The Ministry of Education is funding a new centre for education in an effort to encourage leadership and growth in the sector.

The Centre for Education Leadership Excellence was announced by Education Minister Hekia Parata and will be established by the Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, the newly formed professional body for teachers.

The Ministry of Education is partially funding the centre and is initially contributing $250,000 to its set-up costs.

At first, the centre's focus will be the principals who have been selected to lead the new Communities of Learning, which have been established to foster systematic collaboration across the education system, says Parata.

“I am particularly pleased that the Education Council will be leading professional development for this group of principals,” she says.

“The Council was established to raise the quality and status of the teaching profession and this is a practical demonstration of how it plans to fulfil its mandate.

“Research tells us that quality leadership is one of the two most important in-school influences on student learning.

“Growing leadership capability across our education system will make a material difference to student engagement and achievement,” says Parata.

According to Parata, the new centre will strengthen links between early learning centres, schools and education researchers in tertiary institutions.

One of its first tasks will be to work with the achievement challenge leaders of Communities of Learning.