Module 8: Whānau Whanake (Building Stakeholder Relationships): This module explores building positive and collaborative partnerships and networks with parents, teachers, students, and community members to support school improvement.
Due: 11th August
Nau te rourou, naku te rourou, ka ora te manuhiri.
With your food basket and my food basket, the people will thrive.
Module Objectives:
- Understand the importance of strong stakeholder relationships in school improvement.
- Identify your key bicultural stakeholders in the community.
- Develop and implement strategies for effective communication and engagement with stakeholders.
- Build trust and foster collaborative partnerships with parents and whānau.
- Utilise community resources to enhance student learning and well-being.
- Develop and implement a stakeholder engagement plan for the school.
The NZ Education Code of Practice 2021 describes stakeholders as “learners, staff, whānau, local communities, employers, iwi, and others who share a meaningful interest in the wellbeing and safety of learners enrolled with the provider.”(p.10) A key principle for forming stake-holder relationships is mahi tahi and kotahitanga: collective benefits and shared aspirations. This module dives into developing culturally responsive practices and engaging with whanau, hapu and iwi. However, the principles explored can be applied to many stakeholder groups.
We are aware that there is a continuum of experiences and expertise among our delegates so please explore the area(s) most relevant to you below.
Defining Culturally Responsive Leadership
Culturally responsive leadership refers to a leadership approach that recognises, respects, and integrates the diverse cultural backgrounds and identities of students, staff, and the community within the educational environment. This approach prioritises inclusivity, equity, and culturally sensitive practices.
Key Components of Culturally Responsive Leadership:
- Cultural Competence: Culturally responsive leaders demonstrate cultural competence by developing a deep understanding of their own cultural biases and beliefs. They actively seek to learn about the cultures represented in their school community.
- Inclusive Leadership: Inclusive leaders foster an environment where all students and staff feel valued and included, regardless of their cultural background. They promote an atmosphere of respect and acceptance.
- Cultural Awareness: Culturally responsive leaders are attuned to the cultural needs and preferences of their students and staff. They adapt their leadership style to accommodate these differences, making the educational experience more relevant and engaging.
Culture Matters!
Culture significantly shapes our thinking, perception, actions, and communication. Learning is intricately linked to culture, meaning that even when the classroom’s teaching methods, resources, curriculum, and relationships remain the same, students’ experiences may differ due to their cultural perspectives and prior knowledge. Problems arise when educators are unaware of the diverse knowledge and experiences diverse students bring to learning. Even if a teacher shares the same culture as their students, understanding their backgrounds isn’t guaranteed as cultural understandings and behaviours vary within cultural groups, and teachers may miss cultural cues. It’s vital not to ignore these differences or treat all students uniformly, but instead, move from cultural blindness to cultural responsiveness.
Bias, Unconscious Bias and Racism:
Biases in educational leadership can manifest in various ways, often stemming from deep-seated societal prejudices. These biases may result in unequal opportunities, resource allocation, and disciplinary practices for students of different backgrounds. Educational leaders, whether consciously or unconsciously, may favour certain groups while unintentionally disadvantaging others. These biases can hinder the creation of inclusive, equitable learning environments, perpetuating disparities in academic achievement and student well-being. Addressing biases in educational leadership is crucial for fostering fairness and ensuring that every student has an equal opportunity to succeed academically and personally. It requires self-awareness, ongoing education, and a commitment to dismantling discriminatory practices to create a more just and equitable educational system.
In leadership and teaching positions we need to be aware of unconscious biases and how these might affect the way in which we operate in a school setting; towards children, colleagues and whanaū. An unconscious bias is more difficult to overcome and can be defined as such:
“Refers to a bias that we are unaware of and which happens outside of our control. It is a bias that happens automatically and is triggered by our brain making quick judgements and assessments of people and situations, influenced by our background, cultural environment and personal experiences.” – Equality Challenge Unit UK: Unconscious Bias in Higher Education Review 2013.
In New Zealand schools students can also experience outright racism, as explored in this article on Mana College – https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/racism-in-schools-calls-for-cultural-competency-in-the-classroom/JNSGWAYUUQI5RH65F3535A7YII/
Our Responsibility as School Leaders in Aotearoa:
School leaders clearly have a responsibility to ensure schools are safe and equitable places for learners and their whanau. We know that culturally responsive pedagogies have the potential to narrow the disparities in our school communities, concurrently elevating the overall levels of achievement. Extensive research indicates that these culturally responsive pedagogical approaches boost student performance across diverse cultural groups, ensuring every student is motivated and has the assistance required to unlock their educational potential, irrespective of their social, economic, cultural background, or individual requirements.
In this video, Professor Mere Berryman explains the need and the opportunity to use evidence to make a difference in education in Aotearoa, and why a Tiriti o Waitangi partnership approach – Mana Ōrite – is foundational to success for diverse Māori learners and for all learners in English-medium education.
Task:
Research tells us that there are some key aspects of culturally responsive pedagogy:
- Reflect on your cultural knowledge and teaching assumptions related to culture
- Learn about your students
- Use students’ cultural knowledge, perspectives and skills as a resource for teaching
- Create a safe and supportive environment and build strong relationships
- Encourage a discursive curriculum and enable student self-determination
- Connect with families
- Connect with communities
Select one or two aspects from the list above and reflect on what your school does well in this regard and what next steps you would take to further develop your school’s cultural responsiveness.
Comment on a fellow delegate’s response, remembering that every school is at a different place in this journey. You might offer support if there is a next step you can help with, reassurance if you have been on a similar journey, help with a resource you have found useful etc.
Optional Resources:
Explore the resources most relevant to you.
Working effectively with iwi and hapū, Melanie Taite-Pitama: https://vimeo.com/242861287
Puketeraki Kāhui Ako: Culturally responsive practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQusPg98GcQ
A website with many useful resources and links: https://elearning.tki.org.nz/Leadership/Culturally-responsive-leadership#js-tabcontainer-1-tab-5
Quality Teaching for Diverse Students in Schooling: Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration (BES): https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/series/2515/5959
“The real conspiracy is that education is for the rich” L. O’Connell Rapira – https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/24-08-2020/the-real-conspiracy-is-that-education-is-for-the-rich
“They didn’t care about normal kids like me”: Restructuring a school to fit the kids” A. Milne – https://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/6234
“Colouring in the White Spaces: Reclaiming Cultural Identity in Whitestream Schools” A. Milne – https://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/handle/10289/7868
Assessment:
- Completion of all relevant readings.
- Participation in the online forum discussion.
- Submission of reflection on forum.
19 Responses
Our Community Partnerships
Building strong partnerships between our school, whānau, and the wider community is a cornerstone of our Reggio-inspired philosophy. We firmly believe that a collaborative and supportive network significantly enriches a child’s educational journey. To honor this connection, we open each term with a Mihi Whakatau, for new students, their families, and guests, embracing them into our school community.
We use a multi-faceted approach to keep families informed and involved. We are proactive in creating connections. Our primary communication tools include:
– HERO Platform: Weekly classroom notices are sent via this platform, ensuring you get timely updates on what’s happening in your child’s learning space.
– School Newsletter: This is sent out every few weeks and highlights different areas of the school. It shares stories and learning journeys that showcase the unique creativity and strong identity of our students.
– Seesaw: We use this platform to give you a personal window into your child’s individual learning. Through photos, videos, and notes, you can see their progress and achievements firsthand, creating a direct link between the classroom and your home.
– Facebook: We share news and the like on our community Facebook page
Opportunities for Connection
We believe in creating relaxed, in-person opportunities for parents and teachers to connect and for families to see their child’s learning in action.
– Open Evenings: Held every term, these events provide a low-pressure environment where students become the guides. They lead their families through their classrooms, enthusiastically explaining their projects and learning processes. This is a great chance for informal conversations with teachers and a firsthand look at your child’s work.
– Community-Centered Learning: Our learning inquiries often center on our local community and our shared history. For example, recent projects have explored the historical significance of our local areas for Mahinga Kai and deeper history, connecting students to their roots and to the rich cultural landscape around them.
– Positive Puberty evenings, educating parents on how to navigate these times, and sharing new educational initiatves.
– Celebrations: Matariki, Pasifika evenings, Band Quests, Sporting events, Cultural days e.g. Tongan language week
Encouraging Active Participation
We know that strong parent-child-school relationships are vital to a child’s success. We encourage parents to get involved in a variety of ways that deepen these bonds.
– Volunteering: Helping at school camps, supervising on classroom trips, or assisting with special events etc
– Working bees at school where there are opportunities for our community to contribute towards the success of our school
– Active Participation: We offer various avenues for parents to actively participate in their child’s educational journey. By fostering this collaborative and supportive environment, we ensure that both students and their families feel valued, connected, and integral to the learning process.
Next Steps
As a school working towards integrating our physical environment with our new cultural narrative. For example murals, signage, environmental stewardship, main entrance…
There are so many ways to learn about your students within a school.
Firstly, through academic assessment. At our school, we will always assess a new student within the first couple of weeks of them joining us. This gives us an idea about where they sit academically and where we can provide any additional support. Some of our students require ESOL support – in which we will ensure our ESOL teacher can get them onto her roll/timetable. It is always super helpful when the students’ old school provides information about them. In some cases, some students need an IEP – in which we can determine based on their academic standard.
Teachers are encouraged to observe students in the classroom – how they interact with others, who they gravitate towards, how they can follow classroom rules/routines. Alongside this, having ongoing one-on-one conversations with learners is so important and we learn so much about their life both at home and in the wider community based on these interactions.
At the beginning of the year, we have a big focus on whanaungatanga. We learn all about each other (in classrooms) and show who we are within our classroom settings through displays and the use of Seesaw for introductions.
Our school provides a lot of opportunities throughout the year for whanau engagement and whanau presence within our school. We have learning conferences, sports days, dress up days, Matariki, Art Expo, Production, Grandparents Day, assemblies – the list goes on. We also promote emails, phone calls, and school newsletters, which are other ways to maintain an open line of communication. Parents can provide context about a student’s personality, family dynamics, and any recent changes that might affect their child.
Students’ successes outside of school are also celebrated. We have students who do a lot of extra curricular activities. Our school supports these students through sponsorship and celebrating their accomplishments in assemblies and on our Facebook page.
There are not really any further actions I think we would take to show our schools cultural responsiveness.
Hi Femke – I’d love to know more about ‘Grandparents Day’. Sounds really interesting. I also love that you mentioned celebrating life outside the classroom. In my class this year, my co teacher and I invited parents to email celebrations and times when they saw their child living the school values at home. We then started to share these emails with the students during morning Hui. It didn’t take long for this idea to take off and we were inundated with emails from parents wanting to celebrate their children!
Femke, I really like the purposeful / intentional way your school goes about getting to know the needs of new students and whanau engagement. These are areas of strength at your school. Celebrating student achievement outside of school is a great idea and is holistic.
Connection with whanau and community
We use our Hero platform to connect with whanau on a daily/weekly basis, commenting on day-to-day achievements, individual pathway goals set for our students and work/classroom celebrations.
We have an annual whanau day where whanau can come together, interact with staff and other whanau in a casual and informal setting.
We also connect with whanau on a one-on-one basis twice a year to set pathway goals for our students. We make sure that this process occurs with students at the forefront.
Our unit has a well known open door policy and we encourage visits to our unit to spend time with us if they wish too. This allows parents and caregivers to see first hand what is happening in our unit, and helps to build and maintain trust in our learning processes.
We have a big community interaction focus at our unit specifically, our staff attend local Kahui Ako, our students attend team building with other schools and attend KIT (keep in touch) days that focus on connecting learners with hearing difficulties across Auckland and takes place at a local Marae, and attending festivals like Polyfest and other specialist school festivals.
We focus on connecting our students and staff with other specialist schools and mainstream schools in our local area and we connect with our local community supermarkets and other work experience partners to offer voluntary work experiences for our students. Community connection and whanau communication is a huge aspect of what we do at our unit and at our school and we pride ourselves in this.
Sanet, I am really impressed with the huge support your teachers give to other specialist schools/units as well as mainstream schools. Also your school is very active in engaging whanau and the community.
Connect with families:
As part of the Reggio inspired philosophy, one of the guiding principles is Community Partnerships – placing great emphasis on fostering a strong connections between whanau, community and the school.
Last year, we started Mihi Whakatau every term to welcome new students and their whanau to our school.
Every term, there is an open evening where students invite and show their families around their classrooms and explain their learning. This is a great relaxed way for parents to ask questions and discuss their child’s progress with the teachers. Our Junior and Middle school also have parent coffee mornings for parents to learn more about classroom programmes.
We communicate with our parents weekly via classroom notices on HERO and every 3 weeks via a school wide newsletter. Within this newsletters, one area of the school is highlighted with stories and learning journeys from the classrooms. This helps showcase the creativity within classrooms and promotes our strong image of children.
Seesaw is also used to help keep parents informed with their child’s individual learning.
One area I would like to develop is increasing parent feedback and contribution to classroom projects. We have 3 overaching school themes for the year but it is up to teachers and students to create meaningful, authentic projects around these themes, based on the interests of the students. Therefore, each classroom run different projects for varying lengths of time. Parents need to be an important stakeholders in shaping the direction these projects take. I’d like to see at least one of our ‘Open Afternoons’ to be used as a more formal opportunity for teachers to present to parents. During this time, teachers could share the project journey so far, explain key decisions made along the way, and invite feedback and ideas to help determine the project’s next steps.
I really love the idea of a Termly open evening AND the coffee mornings! What a great way to support more whanau involvement in your school.
Looks like we are thinking down similar lines Lindi connecting parents into the classroom learning. Hopefully we can put our heads together and come up with a plan to put into action on our think tank day.
Your school is very active in providing a host of opportunities for whanau engagement and communication. Like Femke, I really like the parent coffee mornings and also your next steps with increasing parent feedback and contribution to classroom projects.
Hi Lindi. Increasing parent feedback and and contributions to classroom projects sounds like a great idea.
A discursive and student centred approach to learning.
At KTS, we believe students should be active participants in their own learning. Our discursive curriculum is built on three core features:
Open ended questions that encourage deeper thinking.
Student-lead discussions that empower students to take ownership of the conversation.
Learning and context, which connects classroom topics to real world issues.
For example, we link maths concepts to food technology and financial literacy by having students set up a market stall. This event not only applies learning in a practical way but also strengthens connections with families, allowing us to incorporate diverse cultural cuisines and a strong sense of student identity into the classroom.
Fostering student autonomy and success
Students at KTS gain a strong sense of autonomy through choice. They select how they present their work, including multimodal delivery of texts, and set their own learning goals. Students then collect evidence of their progress towards these goals and proudly share their achievements during three-way learning conferences with their parents and teachers.
We ensure success is both achievable and celebrated. Our clear expectations are outlined in success criteria, and students receive constructive feedback through assessment rubrics. We particularly celebrate success in literacy, where students who have made significant progress – not just top achievers – are invited to celebrate their writing with the Principal or Deputy Principal. As a Mighty School, we align with Self-Determination Theory, ensuring students’ basic psychological needs for a relatedness are met by feeling connected and cared for.
Deepening Our Cultural Responsiveness
To further develop a cultural responsiveness, we are looking to expand our connections with all whānau. While we have strong communication with our Chinese community through WeChat, translated newsletters, and in-office interpreters, we want to ensure a similar level of engagement with our other communities, such as our Pacifica and Indian families.
For a deeper, more personal connection, we could implement several initiatives:
Setting up community liaison groups with Pacifica and Indian members.
Incorporating more cultural contexts into our lessons.
Inviting parents to share their cultural expertise.
Ensuring names are pronounced correctly as a foundational sign of respect.
For our smaller, less represented communities, such as Russian and Vietnamese, a key strategy is to identify a “cultural champion.”This could be a parent or student who can serve as a natural bridge to help share information and connect with other families. We could also actively tap into community organisations like local cultural clubs, language schools, or churches, as they can be invaluable partners in connecting with families.
Nicola, what a rich and motivating learning culture for high student engagement and taking responsibility for their learning. Great to see that your school is not only Bi culturally focused but also multi culturally focused.
Yes – focusing on the less represented communities is really important. I think this is an area we could put more energy into at our school. I am inspired by your ideas around how to support this. Thanks!
Kia ora team!
I have chosen – Connect with Families
My school does a pretty good job of connecting with tangata whenua. We have created a whānau group at our school, which has created a sense of belonging for our Māori students. This group meets once weekly, where students take time to understand their own whakapapa and how to connect with their iwi/hapu.
Alongside this, our school started a termly whānau hui, which is a special meeting for Māori whānau in our community to connect with each other, hear a Māori speaker and be encouraged on their journey to discover their whakapapa. In our community, most of the Māori students are disconnected from their whakapapa, and helping these families understand their history has been valuable.
Each term, our school does a Mihi Whakatau to welcome new students to the school. My principal takes the time at this event to welcome each student and their family individually, and I believe this creates a welcoming environment for the new families at the school.
Across the entire school, we have tasked students with creating their own pepeha/mihi. As part of this process, we have encouraged Māori students to ask their whānau about their whakapapa when they are unsure, and this has been a truly rewarding experience to be part of. Māori students who have had no prior knowledge of their whakapapa develop confidence as they begin to understand their place through their ancestry.
Another great success this year was our Matariki breakfast. We invited the school community to join us for posh porridge to celebrate Matariki, and we displayed artwork showcasing students’ cultural narratives for this event. We had fantastic attendance, and students and families connected with the staff.
A few next steps for development:
-A closer connection with our local iwi. I think that we could connect more Ngāi Tahu students to their whakapapa through the Mārae connection, which could establish stronger external connections for our Māori students.
-Kapa Haka – I think that we could potentially involve families more in our Kapa Haka at school. All students do Kapa Haka at our school, and inviting Māori whānau to be involved in this in some way could grow our connections.
-Wider cultural inclusivity – we have a high demographic of Asian people at our school. Specific meetings or gatherings could be another avenue to connect with these families and to help them connect. I am very interested to hear about what other people on here have done for this!
Hi Tom – We have a WeChat which really connects our Chinese community – it is mostly parent lead now. In terms of connecting with māori whānau, we went off the back of Matariki celebrations to shoulder tap whānau who came into the school for the breakfast to help out with the Kapa Haka – we also moved the practices to before school as that’s when these parents could help (not all our students do Kapa Haka so this is more practical for us). Maybe you could have a smaller group that meet and learn from community members and then bring it back to the wider school?
Excellent, active and meaningful connections with whanau Tom. I like the idea of a whanau group for your our Maori students and a regular whanau hui. Great next steps. I wouldn’t mind the recipe for the Posh Porridge, it sounds yummy.😊
Connection with families and the community.
Our school has a strength in connection with our whānau and community. Our ways of connecting include:
Up to date website
Newsletters out to our community every 3 weeks sharing learning as well as relevant news/updates
Communication out to our community in a variety of ways – Facebook, Instagram, Hero, Seesaw
Open evenings at least once a term with a focus on different aspects of learning
Celebrations with our community for special events e.g Matariki breakfast
Mihi whakatau held once a term to welcome our new whānau
Kaumātua from our community sharing their knowledge with staff and supporting our journey with Te Ao Māori and Te Reo Māori
Regular performances from our band, Kapa Haka and Pasifika groups where whānau are also invited to watch
Kai on a Monday and Thursday from the foodbank out for our whānau to help themselves to
Staff who support out of school activities, performances and PTA events
Surveys sent out to receive community voice
Connecting and sharing our teaching and learning with other schools and vice versa
Hosting Professional Development – inviting other schools to join e.g iPad Art
Welcoming and supportive staff team
Next steps to further develop our school’s cultural responsiveness could be:
Teacher’s and whānau working together to support learning at home – school and home interventions
A great response Beth, That sounds an excellent holistic way of communicating and engaging with whanau and the community.