I recently had the privilege of attending a UNESCO Principals’ Seminar in Shanghai. Much of our mahi was about ‘defining student success’. Repeatedly, we heard that success is not defined by reading, writing and mathematics assessment data, and nor does such data define the quality of a teacher.
Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), said that education must go beyond measuring academic success and place equal value on developing broader competencies. Real and authentic education, we learned, goes beyond literacy and numeracy; it’s about nurturing well-rounded individuals who can collaborate, think critically, communicate effectively, and show empathy. In the context of Aotearoa New Zealand, it also means fostering a strong sense of identity, culture, and language, while embracing the articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This includes recognising and valuing the rights, knowledge, and perspectives of Māori as tangata whenua, and ensuring our learners understand and respect the cultural foundations that make up our society. By weaving these values into education, we prepare students not only for academic success but also for contributing meaningfully to a diverse, inclusive, and respectful nation. These skills form the bedrock of a healthy, functioning society, and are just as important as academic achievement.
I believe this is the lens through which we should ask more meaningful questions: How are we defining success for our tamariki in Aotearoa New Zealand? Are our teachers confident and inspired? Are our students engaged, curious, and supported in their social and emotional growth alongside their academic growth? Are schools properly resourced with the tools and given the time to be successful? Until we begin to define success in ways that encompass the full purpose of education, we risk reducing it to some arbitrary number and losing sight of the individuals at its core.
The other topic on the UNESCO agenda was ‘Implementation Loss’. This term relates to change management and refers to the gradual erosion of policy potential caused by rushed rollouts, inconsistent support, and overwhelming system demands. Implementation loss is a very real challenge, particularly for large-scale changes. It occurs when the effectiveness and impact of a policy or initiative diminishes as it moves from theory to practice, often due to the way it is executed.
Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, we are implementing two significant shifts in the New Zealand Curriculum: Structured Literacy and Structured Maths. Curriculum changes can potentially lift learning outcomes for individual students, but good intentions alone won’t guarantee success. As I’ve observed these changes roll out, I see a real risk of implementation loss.
NZCER’s 2024 primary principals’ survey revealed 71 per cent believe the pace of curriculum change is too fast. That’s no small warning. From Southland to Northland we’re hearing the same message: ‘We want to incorporate the new curriculum approaches into our schools, but we don’t have the time, available PLD or support to ensure success.’ Providing teachers with free workbooks and imported programs is not a substitute.
Implementation loss shows up in multiple ways. Teachers lose confidence to adapt. Professional learning becomes a tick-box. Leaders are not offering deliberate guidance, because they have been left out of the PLD loop. Principals are being asked to manage multiple shifts without the time or structural support to lead them effectively. Many are working late into the night, piecing together plans while managing compliance, staffing, and community expectations. That’s not sustainable.
Most concerning of all is that our vulnerable students – our Tier 3 learners – are unsupported. These are the tamariki already at risk of disengagement and underachievement. These are the tamariki who make up our long and thickening tail of underachievement, creating the unacceptable inequity gap between our highest and lowest achievers. Ignoring Tier 3 support needs will widen the equity gap, not close it.
NZPF consistently states that while 15–20 per cent of students have additional learning needs, a tiny fraction of schools feel sufficiently resourced to meet them. The money promised in the budget to support structured literacy and maths is welcome but much more is needed to address our high levels of neurodiversity.
Teachers need time to practice curriculum changes, reflect, get feedback, and refine, but the workload is crushing. Principals say that while their teams are eager, they simply don’t have the hours in a week to address both Structured Literacy and Structured Maths at once. The risk is both subjects will be compromised. The Minister’s message to ‘just get started’ doesn’t reflect the reality – especially when community expectations have been raised and reinforced by Ministry officials.
We still have choices. It is not too late to slow down. The system is not beyond repair and slowing down might be the very thing that saves it. We could take a staged approach – consolidate Structured Literacy in Years 0–3 before expanding further, while delaying Structured Maths until literacy is fully embedded. This isn’t giving up; it’s doing things well, in the right order, and with respect for the professionals charged with delivering it.
We need to redesign our support model. Deep, embedded PLD with coaching and mentoring, release time for collaboration, and structured communities of practice are what schools are asking for. They don’t need more urgency – they need more time and trust.
None of this is a call to abandon change. It is a call to do it better. Because if we continue at the current pace, we risk losing the very people we rely on to make this change work. We’ll see burnout instead of buy-in, and compliance instead of creativity.
Implementation loss is not inevitable. But it is real. We are at the tipping point right now. We can keep pushing forward and risk losing both momentum and morale – or we can pause, listen, and lead with wisdom. Slowing down now might just be the smartest, most courageous move we can make.