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A rift has emerged between the Government and the country's teachers over the effectiveness of a scheme aimed at lifting Maori performance in the classroom.
Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia last week applauded the improved numeracy and literacy of Maori students enrolled in Te Kotahitanga, a programme aimed at improving Maori educational achievement in mainstream secondary schools.
The programme, which includes greater emphasis on Maori cultural content and changing teachers' attitude toward Maori students, was launched in 2004 and now operates at 33 schools.
Mr Horomia said a report into the initiative showed clear gains for Maori students.
"We are seeing improvements in numeracy and literacy for these students.
"The results clearly indicate that there is a positive association between Maori student performance and the programme."
The benefits, he said, were also enjoyed by non-Maori students.
But PPTA president Robin Duff urged caution in interpreting results, and labelled as crassly over-simplistic suggestions that poor teacher perception was behind disproportionate Maori failure rates in the country's schools.
Most students responded well when they had a good relationship with teachers, he said, with a poor student-teacher relationship not solely determined by teachers.
The association would do its own research to ensure the conclusions reached were fair.
"[The gain in Maori performance] could be a result of an intensive professional development programme that gives teachers more time and resources to focus on their relationships and interactions with all students."
He said the response from members, among the 422 teachers to take part in the programme, was mixed, with concerns raised about the amount of extracurricular activities required and extra training needed.
Mr Duff said smaller class size could have been another feature behind the programme's success.
"Clearly teachers make a difference, and school-based change is important, but it should not excuse the Government from addressing the social and economic factors that also impact on Maori student achievement."
Mr Horomia said greater focus on individuals and broader interactive teaching were key to the programme's success.
"It's about building a relationship between teacher and student. It's about teachers having a good understanding of the students' individual learning needs and having expectations that they can and will achieve. It's also about making the learning relevant for Maori," said Mr Horomia.
Maori Party education spokesman Te Ururoa Flavell said the programme validated Maori concerns about the treatment of their children in mainstream classrooms.
"We need to do everything we can to support our teachers to be the very best they can be for all our children."
Mr Flavell called for increased funding to address disproportionate Maori failure in the classroom and for a greater role out of the Te Kotahitanga programme.
