Regional offices of the Ministry of Education are going to be working more closely with schools in a new attempt to lift student achievement.
Education Minister Anne Tolley says the ministry will set up a new unit to address the issue.
School leaders have already been told the regional offices will be working with them more closely. The focus of that work will be student achievement.
Radio New Zealand's education correspondent says that would be a significant change for the ministry.
But school staff do not yet know how helpful it will be.
They say there is already too little money for training.
The change is believed to be linked to the Government's national standards in reading, writing and maths.
The standards themselves will not lift achievement, so something more is needed to ensure students improve.
Mrs Tolley also says the ministry does not have the personnel and capability to lift student achievement in schools.
She said the ministry will need to recruit from the school sector to set up a student achievement unit.
