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The Auditor General says low decile schools, especially those with a large percentage of Maori students, have better relationships with Maori families than high decile schools.
Lyn Provost says her office is undertaking a five-year project to measure how well the education system supports Maori students.
In its second performance report, it says the government’s Ka Hikitea Maori education strategy calls for educationally powerful partnerships where school governors, teachers, students and families work together to improve students’ overall performance.
Its survey found that while 90 percent of schools think they have effective relationships with whanau, only 60 percent of whanau members agree.
Relationships are more effective when there is good communication, there is a willingness to be flexible to enable effective participation, and communities feel listened to.
This is not easy and requires constant attention.
Ms Provost says small practices such as meeting whanau regularly at the school gate can affect the quality of relationships.
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