“Official School Improvement” in England and New Zealand: A Cautionary Comparison

Abstract

This article compares recent school improvement policy in England and New Zealand and suggests some reasons for the differences, particularly the social class contexts of the two settings. Three related issues for New Zealand school improvement are also highlighted: the continuing risk of borrowing damaging managerial and performative school improvement policies from England, the idiosyncratic nature of many school improvement initiatives, and the need to take more account of school context.