Beyond teacher/parent separation: Questioning the 100% qualified teacher policy

The draft early learning strategic plan He Taonga Te Tamaiti/Every Child a Taonga (Ministry of Education, 2018) has a goal to improve quality by regulating for 100% teachers in teacher-led services. This proposal assumes a distinct separation between teachers and parents, and between services employing professional teachers and those with parents-as-educators. This article uses the “What’s the problem represented to be?” (WPR) policy analysis approach of Carol Bacchi (2009) to examine and disrupt the underlying problem representations contained in this policy. An alternative policy is proposed that assumes professional teachers and parents-as-educators can work alongside each other in the same service, to mutual benefit.