Failings persist, despite 10 years of reform

The plan was called Tomorrow's Schools and it promised to change the face of our education system forever.

It has certainly done that. But 10 years after the Labour Government decided to let parents take responsibility for the way schools are run, the report card might well read: some improvement, but more hard work needed.

Herald reporters have been investigating the results of those 10 years under Tomorrow's Schools and have found major advances in the way our children are educated. But their inquiries show there is some way to go before New Zealanders get an education system to be proud of.

Our series of reports, which begins in Weekend Life today
and continues in the Herald next week, shows:

*While many schools are flourishing, others are dying. Those for the disadvantaged have not improved results.

*Maori and Pacific Island children still dominate the ranks of under-achievers.

*Communities are increasingly funding schools from their own pockets.

*Marketing and administration takes more time than teaching for principals, making the job less attractive.

But for all those failings, state schools still satisfy most parents. A Herald/DigiPoll survey of 425 parents and caregivers shows 86 per cent are happy with state schooling.

Before the reforms, that rating was around 50 per cent.