Society requires education to prepare students with the tools and ability to navigate and find success for unknown futures. Entrepreneurship education has the potential to deliver the relevant curriculum and competencies to support young people to develop resilience, independence, innovation and ability to recognise opportunities to live productive and rewarding lives in this new post COVID-19 environment. Entrepreneurship has been encouraged by government initiatives to address rapidly evolving challenges due to economic disruption. The purpose of this study was to conduct a literature review of entrepreneurship education pedagogy in order to understand the growing evidence of the effectiveness of programmes that support students to act on opportunities that address social, economic, and environmental issues that have arisen in their communities. An analysis of 45 studies across nine countries suggests that although these types of learning opportunities are written into curricula, students rarely experience this type of learning in their schooling. Sustained interest in entrepreneurship through effective methods such as assistance from external trainers and value creation throughout schooling develops students’ intent for continued study of entrepreneurship at university. Teachers need opportunities to build confidence, knowledge and capacity to develop effective entrepreneurship education learning experiences that are relevant to today’s students’ future life challenges.

This paper describes findings related to the effectiveness of secondary school middle leaders as a contributor to within-school variation in academic results for students at department level in urban high schools. The ‘high-stakes’ academic assessment results for students in 10 urban high schools in New Zealand in English, mathematics and science were collated over three years. The analyses revealed variable subject department performance by 16- to 18-year-old students in the national qualification within these schools. The extent of the effectiveness of the middle leadership practices in these departments was investigated using individual questionnaires for each middle leader and the teachers who reported to them. This paper reports the results of the statistical analyses of the questionnaire compared with the aggregated academic results for students by department and finds specific middle leadership practices that were strongly associated with improved academic results. In schools where students were socially disadvantaged, the statistical significance of the results was greater. This study contributes to the previous schooling improvement literature on department effectiveness by enhancing our understanding of why students in departments in the same high school perform differently and how effective middle leaders can impact positively the student academic outcomes.

This paper describes the background, methods and key findings from a research project conducted in one Kāhui Ako (Community of Learning) in a city in New Zealand. All 12 schools had significant numbers of Indigenous Māori students whose iwi (tribal) ancestry connected to the region over centuries. Using a mixed methods approach, the study investigated the specific ‘across and within’ school interventions that positively impacted Māori student engagement in learning. Evidence was collected by seeking the views and opinions of students, teachers and whānau (family). Interventions and strategies included collaboration between Māori teachers and across-school leaders, positive school culture focused on the health and well-being of students, localised curricula, and substantial use of te reo Māori and tikanga in most schools. School principals reported limited collaboration with each other due to perceived competition between schools for student enrollments, which is counter to the policy drivers for the Kāhui Ako initiative. Results indicated that culturally inclusive leaders and teachers must deliberately focus on motivating students for their positive futures. This is key to improving the academic and social outcomes for Māori students.

This study was designed to investigate the perceptions of experts regarding the characteristics of effective entrepreneurship education in New Zealand primary and secondary schools. The aim of the study was to inform future policies, curriculum review and decision-making regarding entrepreneurial projects that were effective in the mainstream compulsory schooling sector. Using snowball sampling, 28 local entrepreneurship experts were recruited to participate in a Delphi Study. Through successive rounds, these participants established consensus on current and relevant characteristics of an effective entrepreneurship education primary and secondary school. The collective consensus determined seven characteristics for effective entrepreneurship education, centred around student learning approaches. Findings support curriculum planning focussed on creating authentic, action orientated projects or problem solving, strategies to foster entrepreneurship knowledge, skills and capabilities, seeking mentors or role models from the community, and the incorporation of financial literacy and business activities. These findings provide a basis for the successful development of New Zealand’s curricula for entrepreneurship education and enhanced entrepreneurship projects.

Middle leaders are important conduits for school policy and are often required to lead, champion and monitor change initiatives in their departments. This paper examines secondary school middle leaders’ self-reported theories, promotion and leadership of culturally responsive teaching approaches for student equity. The study participants (n = 170) are curriculum leaders in state secondary schools throughout New Zealand, serving a range of diverse populations, including Indigenous Māori students. The quantitative and qualitative data for this project were thematically analysed to inquire into middle leaders’ articulation of their culturally responsive theories, practices, and pedagogical and curriculum leadership to assist members of their departments in supporting Māori student educational success. The study found that although middle leaders could clearly articulate culturally responsive, sustaining and revitalising pedagogies and leadership in alignment with government policies and expectations, they were less clear about the measures they used to evidence these practices. In addition, less than 30% of the middle leader participants mentioned academic achievement as an element of Māori student success, and few mentioned the importance of systematic monitoring of achievement data, or using them to support better learning outcomes for Māori students (184).

This study reports the quantitative results of middle leaders’ self-reported practices and compares their responses to the perceptions of the teachers who report to them (n = 158). Likert scale questionnaires were used to measure the extent to which middle leaders focused on goal orientation, professional collaboration, effective instructional practices, and supporting teacher development within their department. The analysis provides insight into this phenomenon within six different state-funded secondary schools, with results showing middle leaders almost always rate their practices more effectively than the teachers who report to them. Common areas identified as requiring increased effectiveness were middle leaders’ use of resources to support learning, use of data to support the instructional programme, and identification of effective professional learning opportunities for teachers. Reported levels of effectiveness compared with student academic achievement in the senior secondary school setting align with agreement ratings and the socio-economic status of students who attend the school. This paper highlights the need for the ongoing support of middle leaders to be provided with deliberate support and development for leading teachers.