So much of many students’ long-term success and achievement in school is determined by the the trajectory they get on at the very beginning of their school careers, which in turn is determined in large part by their pre schooling experiences.  (It is important to note that pre school learning environments do not only refer to preschools but rather all learning environments, which include homes and communities as well.)  My Fulbright capstone project is multifaceted, but the purpose is ultimately to improve student learning by aligning standards and practices between preschools and public elementary schools in order to create a more seamless transition for students between these two critical learning environments.   I am looking at broad education systems and policies as well as specifics about best practices in literacy instruction.

One of the many things that makes New Zealand the ideal place to conduct my project is that it has had a national curriculum since 1992.  Let me clarify that “curriculum” in this case refers not to a specific textbook or instructional program, the way we think of it in the United States.  “Curriculum” in this case refers instead to a set of national standards (an articulation of what they want students to know and be able to do) that are mandated for every school in the country by the Ministry of Education.  This is a little mind boggling for the US since our public schools are governed and funded by each state instead of at the federal level.  Keep in mind that New Zealand does not have states, and that it is actually more like the size of a state in the US–both population- and geography-wise.

New Zealand implemented their first national curriculum in 1992.  Acknowledging that there had been much social change over the next 8 years, the education system conducted a thorough 2-year review from 2000-2002, and–based on the findings–the Education Cabinet led a 4-year revision of the curriculum before implementing the current version of The New Zealand Curriculum in 2007.  They want to ensure that the achievement objectives are, “current, relevant, and well-defined.”

In addition to having a 23-year history with two versions of a national curriculum, New Zealand has also been on the cutting edge of literacy instruction and practice for the last several decades and–partly because of their size–they have been able to effect significantly positive change on a national level in a relatively short amount of time.  These aspects make New Zealand the perfect place to design a model that can be implemented in Oregon–or any other state–in the context of the Common Core State Standards.

Karen Sewell, who was Secretary for Education in New Zealand at the time of implementation of the new version of the New Zealand Curriculum had this to say about it:

The New Zealand Curriculum is a clear statement of what we deem important in education.  It takes as its starting point a vision of our young people as lifelong learners who are confident and creative, connected, and actively involved.  It includes a clear set of principles on which to base curriculum decision making.  It sets out values that are to be encouraged, modeled, and explored.  It defines five key competencies that are critical to sustained learning and effective participation in society and that underline the emphasis on lifelong learning.

What more could a country ask for from its future guardians of society?