Catholic schools feature in achievement and equity list

Researcher Alwyn Poole said the “Equity Index Number” (EQI) is “the main mechanism the Government uses to address genuine equity issues for students. It takes into account 37 socio-economic indicators. The schools with many students who have risk factors receive a relatively small amount of extra funding to try and address those issues”.

The range is from 344 to 569 – with the higher number meaning that they have a high percentage of children with multiple risk factors, Mr Poole said.

“We often associate achievement with EQI . . . the correlation is strong and I have no doubt that more should be provided for students in high EQI schools,” he said.

He listed 15 schools that “punch above their EQI” in terms of school leavers who gain University Entrance.

The Catholic colleges on his list were Marist College, Auckland (397 EQI/86.5 per cent leavers with UE), Liston College, Auckland (420 EQI/83.2 per cent leavers with UE), St Catherine’s College, Kilbirnie (428 EQI/88.6 per cent leavers with UE), McAuley High School, Auckland (489 EQI/75.5 per cent leavers with UE) and St Joseph’s Māori Girls’ College, Napier (492 EQI/85 per cent leavers with UE).

Mr Poole said he would let readers draw their own conclusions from this data.

The Education Counts website states: “The Schooling EQI is not a measure of school quality. Rather, it is a way to understand the relationship between socio-economic circumstances and student achievement.”

In responding to a comment about the high number of girls’ schools on his list, Mr Poole praised the work done with boys by St Peter’s College in Epsom.

FULL STORY

NZ Schools punching above their situation (By Alwyn Poole/Kiwiblog)

Schooling Equity Index (Education Counts)