KEY POINTS:
As parents, we are often diverse in our opinions and cultural views. However, the one thing we all have in common is we want a better life for our kids.
As parents, we also have the right to ask every educator, "Who will prepare our children for the new information-based future?"
While debates rage in every sector - whether it be about the economy, excessive government spending or the environment - there is no argument over the power of education. There is no alternative to education. In a world where ideas have wings, there is no more necessary building block for success.
As Kiwis we like to think we have a laidback attitude and a sense of fair play. Unfortunately, this is a sham when it comes to Maori and education. Every Maori leader and Maori parent needs to ditch the comfort zone and start thumping the school desk.
Demand to know why 53 per cent of Maori boys and 44 per cent of Year 11 Maori pupils cannot pass basic literacy and numeracy tests. Compare this to 1970, when Maori and non-Maori students together achieved the No 1 spot in reading out of 50 countries. What is going wrong for our kids?
This is not just a Maori problem, as the logical end of this endemic failure is a growth rate in prisons. The number of Maori inmates doubled in the past five years due to the disillusionment, low self-esteem and the depressing prospects for boy school leavers.
Blaming parents, dysfunctional communities or poverty is all too easy and maintains the status quo. Academics around the world call it the deficit theory. Cultural deprivation and difference have been the reason for everything from behaviour problems to poor literacy.
Research shows that teachers with low expectations and negative attitudes translate into poor teaching. When teachers are confronted by their stereotypes about Maori children's abilities and taught how to lift their expectations, Maori students' social and academic outcomes improve greatly. They perform better and succeed when they are educated in an environment that affirms who they are and respects their cultural diversity.
A 2007 snapshot of Maori achievement in Maori medium schools - those that use te reo Maori for all communication, including teaching - are doing better than mainstream on every measure.
In fact, 49.1 per cent of all Year 13 students achieved university entrance, as opposed to 29.8 per cent of Maori students at English-medium schools.
At the education summit "21st Century Education The Waipareira Way" being held this week (April 16-18), a key theme is the development of the Waipareira Report Card on the performance of principals, schools and teachers in Waitakere City.
* Former Cabinet minister John Tamihere is chief executive officer of Te Whanau o Waipareira Trust, which is hosting the education summit.
