Developing Linguistically and Culturally Sustaining Evaluation in Pacific Bilingual and Immersion Education in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

The Education Review Office is Aotearoa New Zealand’s external education evaluation agency. Its evaluation approach integrates external and internal evaluation. The use of evaluation indicators provides a common frame of reference for schools and evaluators. In Aotearoa, linguistic and cultural diversity is increasing. The ‘Afa Framework: Pacific Bilingual and Immersion Indicators is designed to support evaluation practice that promotes linguistically and culturally sustaining learner outcomes in Pacific Bilingual and Immersion Education. The ‘Afa Framework articulates the evidence about high quality practice and enabling conditions in Pacific Bilingual and Immersion Education settings, supporting programme design and evaluation. ‘Afa illustrates how the Education Review Office draws together different evidence bases through indicator frameworks and reflects Pacific ways of working. Evaluators support educators and schools to negotiate role definitions and critically examine schooling structures that influence interactions, through collaborative, rather than coercive relations of power, that enable Pacific bilingual learners to be successful as who they are. This article outlines the collaborative, research-based process used to develop the ‘Afa Framework Indicators; describes the Framework’s role in evaluation practice, and explores its use in schools. Implications for culturally responsive and sustaining evaluation practice are considered.