Potential for Institutional inertia
Whilst ideological differences on how schools should be addressing student underachievement state some challenges to NS implementation, institutional inertia may pose a host of other challenges.
NS readjusts the way that student achievement data will need to be collected, stored and reported on – needless to say some schools have better information systems than others. During the consultation process only 27 percent of education sector respondents thought their school had “strengths in making changes to their school information management system that would be needed for National Standards work.“[1] If timely support and guidance is not provided to schools on how they can reform their information systems in a timely and efficient manner there is the potential for them to face undue stress to meet reporting deadlines that other schools may not face. Difficulty in schools reforming their information management systems likewise may lead to decisions not to reform at all until compelled to do so (they may ‘drag their feet’). Moreover schools that face a severe lack of resources i.e. access to expertise in efficient information systems, are likely to be the ones most affected by requirements at reform if they are not identified early. Concerns are further highlighted by the recent report by the School Sample Monitoring and Evaluation Project released in October 2010 that found approximately a third of sample principals rated their knowledge of reporting requirements to the MoE as “poor” or “very poor” and that a majority of principals do not feel supported in their role to implement NS.[2] This shows that challenges to policy implementation need not arise out of hostility towards NS but through schools’ inability to adjust well established structures and confusion over reporting mechanisms.[3]
[1] Cathy Wylie, Eith Hodgen and Charles Darr, “National Standards Consultation Analysis: Report for the Ministry of Education” NZCER August 2009 Ministry of Education” NZCER August 2009
[2] Maths Technology Ltd, ‘National Standards: School Sample Monitoring & Evaluation Project- Mid Year Report Survey of Principals and Analysis of Report Formats’ Ministry of Education: Wellington (October 2010): 9
[3] Michael Mintrom, ‘Contemporary Policy Analysis’ New York: Oxford Press (forthcoming 2011)