Can Boards of Trustees merge schools effectively?

The following report attempts to investigate Boards of Trustees’ perceptions and ability to facilitate effective school mergers. Specific focus will be placed on: • determining whether Boards are effective in facilitating school mergers and to identify barriers (if any) in achieving acceptable and sustainable educational outcomes in terms of student achievement; and • identifying various strategies to reduce the barriers for Boards to be more effective in the future. From these findings specific recommendations will be made to facilitate improvement in educational outcomes for students, while making the necessary changes to schools to reflect the changing demographics within New Zealand.