Are You On Board the 'Change Train'? Principal Perceptions of Investing in Educational Success

Are you change-invigorated, change-weary or just pedalling to keep up with recent Ministry of Education (MoE) moves? However you are travelling, it must be apparent that Aotearoa/New Zealand school administration is undergoing significant change through the current schooling reform process termed 'Investing in Educational Success' (IES). But what is it all about? Two years ago, in January 2014, the NZ government launched IES. Under the umbrella of IES, the MoE framed a school administration structure and funding model that aims to provide targeted tools and resources to build teaching capability and improve learning through the establishment of three initiatives: Communities of Schools (CoS), a Teacher-led Innovation Fund and a Principal Recruitment Allowance. (The third arm of this strategy is described by Professor Ivan Snook (2014) as performance pay for senior leaders.) As 'the engine room' of IES (MoE, 2014), CoS is framed in social justice terms as an approach to target the most disadvantaged young people in NZ.