, and administration staff. Provide staff with opportunities to share their ideas and perspectives, so they are empowered to contribute to decision making. 

Develop a shared vision

Use understandings gained from conversations with Māori students, parents and whānau, fellow leaders, teachers, and support staff to guide the development of a shared vision. Develop a vision that ensures all students (particularly those being least served in the school in terms of education success) are better able to achieve academic success. Use your vision to inform school systems and structures.

Key resource

Leading schools that include all learners

This online guide unpacks what it means to lead an inclusive school where all students are supported to be present, engaged, participating, and achieving in ways that honour and value diversity.

Kawa and tikanga – systems and structures

Design systems and structures that articulate "how your school does things" to create an inclusive culture that supports learning.

• Provide multiple opportunities for engagement with school families, particularly Māori whānau.
• Plan and timetable regular parental meetings, information evenings, and events to celebrate learning into the school schedule each term.
• Encourage teachers to target parent drop-off and pickup times for informal opportunities to talk with parents about their children.
• Plan regular meetings between the senior leadership team, teachers, and administration staff  to ensure shared understandings about how staff relate to and interact with students, parents and one another. These meetings also provide opportunities for staff to have their voices heard and professional needs responded to in an individual and collective way.

Regularly review and update documents to reflect developing understandings of culturally responsive practice, as a result of ongoing dialogue with students and parents, and through your professional development programme.

Cultural responsiveness needs to permeate every aspect of the school to create an inclusive environment, including the:

• physical environment
• policy and procedures
• curriculum
• relationships among teachers, students, and the community (Williams, 2016 ).

Key resources

Treaty of Waitangi

A series of videos on the NZC website supporting understanding and leading whole school te reo Māori development, effective pedagogy, and a culturally connected curriculum.

Partnering with parents, whānau, and communities

This online guide provides information, examples, and resources to support schools with developing and strengthening effective partnerships. It emphasises the value of building close community networks to support student learning and wellbeing.

Policies

ERO suggest schools can improve their practice by building their understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi and its implications for school policy, organisation, and planning (Ministry of Education, 2012 ). Consider to what extent the Treaty of Waitangi principle is evident in the interpretation and implementation of your school curriculum and how it is enacted in classrooms.

Use important policies that guide the school as a basis to develop practice guidelines, in conjunction with teachers, which contain expectations regarding relationships and classroom.

Consider your:  

• curriculum delivery policy
• Treaty of Waitangi policy
• appraisal and attestation policy
• school charter and strategic plan.

"To ensure that all Māori can achieve their full potential in education, the system must fit the learner rather than the learner fit the system."

Ministry of Education, Supporting Māori students

Establish and support pedagogies and frameworks that underpin culturally responsive practices by:  

• emphasising high expectations for student achievement
• incorporating the history, values, and cultural knowledge of students and community in the curriculum
• developing organisational structures that reflect the cultural diversity in the school and wider community
• providing relevant learning opportunities to improve educational experiences and outcomes for all students
• building relationships between schools and communities.

Key resource

The Treaty of Waitangi and school governance: Ki tua tua o te matapaki kōrero ko te mahi

This document enables trustees of English-medium schools to better understand the Treaty; emphasise the responsibility and potential that boards have in ensuring that the implications, obligations and the spirit of the Treaty are implemented and upheld.

Akoranga – Creating a culture of learning

Providing professional learning and development (PLD) for staff is an important aspect of influencing cultural responsiveness. To support staff to successfully develop culturally responsive practices, leaders need to know:

• the complexity and stages of each staff member's journey toward developing cultural responsiveness
• the different cultural experiences and beliefs they hold (Williams, 2016 ).

Support staff to:

1. increase their understanding of their own culture and the influence it has on their teaching
2. gain some understanding of how Pākehā culture influences education and develop an appreciation of the effect this has on children from ethnic minority groups
3. increase their knowledge of the cultural background of the learners they teach and use this information to provide effective learning for these groups of children (Patara, 2012 ). 

At Pegasus Bay School, teachers teach and use te reo Māori daily so students hear and see it as a natural part of their school culture. Pegasus Bay School principal, Roger Hornblow explains the importance of being deliberate about giving teachers skills at a personal level, which have practice and performance outcomes. Working through the online course, Te Reo Puawai, together as a whole staff meant teachers were able to collaborate, support each other, and develop their practice together.

Teachers are aware of the importance of using te reo Māori regularly and pronouncing it correctly. Students and teachers are learning together. Kupu and posters placed around the learning environment provide te reo support. 

Tamariki are encouraged to bring things in which are meaningful to them. They have gathered things such as shells, toi toi, and harakeke, from their local environment which are used as classroom resources. 

Effective practice

Characteristics of culturally inclusive practice

These characteristics are interdependent.

• Teachers ensure that student experiences of instruction have known relationships to other cultural contexts in which the students have been/are socialised.
• Relevance subject material is made transparent to students.
• Cultural practices at school are made transparent and taught.
• Ways of taking meaning from text, discourse, numbers, or experience are made explicit.
• Quality teaching recognises and builds on students' prior experiences and knowledge.
• New information is linked to student experiences.
• Student diversity is utilised effectively as a pedagogical resource.
• Quality teaching respects and affirms cultural identity (including gender identity) and optimises educational opportunities.
• Quality teaching effects are maximised when supported by effective school-home partnership practices focused on student learning. School-home partnerships that have shown the most positive impacts on student outcomes have student learning as their focus.
• When educators enable quality alignments in practices between teachers and parent/caregivers to support learning and skill development then student achievement can be optimised.
• Teachers can take agency in encouraging, scaffolding and enabling student-parent/caregiver dialogue around school learning.
• Quality homework can have particularly positive impacts on student learning. The effectiveness of the homework is particularly dependent upon the teacher's ability to construct, resource, scaffold and provide feedback upon appropriate homework tasks that support in-class learning for diverse students and do not unnecessarily fatigue and frustrate students.

Alton-Lee, 2003

Identifying effective practice

Culturally responsive teachers use a wide variety of strategies to create inclusive classroom contexts where students are encouraged to acknowledge and celebrate diversity and learning with and from each other. These include:

Quality relationships are central to quality teaching

• building care-based relationships that underly all classroom interactions
• power sharing between students and teachers
• challenging deficit theories of achievement
• making students’ cultural and ethnic identities and knowledge fundamental dimensions to curriculum design (Gay, 2000; Wlodkowski & Ginsberg, 1995 in Ford, 2010 ).

The Effective Teacher Profile (ETP) illustrates effective interactions:

• manaakitanga (caring for students as Māori and acknowledging their mana)
• mana motuhake (having high expectations)
• ngā whakapiringatanga (managing the classroom to promote learning)
• wānanga and ako (using a range of dynamic, interactive teaching styles)
• kotahitanga (teachers and students reflecting together on student achievement in order to move forward collaboratively).

(Patara, 2012, p. 52 )

Tātaiako – cultural competences for teachers of Māori learners

• ako (teachers taking responsibility for their own learning and that of Māori learners)
• wānanga (robust dialogue for the benefit of Māori learners’ achievement)
• manaakitanga (valuing Māori beliefs, language and culture, caring for students as Māori and acknowledging their mana)
• whanaungatanga (actively engages in respectful working relationships—tamaiti/whānau/hapū/iwi)
• tangata whenuatanga (affirms Māori learners as Māori).

Culturally responsive teaching and learning pedagogy is realised when:

• teachers’ cultural competence increases
• teachers’ deficit theorising is reduced
• teachers build positive relationships with students
• teachers have high expectations of Māori learners
• Māori learners bring their cultural experiences into the classroom to inform learning and teaching (mana motuhake)
• Māori learners and extended whānau are integral to determining Māori education success.

Tau Mai Te Reo and Ka Hikitia are companion strategies and should be read in conjunction with each other. Tau Mai Te Reo is a strategy for all learners, while Ka Hikitia is a strategy for all Māori learners.

• Ka Hikitia – Ka Hāpaitia | The Māori Education Strategy
• Tau Mai Te Reo | The Māori Language in Education Strategy

Tapasā – Cultural competencies framework for teachers of Pacific learners

Increase the capability of all teachers of Pacific learners.

• • Tapasā resources  – video resources with conversation starters and supplementary resources.
  • Quality Practice Template – Cross Sector Examples for a QPT using a Tapasā lens – a description of quality practices and evidence teachers can gather to demonstrate competence in each Teacher Standard.

Publications and initiatives

The Treaty of Waitangi and school governance: Ki tua tua o te matapaki kōrero ko te mahi

This document enables trustees of English-medium schools to better understand the Treaty; emphasise the responsibility and potential that boards have in ensuring that the implications, obligations and the spirit of the Treaty are implemented and upheld.

The cultural self-review: Providing culturally effective, inclusive education for Māori learners

This book by Jill Bevan-Brown provides a structure and process that teachers from early childhood centres through to secondary schools can use to explore how well they cater for Māori learners, including those with special needs. Central to the book is a cultural input framework which provides a set of principles for analysing programme components including: environment, personnel, policy, processes, content, resources, assessment, and administration.

The pedagogies and practices supported by a bi-cultural and culturally responsive approach to leading teaching and learning will benefit the entire school community. Two examples of school leaders who have achieved better results for their Māori learners are outlined in the following New Zealand university masters degree theses’:

• Examining culturally responsive leadership (2010)

• Culturally responsive leadership in Aotearoa New Zealand secondary schools (2016)

The New Zealand Curriculum Treaty of Waitangi principle

NZC Update 16 focuses on The New Zealand Curriculum principle the Treaty of Waitangi and its implications for teaching, learning, and the school curriculum.

Tātaiako: Cultural competencies for teachers of Māori learners

Tātaiako provides a framework that can support professional development and learning for teachers, leaders, and aspiring principals. The framework identifies five competencies and for each provides indicators at four levels: entry to initial teacher education, graduating teachers, certified teachers, and leaders. Supporting the indicators are possible outcomes expressed as examples of learner voice and of whānau voice.

Ka Hikitia – Kā Hapaitia

Ka Hikitia – Kā Hapaitia is a cross-agency strategy for the education sector. It sets out how The Ministry of Education will work with education services to achieve system shifts in education and support Māori learners and their whānau, hapū and iwi to achieve excellent and equitable outcomes and provides an organising framework for actions.

Tapasā – Cultural competencies framework for teachers of Pacific learners

A tool that can be used to increase the capability of all teachers of Pacific learners. 

• Tapasā resources : video resources with conversation starters and supplementary resources.
• Quality Practice Template – Cross Sector Examples for a QPT using a Tapasā lens : a description of quality practices and evidence teachers can gather to demonstrate competence in each Teacher Standard.

Action Plan for Pacific Education

The Action Plan maps the Government’s commitment to transforming outcomes for Pacific learners and families and signals how early learning services, schools, and tertiary providers can achieve change for Pacific learners and their families. The Action Plan has resources and guidance including planning templates.

Huakina Mai

Huakina Mai is a kaupapa Māori behaviour initiative that promotes whānau, schools, and iwi working together to build a positive school culture, based on a Kaupapa Māori world view. This initiative is based on the growing body of practice-based evidence that school and student/whānau success are improved by personalisation and strong relationships of teachers' knowledge of, and caring for students.

Investigating what an effective culturally responsive approach to the implementation of The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa

A sabbatical report by Christine Jessop from Forest Lake Primary School – Hamilton, published 2012.

Websites

Te Mangōroa

Te Mangōroa is a portal to stories, reports, statistics, and reviews from across TKI and other sites that reflect effective practices to support Māori learners to achieve educational success as Māori. Te Mangōroa contains practical illustrations of what the Māori education strategy, Ka Hikitia – Ka Hāpaitia, means for teaching and learning.

• Effective leaders  – this search result from Te Mangōroa provide a large number of research and readings to support school leaders develop a culturally responsive environment.

Inclusive education – Guides for schools

This site provides New Zealand educators with practical strategies, suggestions, and resources to support learners with diverse needs. Specific guides which may be useful:

• Leading schools that include all learners
• Supporting Māori students
• Supporting Pasifika students

• Partnering with parents, whanau and communities

Promise of place: Enriching lives through place-based education

Place-based education (PBE) immerses students in local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities and experiences, using these as a foundation for the learning across the curriculum. PBE emphasises learning through participation in service projects for the local school and/or community. This American website provides useful information, templates for planning, and school stories to support understanding and implementing PBE.

Videos

Treaty of Waitangi

A series of videos on the NZC website supporting understanding and leading whole school te reo Māori development, effective pedagogy, and a culturally connected curriculum.

Culturally responsive practice

A collection of videos featuring educators talking about culturally responsive practice, pedagogy, and learning environments.

Enabling e-Learning resources

Māori achieving success as Māori

A framework for schools to build an environment that supports Māori students to achieve success as Māori. School stories, information, and examples on how to develop a framework for your school.

A marae-based learning programme

Te Ika Unahi Nui is a marae-based wānanga (learning programme) that was developed and trialled with students from Coastal Taranaki School at Puniho Pā, Tarawainuku marae in Okato, Taranaki.

The Mutukaroa project

Mutukaroa is a home-school learning partnership that seeks to accelerate learning progress and achievement for students in years 1-3 by fostering the active engagement of parents and whānau in learning partnerships.

Connecting with Pasifika families and communities

Information and examples of how schools use digital technologies to support connections with Pasifika parents and families.

Inclusive classrooms

Information and examples of how schools use digital technologies to support inclusion of all students. See also:

• Supporting Māori students through ako-e (e-learning)
• Supporting Pasifika students

References

Alton-Lee, A. (2003). Quality Teaching for Diverse Students in Schooling: Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration (BES). NZ Ministry of Education

Berryman, M., Ford, T., & Egan, M. (2015). Developing collaborative connections between schools and Māori communities. Set 3

Earl, L.M., Timperly, H. & Stewart, G.M. (2008) . Learning from the quality teaching research and development programme (QTR&D): Findings of the external evaluation  

Ford, T. (2012). Culturally responsive leadership: How one principal in an urban primary school responded successfully to Māori student achievement. Set 2

Ford, T. (2010). Examining culturally responsive leadership. A thesis submitted to University of Waikato

Harcourt, M. (2015). Towards a culturally responsive and place-conscious theory of history teaching. Set 2

Patara, L. (2012). Integrating culturally responsive teaching and learning pedagogy in line with Ka Hikitia. Set 2

Williams, N. (2016). Culturally responsive leadership in Aotearoa New Zealand secondary schools. A thesis submitted to AUT