I am a firm believer in the adage that all children are endowed with the same potential to acquire knowledge, given the right opportunity and resources to access that knowledge. New Zealand-born, working class,Samoan students from bilingual,traditional Samoan homes do not, as a rule, have ready access, at home,to the kinds of resources and opportunities that would prepare them for the highly competitive academic environments of high school and university .
This book takes a critical look at teaching practices which disadvantage New Zealand-born Polynesian students through the experiences of...