Interesting professional reading from Ministry of Education library

Māori achievement in a mainstream school, by Liz Hawes.

Article in New Zealand Principal, 27 (4), 2012, p. 7-10.

Talks to the principal of Te Akau ki Papamoa School about factors that have led to raising Māori students' achievement. Looks at the school's values, its inclusion of whānau, teacher development, and curriculum focus.

5 myths about student discipline, by Laurie Boyd.

Article in Educational Leadership, 70 (2), 2012, p. 62-66.

Outlines common misconceptions about ways in which teachers can and cannot change classroom behaviour. Looks at the use of schoolwide behaviour systems to improve student behaviour.

A systematic evidence review of school-based group contingency interventions for students with challenging behavior, by Daniel M. Maggin et al.

Article in the Journal of School Psychology, 50 (5), 2012, p. 625-654.

Synthesises the research underlying group contingency interventions (GCI) for problematic student behaviour in classroom settings. Considers whether there is sufficient evidence to support the use of GCI as an evidence based strategy for addressing classroom behaviour problems.