Conflicting Demands: Reviewing the Impact of Youth Policies on New Zealand Schools

Abstract

Government policies are often developed outside of the Ministry of Education, but with education and schooling in mind. This article will look at two such policies: the Youth Development Strategy Aotearoa (YDSA) and the Youth Offending Strategy (YOS). It will explore the contradictory ways in which the purpose and role of schooling are constructed within these policies and the resulting conflicting expectations placed on the compulsory schooling system. These expectations reflect classical notions of the functions of education. The challenge is to redevelop schooling “as we know it” by incorporating a key strength of the YDSA – that of authentic youth participation.