Another 54 Communities of Learning formed

Another 444 schools have formed themselves into Communities of Learning, taking to 793 the number that have agreed to work systematically together to raise student achievement, Education Minister Hekia Parata announced today.

“This is a terrific development because it means that one year into the four-year roll out of the programme about a third of our students are in line to benefit from their schools sharing expertise and resources.”

The 54 Communities of Learning announced today have a combined total of almost 135,000 students, more than doubling the number of students attending schools that are part of the groupings previously known as Communities of Schools.

“These latest communities include schools in Northland, the East Coast of the North Island, Taranaki and Wellington meaning we now have every region in the country involved in this enormously exciting work to lift achievement for all kids,” Ms Parata says.

Today’s announcement takes the total number of Communities of Learning to 96. Together they have more than 250,000 pupils.

Communities of Learning are funded through the Government’s $359 million Investing in Educational Success initiative.  Designed to systematically lift the quality of teaching and learning, communities receive additional funding to enable teachers and principals to share expertise and best practice.

Ms Parata says the communities will collaborate to tackle achievement challenges that they identify for their kids such as maths and reading.

“I want to thank all the schools that have seen the potential of this initiative to lift achievement for their kids. Announcements about additional Communities of Learning will be made next year.”

New Communities of Learning:

For more information about Communities of Learning go to http://www.education.govt.nz/ministry-of-education/specific-initiatives/investing-in-educational-success