[ellen]

I was in NZ for a month in July and visited the two colleges in Taupo but am still having trouble getting a good feel for the academic nature of it. My son, who is 15, says that he wants to return to the states for college. If he maintains that stance, he may do some online coursework to cover some of the differences.

We were told to expect great differences in peer expectations....most of the kids in his classes here expect to go to universities and colleges; over there, one woman told she doubted if over 10% of those graduating would plan on tertiary education. Both schools said he would be placed by age, rather than by course background, meaning (I think) that, when we arrive in January, he will have to spend one and a half years at one level and then graduate six months behind his US peer group....

Anyone have more experience with expectations and practices at the secondary level?

Ellen

[ruthyroo]

Hi ellen

My OH works as a teacher in secondary teacher here, and from what he has told me, I think you would be right to expect lower peer expectations as far as tertiary education goes here in NZ. This would especially be the case in Taupo, which like Rotorua has a high maori population, with far less likelihood of going on to uni than pakeha kids. So depending on the make up of the school, you may well find that only a small number of the total pupils are interested in going on to uni. However, in terms of peer expectations, it really depends who you think his peers / friends are going to be. At Mr Rr's school, which is about 50:50 maori to pakeha students, the two groups tend to go their own ways. Up to a quarter of maori kids leave school age 15 with no qualifications. By the time you get to the Year 13 classes (age 17-ish), the classes are almost exclusively pakeha, and virtually all aspiring to uni. So it's self selecting to an extent. Also, don't underestimate the power of parental expectation / support - as always the kids with good supportive parents are the ones that do well.

[StevieD]

Very interesting thread. My son and daughter are quite bright, and we expect them to progress to uni. We as parents will gently push both of our kids down that path, especially since our parents never really did it for us. They were of the belief that a decent school education would be enough, but they came from a generation that went down that route when there was plenty of work. We, on the other hand, want our kids to achieve their fullest potential. A more laid back style is not a problem for us because schooling in uk is too quick and stats based.

[ruthyroo]

I guess the important thing is to keep providing them with that focus from home, on acheiving well despite what the wider group might be doing. Many schools provide 'Accelerate' classes for higher ability students, by default usually pakeha kids. This keeps the pakeha parents happy that their kids are not being 'held back' by the less motivated students, and from the school's pov attracts more supportive parents and motivated pupils. Doesn't do much for the maori kids though. There's an interesting article on the lack of educational acheivement among young maori / PI boys here http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=466&ObjectID=10339955

At the end of the day, school can only do so much. A lot of what motivates kids, for good or bad, comes from home and parents.